I want to tell you a story of a blogger who uses Linux as his main (and quite the only) operating system.
I started "blogging" about 2 years ago. I started using a Blogger as my platform, and I wasn't a massive writer - just a couple of articles here and there. But for the last year it happened that I manage more than one blog, and I do keep notes with me all the time and I write much more. Offline blogging became more important to me. As I know that "blogging" is widely used in Open Source community I recently started looking for a blog editor that would allow me to keep my notes offline (meaning without publishing) and post them when I'm ready.
As to my greatest surprise I haven't found even one that would be on par with my expectations (on that - later on).
Next, I realized that I'm not all that comfortable with web-based editors. Yes, they are almost the best editors there are (each one for its corresponding platform), but I would like better the normal editor, that I would write within, post from it and forget about the issue. And then, I listed for myself all the features I want from it:
From all the lists the are there, I've tried each and every single application to work with my new Blogger blogs. And to no avail. Each and every one of them suck. Most don't even connect to a blogger's blog server (and those apps are from Blogger's own list!!!). I find it weird, sad and very odd. Many blogging platforms were created using Open Source software, but still, there's no single editor in Linux that allows me to blog offline. I'm bitter.
You see, it is not an issue for me about being online or offline, and being able to post. Almost every time my computer is on, its online. It's just a matter of convenience. I like to workout things first, post them later. Besides, up until recently, Blogger didn't even allow to post drafts in order I wanted, only in order of creation. That's not good. I want to be able to decide when to post my entries.
I would think that a huge community of people in open source software would create a normal editor, which would work. Especially those who use Blogger. Please, don't think that I don't appreciate all the work done, I think Blogger is a great platform for its cause. I just want a simple blog editor that works. I tried Google Docs for the same purpose, and while it kinda works (not really convenient for me) - it is still a web application. I don't feel comfortable using it for blogging.
I'm writing this post using ScribeFire. To the date it is the best editor I've found, and even though - I don't trust it enough to post directly. I post as draft first, recheck and retouch with Blogger's web editor and then publish. This sucks.
Now, I have found the best for me editor. It is a Zoundry Writer but unfortunately, it only runs in Windows.
But no, I though. I'm clever. I will try and run a Windows Blog Editor under wine. Great idea, isn't it?
I have tried to run every single Windows editor from those lists using Wine. Nada. Nothing. Each and everyone of them fails.
So, the punchline: I love Linux. I use Linux all the time on 3 computers I have. I can blog from anywhere, using any browser. But I want to do it from an editor and such an editor is not available on Linux.
Unfortunately, Linux blogging sucks.
Update: I have succeeded to run Zoundry Blog Editor and BlogJet Editor in Linux under Wine. Take a look here:
I started "blogging" about 2 years ago. I started using a Blogger as my platform, and I wasn't a massive writer - just a couple of articles here and there. But for the last year it happened that I manage more than one blog, and I do keep notes with me all the time and I write much more. Offline blogging became more important to me. As I know that "blogging" is widely used in Open Source community I recently started looking for a blog editor that would allow me to keep my notes offline (meaning without publishing) and post them when I'm ready.
As to my greatest surprise I haven't found even one that would be on par with my expectations (on that - later on).
Next, I realized that I'm not all that comfortable with web-based editors. Yes, they are almost the best editors there are (each one for its corresponding platform), but I would like better the normal editor, that I would write within, post from it and forget about the issue. And then, I listed for myself all the features I want from it:
- Supports New Blogger!!!! (come on, a "new" blogger is really not new for about a year; why is it still called a "new blogger" ??? )
- WYSIWYG editor and HTML editor
- Tags adding and synchronizing with my blog (New blogger does supports this)
- Being able to see me previous posts from the editor.
- Being able to link to my previous posts using comfortable interface
- Pinging Technorati and possibly FeedBurner (and others)
- Saving drafts
- Using links and pictures to insert into a post just as my blogging engine would (including formatting, etc)
- Lightweight
- Open Source
- Blogger
- A-Z Bloglist
- Every Flavour Beans
- Bobrik (Ваня :-) ) from kernel panic in userspace (in russian)
From all the lists the are there, I've tried each and every single application to work with my new Blogger blogs. And to no avail. Each and every one of them suck. Most don't even connect to a blogger's blog server (and those apps are from Blogger's own list!!!). I find it weird, sad and very odd. Many blogging platforms were created using Open Source software, but still, there's no single editor in Linux that allows me to blog offline. I'm bitter.
You see, it is not an issue for me about being online or offline, and being able to post. Almost every time my computer is on, its online. It's just a matter of convenience. I like to workout things first, post them later. Besides, up until recently, Blogger didn't even allow to post drafts in order I wanted, only in order of creation. That's not good. I want to be able to decide when to post my entries.
