geeky tutorials, tips, guides and reviews
Not so much these days, but years ago the music in games were much better. I miss those days, of getting certain video game themes stuck in my head. Maybe it is more nostalgia than not – but I don’t care. Here are my top 10 favorite video game themes of all time…
Ridley’s Theme from Super Smash Bros Brawl (and Metroid)
Pit’s Theme from Kid Icarus
Over the past few weeks I have reviewed a ton of blogging script software selections. Some are good, some are just ok – and some, well I might not have a reason to use them, but you might.
Have any other blogging script suggestions you would like for me to check out?
By far, if you want the most bang for your buck, WordPress is the hottest blogging script out there today. I have spent the past few weeks looking at a lot of WordPress alternatives, but when push comes to shove – thus far nobody does blogging scripts better than WordPress, in my humble opinion.
The install is simple, and famous for being able to be done in 5 minutes or less. As far as features go, you have link management, post categories, tags, auto-saving of posts, categories, and more. It would take me days to list them all.
Here is video of WordPress 2.7 doing what it does so well:
You have plugins and themes included too, which means you can customize and add features you might need, but the developers for got about. Here are a few more usual WordPress links that any WordPress fanatic should have handy:
I haven’t had much time yet to really play with an appreciate the newest version of WordPress yet, but from what I have seen thus far – WordPress 2.7 is a great improvement visually over the previous versions. You can pick up WordPress via WordPress.org.
Are you wanting to find a weblog or CMS system that is user friendly and easy to use out of the box? Well, the people behind Zomplog describe themselves as being focused at helping you with publishing your content rather than learning a lot of code.
As far as free blogging scripts go, Zomplog appears to have all the bells and whistles. It is highly extendable, and tons of great features. Here is a little more from the developers:
Just because Zomplog is easy to use, that doesn’t mean it only lets you do basic things! Zomplog supports static content, or pages, if you like. This way you can easily use zomplog as an simple content management system! Want to be a broadcaster? Zomplog lets you create podcasts or video podcasts (vodcasts) on the fly! Just upload, and everything else is taken care of!
Sounds great, right? The only big problem I had with them was I could find no install guide via their web site. I had to download the the script, and then hunt through the files in there for one called “read me”. I did finally find it, however it was a lot of work. Nothing too surprising in there, setup the script, your databases and you are good to go.
There are a number of various themes and plugins to check out too, to help you mold your Zomplog powered blog to something you can use or that you need. If you are the type of person who likes to play with a script before you install it, you can have a look around at the interface on the demo hosted by OpenSourceCMS.com.
Zomplog is another fine blogging script alternative worth checking out.
Coming in today for review is WikyBlog. It is a groupware platforms that fuses together the collaborative editing features with a user friendly design. There are several features here to love. Here are a few that the developers list on the main page:
Designed for speed and ease of use, WikyBlog has a unique AJAX enhanced tabbed interface that enables users to view and edit multiple files within the same page. Custom templates, file attachments, a flexible user privilege system, and Google Maps number among its many features.
To check out more features WikyBlog provides, visit the features list. The install process does not look too complicated. From what I could find, you just need to upload, create your database, and configure. They do note you might need access to mod_rewrite and a .htaccess file too. That should not be to hard to get setup on today’s usual shared hosting plan.
Want to give it a shot for yourself? Check out the live demo on OpenSourceCMS.com.
All in all, WikyBlog looks nice if you are looking for a change, however the navigation interface confused me some. Almost like they are trying to do too many cool navigational tweaks. However, I would still suggest giving it a shot if you need a new way to manage and collaborate on your own blog.. err.. wiki… umm… WikyBlog!
Textpattern is another one of those great blogging scripts that often gets forgotten about with the surge of popularity that WordPress has had over the past few years. It is a elegant, flexible and easy to use content management system that is both open source and free to use.
The requirements are pretty basic to get it up and running, so any Linux-based shared hosting environment should do. The install is just as simple too, with your basic download, configure, setup database, and upload.
