movabletype.org : Support Forum

The above entry to one of the Movable Type forums indicates one problem with making technology and tools freely available. Sure it’s democracy, but not all people can work with something once it’s been given to them on a plate. As a very experienced software engineer, I find that it’s crucial to properly evaluate something even before I start thinking about using it in a serious endeavour.

This particular user wants to modify one section of their web blog so that it looks like another section. The trouble is, it appears that they’ve not spent time examining how the blogging architecture works. They also appear to be unfamiliar with HTML and CSS. That’s an awful lot of hurdles to jump in order to get what you want.

The bottom line is, as always, to read the Movable Type manuals and read the documentation about the underlying (common) technology. No-one who has read the thread has the courage to gently persuade them in this direction. So, by the end of the thread, we’re far off the track compared to what was originally requested, and moving HTML tags all over the place.