I would think that a huge community of people in open source software would create a normal editor, which would work. Especially those who use Blogger. Please, don't think that I don't appreciate all the work done, I think Blogger is a great platform for its cause. I just want a simple blog editor that works. I tried Google Docs for the same purpose, and while it kinda works (not really convenient for me) - it is still a web application. I don't feel comfortable using it for blogging.
I'm writing this post using ScribeFire. To the date it is the best editor I've found, and even though - I don't trust it enough to post directly. I post as draft first, recheck and retouch with Blogger's web editor and then publish. This sucks.
Now, I have found the best for me editor. It is a Zoundry Writer but unfortunately, it only runs in Windows.
But no, I though. I'm clever. I will try and run a Windows Blog Editor under wine. Great idea, isn't it?
I have tried to run every single Windows editor from those lists using Wine. Nada. Nothing. Each and everyone of them fails.
So, the punchline: I love Linux. I use Linux all the time on 3 computers I have. I can blog from anywhere, using any browser. But I want to do it from an editor and such an editor is not available on Linux.
Unfortunately, Linux blogging sucks.
Powered by ScribeFire.
P.S. I hope that authors of aforementioned site do not mind me linking to them.Update: I have succeeded to run Zoundry Blog Editor and BlogJet Editor in Linux under Wine. Take a look here:
23 Comments:
Actually, what you say makes a lot of sense. It's all very good for so many people taking interest and writing blog editors for the GNU/Linux platform, but we are yet to see some one stepping-up and taking the responsibility to write a blog editor that will have at least the most essential features for blog writing and also support all the popular blogging platforms(at least Top 10).
I have linked to your post from my blog.
Totally agree :) That and more is why I keep dual-booting XP, but that's another tale.
Zoundry Blog Writer uses Python and SDL so it maybe possible to create a Linux port. Have you asked the developer?
@edythemighty:
Yea, I'm totally with you, but I don't want to install Windows.
But I have installed a couple of editors under Wine. Take a look at a post updates.
@jhansonxi:
The developer team specifically says in their FAQ that they don't run Linux and Mac and will do so if enough interest will come up. Sounds familiar? :-(
I use Plone for my CMS and Quills as my blog software. It has an "external editor" icon which I can click and then by sending me a little file with a particular mimetype it fires off a little script on my system which then fires off vi or emacs which I use to write my blog entry. When I am done and I exit the editor it uploads the blog entry. When I want to actually publish it I change the state dropdown on my blog entry to "Publish" from Draft and voila. It's on my site. I really like this system.
@tracy
That's really cool! I'm just not really into developing on my own ...
:-)
You have a good list of requirements, and it might be a good starting point for developing your own bloggning software.. Why not?
I've actually written a similar blog to yours a couple of months ago. And the funny thing is that I came to the same conclusion, ScribeFire is the most sane blogging software for Linux. It's a shame though.
Have you looked at Gnome's new blogging "widget"? It's about two years old I think, but now it's been taken under the Gnome wings, which might mean it will actually develop a lot faster than before. I don't think it supports a lot of the features you mentioned, but it does support off-line blogging very well.
I hope you find a good, open source blogging software, good luck in the future!
I browse blogs like this with complaints of linux programs, just so that i can get ideas of what to program next ;)... i will work on a full featured wysiwyg blog editor after i finish my current project.
:)
i heart me sum netbeans...
Actually, I think you've hit upon a pivotal reason why Linux isn't winning on the desktop. Linux has good desktop applications, but there are no 'killer' apps that work only (or even better) on Linux. Evolution is the only example that even really comes to mind, but even Evolution is only a stand out because it comes so close to mimicking the functionality of Outlook. Most of the offerings for the Linux desktop of poor clones of Windows applications, or are exactly the same as Windows applications. I think that unless Linux developers begin to set their sights on developing truly unique, useful programs that run best on Linux, nobody is going to adopt Linux on the desktop. The operating system, no matter how much you love it, is nothing but a vehicle for applications, and without applications nobody will ever use an operating system. It's too bad there aren't any successful software development shops looking at developing desktop software for Linux the way people like the Apache foundation make server software that runs "best" on Linux.
Actually, I think you've hit upon a pivotal reason why Linux and open source is inevitably taking over all aspects of computing - including (eventually) the desktop as well.
You obviously have a very deep interest in blogging, and you know exactly what your dream blogging environment looks like.
You say 'linux sucks', but what you really mean is 'I have a big itch that I want to scratch'. So lets say that Zoundry is pretty cool, but even still you really want more than that to reach your dream environment. (and admittedly, the cash rewards thing in Zoundry is a bit cheesy)
The options are - be satisfied with what you are given (take the best fit proprietary app and live with its minor limitations), or turn that energy you have towards creating the ultimate environment, in collaboration with others who share the same passion.
Fortunately, the open source bits and pieces already lying around .. being open source as they are .. can be stitched together and integrated in such a way that making your ultimate tool is a possibility. That is something that can never be done with closed source software.