It can handle just about any blogging task you throw it’s way. From content publishing, multiple contributors, link management and the inclusion of Textile, a simple syntax for nudging plain text into structurally sound and stylistically rich web content, it is not lacking in features.
If you want to give it a test drive, there is both a front end and admin demo up on OpenSourceCMS.com.
It comes ready for themes and plugins too. Your best resource to pick those up would be the Textpattern Resources web site. TextGarden.org also has a number of Textpattern themes to use.
All in all, I think Textpattern is a simple, yet effective blogging script that is well worth trying out.
If you are in the search for a PHP-powered blogging application that gives you an easy gateway into running a blog, online diary or even a complete web page – Serendipity is a free script worth checking out.
Looking over the fresh install instructions, the process looks pretty straight forward. You upload, configure and get your blog going. Some of the features include (but are not limited to):
Here is a little more about the blogging script from the developers:
Serendipity is a PHP-powered weblog application which gives the user an easy way to maintain an online diary, weblog or even a complete homepage. While the default package is designed for the casual blogger, Serendipity offers a flexible, expandable and easy-to-use framework with the power for professional applications.
There is also full support for both themes and plugins. So extending Serendipity is an option, if you need a few more tools at your fingertips. Also, be sure to check out the demo hosted over on OpenSourceCMS.com.
Want to know more? Check out the FAQ. I would highly recommend Serendipity to anybody looking for an alternative to MovableType or WordPress.
Pritlog sounds like a knock off cheese log you might be expecting to see from your great aunt Marie this holiday season, however I can confirm, right off the bat, that you are wrong. Pritlog is an extremely simple (yet powerful) blogging script.
Some of the features included are:
So it has a lot of the standard bases covered. It also probably has one of the shortest install documentations I have ever seen. Another interesting factoid is it does not use or need a MYSQL database and fully works based on flat files.
Have a sold you yet? Pritlog is totally free and can be downloaded here:
http://hardkap.net/pritlog/pmwiki.php?n=Pritlog.Downloads
Check out the demo, and let me know what you think. It might be too simple for some – but if you like easy and small, Pritlog is the way to go.
Nucleus CMS is like WordPress’s less popular friend, that does all the same things but doesn’t get the same love from the public. A light, flexible and secure publishing platform, Nucleus CMS is definitely worth check out if you are looking for an alternative blogging platform.
The Nucleus CMS install process isn’t rocket science, so that is defiantly a good thing. Any basic Linux hosting account should make a good home for it.
You can check out more screenshots of Nucleus CMS in action here. You can also play with the demo too, if you what to try some of the features out for yourself.
Here is a little more about Nucleus CMS from the developers:
Thanks to an international community of sophisticated developers and designers, Nucleus CMS remains simple enough for anyone to learn, and expandable enough to allow you to build almost any web site you can imagine. Nucleus CMS lets you integrate text, images, and user comments in a seamless package that will make your web presence as serious, professional, personal, or fun as you want it to be.
The must for any blogging platform, skins and plugins are both there. So this means you have even more possibilities when it comes to customizing Nucleus CMS to meet your own needs.
You can download Nucleus CMS for free, so why not give it a shot?
I have looked at a lot of blogging engines lately, but Loudblog is a little different. It proudly claims it does not have the full weblog publishing features like a MovableType or Textpattern – however it does promise to be the best publishing system out there for anybody who wishes to share their own media.
Installing this script should be no problem with any shared Linux-based hosting. They only require 1 MB of free web space, PHP 4.3 or higher and MySQL 4 or higher. After installing, you can upload your content via the web site or FTP and then you can add and edit lots of meta information for that media.
You can also install templates and plugins to customize your experience even more.
You can check out the demo on OpenSourceCMS if you want to give it a try. If you are looking for a sleek and easy to use content management system for publishing a podcast, Loudblog is definitely worth checking into.
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Mitch Keeler is nothing more than your average Joe trying to leave his mark on the world though both his professional work and his online projects, articles, podcasts and more.
