ITS Center for Instructional Technology

	Blosxom	Greymatter	Movable Type	Thingamablog
AFS Compatibility	Installs in your UNC public_cgi folder.	Installs in your UNC public_cgi folder.	Installs in your UNC public_cgi folder.	Fully compatible and does not require a cgi-bin.
Required Software	Web browser, text editor, and FTP client.	Web browser, text editor, FTP client, and AFS client (for use on UNC servers).	Web browser, text editor, and FTP client.	Most current Java Runtime Environment.
Multiple Blogs	One blog per installation of Blosxom.	One blog per installation of Greymatter.	Free version limited to three blogs per installation.	Will support as many blogs as the user creates remote folders for.
Multiple Authors	Authors can be customized with optional plug-ins.	Multiple authors per blog are supported.	Free version limited to one author.	Supports multiple authors for a single blog.
Comments	Available plug-ins here or here that users must install separately.	Comments can be enabled or disabled. IP logging and banning is available.	Comments can be enabled or disabled. IP logging and banning is available.	Commenting can be added through an outside service.
Rich-Text Formatting	Requires HTML by default, but formatting options are available through a list of optional plug-ins.	No. Requires HTML.	No. Requires HTML.	Yes.
Searching	Available plug-in that users must install separately.	Yes, enabled by default.	Yes, enabled by default.	Not available.
Calendar View	Available plug-in that users must install separately.	Yes, enabled by default.	Yes, enabled by default.	Not available.
Archiving (grouping posts)	Available plug-ins here or here that users must install separately.	Archives viewable by month and by a list of individual entries.	Archives viewable by month.	Archives viewable by month.
Subject Categories	Available plug-ins that users must install separately.	Not readily available, but there are hacks to enable them.	Yes.	Yes.
Syndication	RSS.	Not readily available, but there are hacks to enable RSS syndication.	RSS and Atom.	RSS.
Email Features	Optional plug-in for email notification of new comments. Optional plug-in allowing users to submit comments via email.	As many email addresses as the user likes can be notified of an updated blog.	As many email addresses as the user likes can be notified of an updated blog.	None available.
Support	Blosxom FAQ	Greymatter Forums	Movable Type Support	Thingamablog FAQ
Pricing/Ads	Free/No ads.	Free/No ads, under the Creative Commons License.	Free, though limited capability, license available with no ads.	Free/No ads, under the GNU General Public License.
Company Info	Blosxom Home	Greymatter Home	About the Developers	Thingamablog Home
Notes	The most customizable of all the blogging tools and consequently one of the most time-consuming, especially for novices. Default installation is very easy, with good documentation for all skill levels. Go here to subscribe to CGI program publication required for this tool.	Requires that you set the AFS access control lists to give youronyen.cgi the ability to write to the installation folders. Easy to follow installation instructions. User-friendly interface, though customizing your blog's appearance is difficult. Go here to subscribe to CGI program publication required for this tool.	The most difficult installation, for beginners and experienced coders. Interface is not intuitive. Free license does not include support and will only allow three authors and one blog. May not be used commercially. Go here to subscribe to CGI program publication required for this tool.	The easiest to use and install with a Java-built interface. Windows users will benefit from a pre-built installer: no command line knowledge required. Only slightly less functional than other tools (no email, calendar, or searching functions) and requires outside service for comments.

Blogging Applications Comparison