28 sep 05
I’m going to make a statement: the Movable Type Installation Instructions suck.
First of all, they recommend installing Movable Type (MT) in the cgi-bin directory. What? Most server configurations can run Perl scripts from anywhere now. With this, they recommend installing the “static” files somewhere else, which, for the same reason, is unnecessary.
Next, they recommend installing the MT files outside of the web-accessible directory. What? This is okay for security reasons, but it’s too much for a beginner or even intermediate-level user to handle.
Finally, they have you edit the configuration file directly. I would like to see some sort of interface in the browser to do this.
I guess I understand the reasoning for the directions and that installing/using MT is not for the website neophyte. However, there are still those intermediate-level users out there, for whom I think the directions could be simplified for. It’s not as hard as it looks. (And I highly recommend going the command-line route.)
jason / 29 sep 2005 / 7:48 a.m.
for some reason i always have trouble installing MT, but after I get it installed, I think, oh that was easy.
my problem was with the upload. anytime I FTP it, i have problems, but if I FTP the the tar.gz file and then unpack through telnet, i don’t have problems. i have no idea what goes on there but i’m pretty sure it has something to do with binary and ASCII.
when i upgraded, i didn’t understand the instructions right off and i didn’t export my blog, i just backed it up manually by downloaded it and therefore, the entire blog is gone and i had to start from scratch. luckily, i can still list my archives, but they look like crap.
C / 29 sep 2005 / 12:19 p.m.
I agree with you. If the directions were a little more clear cut - maybe I wouldn’t hesitate so much to use it.
In fact about a month or so ago I tried to install it and was completely dumbfounded. And I think I’m pretty smart where that kind of stuff is involved.
Besides that, I really despised rebuilding my site.
Heiko Hebig / 29 sep 2005 / 3:32 p.m.
Hey Maura, thanks for your feedback. While I am sorry you find the MT docs confusing, one answer to why we make those recommendations is because it just depends.
Some servers are actually configured to allow you to run everything in one single directory. No need to worry about cgi-bin and mt-static then.
Others are more restrective and then you need to be careful what to copy where, namely keeping cgi-bin and mt-static seperate.
The new online docs for 3.2 are being extended on an ongoing basis.
Kate / 29 sep 2005 / 3:49 p.m.
Hmm. I’ve never found the directions to MT particularly challenging. Textpattern on the other hand, had me curled up on the den floor in fetal position.
nicole / 29 sep 2005 / 7:23 p.m.
I didn’t have too much of a problem installing MT, but I switched to Wordpress and really like it. Plus my host, Dreamhost, has a one-click install for Wordpress which rocks. :)
ez / 29 sep 2005 / 8:04 p.m.
Good job installing it yourself. Most people are too intimidated by something so technical. While the task is not something difficult to do, it does require paying attention to details, comprehending jargon, and avoiding getting easily frustrated.
teresa / 29 sep 2005 / 9:32 p.m.
When I used to have MT on my site, the installation was always a bit cumbersome, but once I configured everything, it was dandy. I think the main reason I switched to WordPress is the comment spamming, but I think MT has fixed that problem now. :)
marie b. / 01 oct 2005 / 5:48 a.m.
the instructions are unbelievably assbackwards.
however, it’s still pretty easy to figure out what’s what. i’m a novice at installing MT, and it didn’t take long to do.
Jenn / 28 sep 2005 / 11:29 p.m.
That’s why I love me some Wordpress. ;)