I hope you take the opportunity to team up with all the various people and projects that are working on disparate open source pieces of the puzzle, and help pull together a killer set of tools that match this vision that you have.
If you do that, then a year from now, there may well be a brilliant new set of tools that everyone can enjoy, and your name will be all over it. Thats something you can be rightfully proud of too.
Open source is the difference between being a passive consumer or an active participant. Its up to you.
@Peter Asplund
Yea, I've tested it. Sucks (as in very very limited)
:-)
@SteveOC
I understand what you're saying, but I'm not really into developing my own solution for that...although I might participate in one.
Besides, I didn't say "Linux Sucks", I said "Linux blogging sucks".
Feel the difference?
I am not sure what distribution of linux you use, or what desktop environment you use but i think you have not looked hard enough. I have been using linux for about 8 years, and blogging for only about 2 and i can tell you for a fact that as soon as i started blogging i found desktop software that did the job.
First started out with blogger as this was the most popular at the time. And there are bits of software like Drivel, BloGTK and even plugins to the firefox browser that allows you to write posts offline and publish them later.
I then moved to wordpress because i wanted to host my own blog and once again those two built particularly for the GNOME desktop environment, worked flawlessly with my blog. You can search google for those two and i'm sure you will come up with related software of even plugins to help you with your problem.
@ K.Aning
It seems that you didn't read my post.
I have tested all editors that I could possibly find. 2 years ago, Blogger was a private holding and they had their API. Then, most of blog editor could work with it.
Nowadays, after Blogger was bought by Google, they adhere to a new API, with which, unfortunately, all of aforementioned editors do not work.
So, yes, I"ve tested them and no, they don't work,
Thank by the way, I"m thinking to move to Wordpress myself more and more.
I simply don't get it.
You say you want an offline editor so that you can store blogs locally before posting them, but you can save them online (where there is less than 1% chance of you loosing your data) at your ease, and can post them in any order you want (unless I mis-read your 'until recently' part of your post).
You make an 'ok' point of the fact that very little exists in Linux, yes..
But I have two questons:
a) Why do you require a different interface to the same tool.
b) Do you /really/ use HTML so much that a simple text editor won't suffice for 'offline' storage?
I think the main reason why it's a bit slow on Linux is because there's no real push for it - there's probably a firefox plugin or people are happy with the default.
@ Paul one
You know, you're probably right. I could have saved my notes in vi, but man, why can't I have one simple app?....
:-(
Hi,
KDE 4 will have a solid library (KBlog) for blogging with Blogger API 1.0, MetaWeblog API, MovableType API, MovableType fixed for Wordpress and a GData API for the current Blogspot backend. Currently two implementations exist, a KOrganizer resource and a redevelopped KBlogger. None of them is released yet, but KBlogger will be released as soon as KDE 4 is released (hopefully ;-)) and the KOrganizer resource will be released with KDE-Pim 4.0. LiveJournal support was planned, but is actually stalled at the moment.
Cheers,
Duns
To bad your favourite app is Windows only and not open source.
No one as the chance to actually know what's in it. For security and privacy no one should be using a third party app that connects to the internet unless it's open source. (Yes, I realize that's easier said than done.)
2. License Restrictions and Confidentiality Obligations. You agree that you will not (a) reverse engineer, modify, alter, disassemble, decompile, adapt or translate any part of the Software except and only to the extent that such activity is expressly permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation; (b) copy (except solely for back-up purposes), sell, loan, assign, sublicense, subcontract, transfer, give, disclose, pledge, lease, rent or share any portion of the Product or your rights or obligations under this Agreement; (c) modify or prepare derivative works of the Product; or (d) use the Product in a competing business. You agree to use your best efforts to prevent and protect the Product from unauthorized disclosure or use.
I'm terribly sorry, I forgot to say that I was talking about Zoundry Blog Writer.
@ Patrick
Hi dude
First, let me assure you with all my sanity that I will stop using Zoundry or BlogJet or ScribFire or whatever the moment when functional open source software appears. I started the whole thing from testing every open source editor I could find, but noone of them could do what I need.
Second, if you're citing Zoundry EULA, then I have no problem there - I use it only for the purpose of blogging (and that is its intent) and I haven't changed the program in any way, neither altered, reassembled or disassembled it.
And when the state of matters is :
1. Choose open source!!!!! it is the only way!!! OK, there's no tool yet, but there will be!!!!
and
2. Choose whichever tool that works!
I choose the second option because I need the job get done.
Thanks :-)
Any good offline blog editor for wordpress in linux? I dream of having blogdesk for linux.
I had the same problem when I started. I didn’t like any of the commerical ones either, so I ended up writting my own blogging software from scratch. Its raw alpha, but it does work well for what I have implemented. I add features as I need them. For my, my biggest issue is I wanted my blog generated statically… there is nothing out there that did a good job for that.
WELL! WRITE THE PROGRAM YOURSELF MORON!
The point is, he shouldn't have to write the program himself.
Post a Comment