Does ANYTHING like this exist?

atomm

I'm looking for a certain type of program. Specifically, one to run a blog. In PHP, naturally.

Actually, I wouldn't be averse to Python, which I also like, but in general I wouldn't expect people here to be very familiar with the Py world. But if you are, then, even better.

But anyway.

I'm not just looking for any blog system. Otherwise I would have just grabbed Wordpress or stuck with B2Evo. Here are my problems with things like those:

I am a huge control freak.
I am excessively ideological about URLs and URIs -- like, TimBL style ideological.
[/list=1]As for problem#2, I simply mean that I want nice URLs like "/2005/04/15/entry-title". But this integrates with my control-freakness: I'd like to hand-craft these URIs, or at least be given the power to.

To elaborate on my control-freakosity, let me put it this way: I would like a blog engine where the logic (database stuff, etc.) is completely abstracted from presentation via object-oriented PHP. I'm not talking about a template system -- I find them to be fundamentally evil. Either they don't do as much as I need, or they do so much that it's wasteful (Smarty, I think of thee) -- I mean, why not just let people use PHP templates in that case? Is it worth sacrificing lots of extensibility just for a marginally simpler syntax? If you can't guess, my answer is no.

Well, anyway, some blog systems do let you use PHP templates. (I think b2evo does, but I'm not certain.) I still don't like it. I think the whole "template" business is a waste of time, and it restricts customizability. I'd like to have a direct object-oriented API into whatever the program does, so that I can easily write my OWN pages that access its database without having to write any SQL or anything. This is very important not just for visual flexibility, but also for nice-looking URLs.

Sorry if this rant on web/PHP aesthetics was boring. If anyone was able to read through all that, do you know if anything like this exists? Or is there no satisfying me? (Or will I end up writing it myself? I'd prefer not to if there's already something like this... even if it has a prepackaged frontend, as long as it's sufficiently abstract so I can pull it out and replace it with my own. And I don't care about the admin interface -- I'd prefer NOT to have to write that -- just the public part.)

Oh, and while you're at it, do you know if there are any forum packages that do that? phpBB and vB seem the most feature-complete, but I don't care, because their URLs suck and they can't tell their backends from their frontends. It's just me, I'm just picky. 🙂

I hereby offer a reward of a virtual hug for anyone who informs me of either system.

piersk

Would you be aversed to perl? Cos Movable Type will do pretty much all you asked for

/me hides from vaskaa

atomm

I'm not averse to running Perl programs, though I think it's one of the uglier languages. And since language-level customizability is the key issue for me, that won't do, since I'm not planning on learning Perl.

I actually did use MT for a while. The problem was its clunky insistence on static files. Version 3 supports PHP templates, but from some quick Googling, it seems like it still insists on generating them for you. I have shell access to my server, so I shouldn't have to go to a web interface to change the appearance of one or multiple files. I find template systems to be insulting and time-wasting -- PAGES are made out of TEXT, and TEXT EDITORS are made for EDITING TEXT, so why can't I use a TEXT EDITOR to EDIT my PAGES? I've just about had it with condescending software. I'm a programmer, damn it.

....

I just realized that I get very angry and worked up when I talk about dissatisfactory software. Is that normal?

In any case, I think I'm going to end up writing this program myself. I've searched thoroughly enough. "If a blog system for real designers/programmers does not exist, then it is necessary to invent it." -- Voltaire

piersk

b2 evolution
Nucleus CMS
pmachine
Wordpress

WordPress seems to be very popular at the moment

davidjam

Originally posted by atomm
I just realized that I get very angry and worked up when I talk about dissatisfactory software. Is that normal?

...depends somewhat on age. I've found that as I grow older I get angry about different things, and I find it more necessary to "manage" my anger for health (ha ha). But I still find certain things still "tip me off". Red neck stuff always makes me go ballistic, and poor quality of products and services (including software) will get me warm, so yeah, ok, it's normal! 🙂 , I mean :mad:

pohopo

I'm a programmer, damn it.

Why don't you just make what you want yourself? If you are really a control freak and want full control then that is the only way to go.

atomm

Originally posted by pohopo
Why don't you just make what you want yourself? If you are really a control freak and want full control then that is the only way to go.

That's what I thought. I just didn't care to write all the database-managing stuff and the administration interface, so I was hoping there was something already available that I could sufficiently customize to my needs.

Actually, PolarBlog looks very promising. It has a pre-made UI, but it looks very much abstracted from the real functionality. Finding it took some substantial digging, though... I'll still have to see if it's a well-kept secret or merely a mediocre program.