2020 Hindsight

The weekend weblog transition

Another in a series of thinking-out-loud posts about what is required to move from my old weblog host (using UserLand Manila) to a new one.

I'm no longer posting on the Manila site, I'm posting here, using Movable Type on TypePad. My Manila arrangement had a dynamic server that created static pages. There are two parts to this transition. One is simply transferring the static pages I've got a new hosting home and when I'm ready, I'll sign into my Domain Hosting place and point to the new domain. www.2020hindisight.org/somepage.html will be the same at the new place as it was at the old.

So what all do I need to do in order to make sure I'm ready?

I am here, I am here!

I am here. With all posts. Functioning (I think). I was discombobulated, for a bit. I'm not less discombobulated now.

Here's how it worked:

1. Jason Levine created a script that runs inside of UserLand Frontier for exporting Manila sites to a format that Movable Type can import. He offered to run the script on my site. I needed to get him my site root (the database table in Frontier-format) for him to work on. He ran the script and sent me the results, a ~5.4MB text file with over 4000 posts for the last 4.5 years of weblogging.
2. I created a TypePad account, and created a weblog named (are you ready for it?) 2020 Hindsight. Next up: Importing the 5.4MB file. Turns out I'd end up doing 5 total imports to 4 different weblogs:
3. First site import, into the /2020/ directory. There were a couple of outstanding problems with the export script that Jason made, especially where Manila News Item-style posts were concerned: Departments (akin to Categories) and the Link associated with the News Item title weren't a part of his script. So he worked on it a bit; sent me a new export file.
4. In the meantime, I'd made a few posts to my new weblog. This introduced that problem that those in the software biz call "version control."
5. Second site import. I did it by creating a second weblog here in Typepadville. 'Twas faster than deleting all (or most) of the first /2020/ weblog. Results: Yes, the URLs associated with post titles did translate. The categories did not.
6. Jason tweaked his script and ran another export of my Manila site, and sent it to me.
7. Third site import. I created a third weblog, and imported the third text file. Results: Success! URLs in titles and categories both present and accounted for. (I'll eventually have to lose the "imported" category, though)

   So now I have a working site at Import3, and some new posts in Import1, (along with the barest rudimentary design tweaks at Import 1). Next up: Harmonizing them



8. I exported the entire contents of Import1 and Import3. Opened up both files in BBEdit. Made a new file that had the good stuff from exportedImport3, and combined that with only the 3 or 4 new posts from Import1. Saved that to a new file. This is IT.


9. So I wanted to replace the contents of /2020/ (Import1) with my Latest and Greatest site export. How to do that? Can I blow away ALL the posts of a weblog without deleting the weblog itself? MT@TP has this way to apply filters to view certain posts, but it does not select them all. I've got over 4000 of these; I'm not going to do ANYthing by hand.


10. Googling for terms such as movable type import backup restore overwrite didn't yield any results that work on Typepad. Hey, it's time for that ol' empirical try-it-and-then-see. In the words of Julie Powell of the Julie/Julia project, "What could happen? "


11. Try a direct import into already existing blog: will this overwrite or doublewrite the posts? In /2020/ (Import1), I went to the Import/Export section of the manage blog control panel, imported my Latest And Greatest. Results: 4000+ posts are now 8000+ posts. Razzum frazzum.


12. Looks like I'm going to have to blow away the blog and start over again. I went to the template design and (eventually) discovered that you can create a theme based on existing one. Cool. If I do that, then when I blow away /2020/ the theme won't go with it.


13. Go to manage weblogs, for this weblog /2020/ (Import1+Import4). Click the little trashcan icon/Delete Weblog link. I am asked, Are you sure? Yes I'm sure. Vaya con Dios and click the button. Little status windoid eventually changes to error windoid. But it took a while to get there. Maybe all is well.


14. Check my list of weblogs. There are only two (Import2, Import3). Cool! So I create a new weblog with the same name and directory as before: Name: 2020 Hindsight; Directory: /2020/.


15. Import the Latest and Greatest. Before publishing, I go to the design section of the control panel and select my saved theme.


16. Publish all. 15 minutes later, I'm here. Guess it's time to go delete the Import2 and Import3 blogs.

Open Source CMS: Try before you... install

Very cool. Gives you access to a number of CMS and weblog tools based on php/MySQL that are either open source or free. You get to log in as adminstrator and play behind the scenes. The site is refreshed every two hours.

Blog software comparison

A handy compare and contrast collection of weblog software that works on the server side. The author's asking for additional imput. [via Al Hawkins]

This chart displays attributes of different user-installed blog software packages side-by-side for comparison. Only server-installed scripts will be included in this list. (Sorry, no Radio, Blogger, etc.) I created this chart to help figure out what blog tool best suited my needs. Hopefully, it will be useful to the self-hosted blogging community as well.

The Blogger redesign... discussed

How the Blogger redesign came about: Jeffrey Veen and StopDesign's Jeff Bowman tell their stories about how it was done.

Pmachine releases new software: Expression Engine

heh. I was poking around the site looking for the free trial pMachine for a little something on the side, and they announced public beta of something called Expression Engine. Click, click, click through other pages, then back to the home page, and they have an announcement of 1.0! So I guess this is a timely blog-notice.

At $199, it's more expensive that pMachine Pro ($45 uncommercial/ $125 commercial). Here's a review that compares EE to Movable Type.

Domain names expiring-- What should I do?

Gee, was it two years ago I registered these domain names? No, it was three.

blogbook.com

theweblogbook.com

The domain names expire this week. I don't know if I'll renew them.

BackWhen, I was all hot to trot to write a how-to book on weblogging. It got bogged down. I even was approached about the domain names, but at the time, I thought naaaaah, I gots plans with 'em. Only Other Stuff Happened. (bootstrapping projects with scant cash flow is Very Tough)

I got part way on writing a user guide for Manila. Not too interested in continuing it, but am thinking about how to make what I've done available somehow.

Anyway, I figured I'd just post these thoughts here, in case anyone thinks one way or the other about them. --want one of the domain names? --think I should do a how-to blog book? --wanna talk about the Manila stuff I've written so far?

Big List of Blog Search Engines

It's a personal FYI. Had no idea there were that many.

dis server funkiness is ovah!

My weird snafus w/ connections came to an end. Thanks to Erin at "Weblogger.com" for seeing it all through.

In the meantime, did the hedonist thing tonight by going to the wine tasting at the CalTech Athenaeum. Tonight: champagne. Of the four varieties tasted, the fave was the Henriot Souverain Brut (henry-oh; this being the season I spoke of gifts of the magi of henriot). Suggestion was to server champagne with oysters and cracked pepper. Well, seeing as how the evening's plans called for the buffet following wine tasting, and seeing as how buffet serves oysters, a request to sample the oysters was granted (sans cracked pepper), and OMFG... what a revelation!

Dang, should file this under food, not weblog software. Heh.

having some technical difficulties

"Weblogger.com" is having some technical difficulties with the server where this site has been hosted. The dynamic portion of my site, http://discuss.2020hindsight.org/ is available for viewing. The static portion (that most of you visit), http://www.2020hindsight.org/ is a little tweaked for the time being. As are images. Please stand by.