Thread

Wordpress 3.0 has been released.

http://wordpress.org/development/2010/04/wordpress-3-0-beta-1/

The big ticket features seem to be merger with Wordpress MU for native multisite support, and Custom Post Types: http://kovshenin.com/archives/custom-post-types-in-wordpress-3-0/

There’s a plugin to add admin UI support for creating custom post types: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/custom-post-type-ui/

Any thoughts?

Yes, my thought is, “must we compare these two products for the gazillionth time?”

Okay.
Apples. Oranges.
New York Yankees. Boston Red Sox.
Madonna. Madonna.
George Bush. Barack Obama.
Steve Jobs. Bill Gates.
The Beatles. The Rolling Stones.
Star Wars. Star Trek.
Chef Ramsay. Rick Ellis.

Wordpress and ExpressionEngine is no longer an apples to oranges comparison (even that is a very weak analogy) because they both now have very similar features.

I’ve been playing with the 3.0 development version for a while now and quite honestly there is nothing that Wordpress can’t do that ExpressionEngine can.

Wordpress even has EE beat in a lot of areas (media, menus and tagging especially). If developing for WP wasn’t such a pain then I would completely rule out EE for any future projects.

Wordpress and ExpressionEngine is no longer an apples to oranges comparison (even that is a very weak analogy) because they both now have very similar features.

I don’t think I agree with that statement, but to each his own.

Wordpress even has EE beat in a lot of areas (media, menus and tagging especially).

Sounds like you have found a new favourite CMS, then.

If developing for WP wasn’t such a pain then I would completely rule out EE for any future projects.

Ah, there’s always a “but”, isn’t there…

In what sense is it an apples to oranges comparison.

Content Management
Custom Design
Comments
Members
LAMP stack based
Extendable

Now some areas WP beats EE:

Threaded comments
Better media handling
Menu system
Categorisation and tagging
3rd party plugins
Import/export
Price
Size of community

This site is obviously biased towards EE but if you look at it objectively then currently there are no compelling reasons to stick with it.

…if you look at it objectively then currently there are no compelling reasons to stick with it.

I think perhaps you gave a reason just up the page didn’t you?

If developing for WP wasn’t such a pain then I would completely rule out EE for any future projects.

I said compelling 😉 – I can cope with developing for the other benefits.

It’s all about using the right tool for the right job… if that’s WP for you, that’s cool. Close the door lightly when you go… 😊

WordPress 3.0 looks mighty tasty. I like me some ExpressionEngine—some may even call me a purist—but WordPress 3.0 warrants a few more looks from me again to see if it’s a viable solution.

The cost overhead of maintaining an EE-site is increasing and it’s only going to keep treading upward with commercial add-ons that become essential to maintaining an awesome build to handle content. So the cost comparison isn’t just a battle of base prices. On the other hand, pricing, to this point hasn’t really changed any way I view ExpressionEngine—in fact, I love commercial add-ons as much, if not more than free ones because there are incentives and benefits to having them that goes beyond just having the add-on, intangible things like awesome support.

Not to mention, the EE community provides some sanity to help. Something I’d have to say Wordpress or Drupal, well, at least at the time I’ve tried them, couldn’t offer as well.

Errr this debate again.

WordPress is fine for a 10 page site with news, anything else ill pass, thanks anyway.

Ill pass on the constant updates of WP versions and Plugins, that seem to break each other time after time.

Ill pass on using the horrible code structure, EE tags are a joy compared to that horrid loop.

Im a usability designer and that means the control panel too! give me EEs which can be totally customised without a barrel load of plugins over WP any day.

I took a whole day last week to update old WP sites that had been hacked too.

Now admittedly i havnt tried WP3 and i will when it comes out in public but i cant see it overnight being transformed into a product without all the above mentioned issues.

Wordpress even has EE beat in a lot of areas (media, menus and tagging especially). If developing for WP wasn’t such a pain then I would completely rule out EE for any future projects.

In a nutshell, that’s it. Out of the box, WP is wonderful, especially when attached to a decent framework (as there are many) and theme. EE, out of the box, can be painful as the learning curve for even a basic site takes time and effort, but there’s no need to even learn how to spell PHP.

After digging into WP 2.9.x for the past year, and wading through WP 3.0, I’m impressed. Except for one thing. Switching from one framework to another (or theme to theme) has become an enormously convoluted, needlessly complex mess. Each theme and framework handles custom fields differently, which, in many cases means that content must be re-jiggered entry by entry when switching from one to another.

