Since
its first release in October 2001, Movable Type has grown
to be a full-featured and robust system which is constantly
updated and integrated with the day's latest advances in personal
publishing. Movable Type's greatest strength lies in its flexibility
— a larger feature due to these components:
Flexible data storage — The system supports both MySQL
and Berkeley DB for your data storage, with plans to support
PostgreSQL and Oracle in the future. Berkeley DB is available
on almost all systems with Perl installed.
XML-RPC API — implements the Blogger and MetaWeblog XML-RPC
APIs, allowing you to use existing client tools (BlogBuddy,
Bloggar, BlogApp, etc) to manage your blog.
Extensible, library-driven code — if you have experience
programming in Perl, you can write custom dynamic applications
using the Movable Type libraries.
Elegant, intuitive interface — View some sample screenshots.
TrackBack — Movable Type's TrackBack system allows peer-to-peer
communication and conversations between weblogs. For more
information on TrackBack, see this document.
XHTML/CSS Compliance — Movable Type's default templates
produce accessible, standards-compliant (XHTML/CSS) pages
for your weblog.
Localization — The MT interface is available in multiple
languages, on a per-author setting.
Public Search Engine — Visitors to your site can use the
built-in search engine to find entries old and new, with
a variety of customization options.
Support — The support forums are staffed by both a dedicated
set of Movable Type users and the creators of the software,
allowing you fast access to answers from expert users of
the system.
Import data — allows you to import your entries and comments
from other content management systems (Blogger, GreyMatter,
NewsPro), then manage those posts through Movable Type.
Multiple output templates — enables one-click publishing
to multiple destinations and formats: XML RSS headlines
from your site, HTML indexes, etc.
Support for multiple weblogs/journals — one Movable Type
installation can support as many blogs as you wish.
Support for multiple authors — register multiple authors,
and set their access levels using Movable Type's role-based
permissions system.
Entry categorization — group your entries into categories
for your own reference, for archiving purposes, and for
display in your blog. You can assign multiple categories
to a single entry (for example, if an entry about a book
you read belongs in both "Reading List" and "Daily
Activities").
Search and replace — save time by performing a global search
and replace on all of your entries; use the search feature
to look up a particular entry.
Multiple archiving options — create monthly, weekly, and
daily archives of your content; individual pages for each
entry; and archives by category. Archive file names are
fully customizable, and you can associate multiple archive
templates with each archive type, allowing you to create,
for example, several versions of your archives: printer-friendly,
PDA, normal, etc.
Built-in comment system — allow your visitors to post comments
on your entries and engage in conversations. Movable Type
supports comments either inline in your blog, or in popup
windows; it also allows you to selectively exclude commenting
on certain posts.
Comment IP Banning — lock out unwanted visitors from commenting
on your site by banning their IP addresses.
Email notification system — maintain lists of users to
whom notification messages can be sent when you post a new
entry.
Integration of file and image uploads — upload files and
images into any of your blog directories, then seamlessly
integrate them into new posts.
Thumbnail creation — automatically create thumbnails from
uploaded images.
Bookmarklets — post to your site from anywhere on the web,
without entering the Movable Type system.
Template-based site customization — combine Movable Type's
template tags with standard HTML (or whatever markup language
you choose) to build and customize your site.
Pre-date or post-date entries — Movable Type allows you
to override an entry's date stamp.
Delete entries — Movable Type allows for true entry deletion,
allowing you to clean out old or unwanted entries.
Hold/Release status — allow for content editorial and approval
by setting entries to "Hold", then let an editor
approve by marking "Release", at which point the
entries will be published on your site.
Publicity and notification — sends XML-RPC pings to weblogs.com,
blo.gs, and the movabletype.org Recently Updated List.
