Hi gang,

I'm a big fan of XOOPS for lots of stuff, but it doesn't do real well at just a simple blog or podcast site. On the one hand, XOOPS is so powerful that sometimes it feels like driving to the grocery store in a 747. On the other hand, XOOPS doesn't "get" blogging stuff like pings, trackbacks, permalinks or "search engine friendly" URLs very well.

So I decided to convert one of my blogs from XOOPS to WordPress -- a free, open source blogging platform that, like Xoops, has a very frisky development and support community.

I wrote a little blog entry about the process and thought I would share it with those of you who are contemplating the same move. My environment is Windows Server (2003), and there are some Windows-specific tips in there, but most of the entry is applicable for all platforms.

No, I'm not leaving XOOPS -- it's great for lots of things, and crushes WordPress if you have to do something more complex than a simple blog. Sometimes you just need a chisel rather than a laser-cutter that's all.

Here's the link;

Converting a blog from XOOPS to WordPress

Enjoy

You didn't try phppp's Wordpress XOOPS module?

I looked at it -- but decided to go with native WordPress because "WordPress under Xoops" felt like using the 747 to carry a wagon to go to the grocery store, instead of just using the wagon.

I also like the idea of maintaining one code-base -- either XOOPS or WordPress. If something breaks in the "WordPress under Xoops" environment, I have to look in two user/support communities for answers. And I'm not in the "normal" configuration for either gang.

I think it's a "personal preferences" thing -- lots of people will probably want to look at WordPress under Xoops.

The conversion issues will be pretty much the same. You'll still have to import the posts from the News module, tinker with the RSS feeds, get PHPMail working, redirect the URL's, etc. So either way you do it, you might still find my little cookbook useful.