So, WP is wonderfully user friendly, but not so developer friendly.

I think focusing to one product is more effective than using what suites best. That’s basicly the main reason that i use only EE and so far i havent run into single problem. Of course there is better ways to handle certain projects but i see all these X vs X just a momento of “hmhm, that could be easier” - and when time goes by, as a heavy EE user/lover i at least come back and stick with EE.

I know i have been pain in someones azz for time to time when it comes resolving issues with EE but hey, eventually all those issues has been flushed away or i have dropped out some things what i have had in mind to do with EE.

I havent followed WP for ages and dunno what it has right now, does it have a goof forum-solution, or so. So i can not say a word if it’s better to handle well structured and wide website or even a portal. We all know that image-handling has come better in EE but still we need more - and if i believe all the words said, those will get better - image handling, forum, template-handling with MSM+forum+site itself. This might take some time but i dont want to hold on or swich to another platform that might suite my needs at the moment better than EE - that time comes eventually then, if things doesnt go forward in lets say within 1-2 years. Its my loss if i run a site that might be “oldish” for a year or so, but why to go elsewhere because i know pretty well the basics in EE (core handling and tags etc.). I dont see a good reason to start using WP or else now, besides - EL team has been so quiet lately that i bet my azz that there is something to come sooner or later - and that will make all of us happy, is it EE2.1 or not, i dont mind. And one more thing if you havent noticed - take a look at the speed and goodies in Solspace - they build nice and well documented add-ons to EE WITH workable examples so it’s easy to install and start build what ever you like just with EE and Sol. And there is 1-2 other dev-teams that shows us that they are serious about taking us seriously by doing such wonderful work with low-costs to us.

Work in peace - use what ever you use - freedom is a good thing 😊

I have not tried WP3. Nor have I jumped on the EE2.0 bandwagon yet…
But WordPress is growing, and I think I like others should start to take it a little more seriously.

I am sure both have different purposes, approaches, and I still think that you choose the right tool for the right job. but…

EE is getting more expensive - whether it be by licenses, or addons. I mean just adding the basics:
EE $250, Wygwam $35, Matrix $35, Playa $75, BetaMeta $40, Structure $65, SolSpaceUser $100.
Now before i am flammed - i know you do not have to buy these, and only bigger sites need something like Solspaces User, but the $250 license is doubled on some of these must have (just search peoples blogs posts and some agree with me!) extensions.
I also know that free alternatives will popup - especially for WYGWAM and Structure, BetaMeta is not 100% needed, etc, etc.

But with WP jumping into this region smaller low budget sites are less likely to be justified on the purchase costs. Idiot proof updates for WP is something clients love - they feel powerful and in control. Hacking WP is minimal if kept up to date - if you do not, then you know who is responsible!

For me the killer blow is the templating - and that illustrates best where EE and WP differ. EE assumes nothing, expects you to know something, and gives you great powers. I find that WP assumes a lot and mostly because of the pre-made templates. But this is changing and if WP becomes more complex, will it lose its current userbase? Or will the base model work for idiots, and the powerful features come out for those that know more…

As above WP is a’ changin’... And the comparisons on here are becoming more and more fanboy’ish for both sides - but people are slowly beginning to question things more than ever before.

Overall id just say EE is a more professional product, i used WP for a few years before finding EE. WP is good at what it was built for.

Im lucky enough to do freelance work for agencies with some large clients and the costs of EE are very little of a factor.

Im bowing out if this one as it could go on and on. Each to their own, freedom and choice is great thing, i will continue to build sites with both, although favouring EE for anything more than a very simple site with basic news.

If developing for WP wasn’t such a pain then I would completely rule out EE for any future projects.

I suppose if you’re developing a full-fledged site with WP, then it would be a pain. But plugin development for WP is much easier, in my opinion. WP has a central repository where you can find and upload plugins. I can’t find a similar option for EE, where your add-on gets hosted, you get download statistics (yeah, not hard to get if you host it yourself, but one less thing you need to do), and your plugin users automatically get notified every time your plugin is released. If you’ve found something that meets all those criteria, please let me know!

As for updates breaking plugins, I’d say it would be a similar issue with EE, if it was updated as often as WP, and if there were as many plugins. Even in EE, there are some devs who are too lazy to test their add-ons with development versions of EE to ensure compatibility. Just multiply that by a bunch when you consider the number of people uploading to WP.