I haven't been able to focus on writing here much in the last few days. I've been too caught up in the firestorm that has been raging over Movable Type, the software that powers this website and a few other sites I have. If you would like to see what's going on, you can view this article and the more than 700 trackbacks attached to it. A majority of the problem revolves around MT's new licensing structure, which involves an unexpectedly large price tag coupled with strict limitations that did not exist in previous versions. To say it came as a shock to the user community would be an understatement. In response to the backlash from its users, MT has made some minor adjustments but it's not nearly enough and may be too late to save the company from the damage that's been done. Too many of MT's users feel angry and betrayed by a company they felt was more like a family than a corporation. That anger has been the driving force behind a massive switch to other CMS and blogging programs.
With everything that has been going on, I've had to do a lot of thinking. I have to admit, I love Movable Type. As many people were, I was looking forward to the new version and hoping to see all the new features we've been waiting so patiently for and like everyone else, I was seriously disappointed to see what we got instead. I've got my sites set up and functioning exactly the way I want them to be and it would be a major undertaking to install a new program and transfer everything, not to mention the learning curve that inevitably flows from such an undertaking. But, with MT's new licensing structure and high price tag, I may not have a choice. I simply cannot afford to do what I want to do with my sites under the new MT license limitations. I'm not opposed to paying for good software, not at all, but if I'm going to shell out cash for something, I expect it to be worth the price and MT simply isn't worth what they are charging. If they come out with a version that has all the features they've been promising and set up a reasonably priced license with no blog/author limitations, I'd stay. The question is... will they? I don't know and that's the problem. How long should I wait? Should I wait at all?
For the time being this site is doing just fine on the old version of MT. I'm not having any major issues that I can't handle, so I can afford to take my time and consider all the options available to me. Fortunately, I am one of the lucky 1250 people who received a free copy of Expression Engine during the initial release. I've installed it on my server and am testing it out. So far, I'm very impressed with it but there's a lot to learn. If I do make the switch, EE will be the way to go. I can't help feeling a little sad though. It's always hard to leave an old friend behind, even when that friend turns out not to be the friend you thought it was. There's that little part of me that keeps hoping Ben and Mena will change their minds and everything will go back to the way it was, but that's just wishful thinking. Too much damage has been done. Even if they change their minds, nothing will ever be the same again.
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