Blogging software

[Tony Baechler]

Hi all,

Apparently I was unclear on a few things.  I have access to a Debian 
server already.  I've set up Apache and php4.  I've installed many CMSs 
before but had problems with them, either because of lack of 
accessibility or they were too complicated to figure out.  I have domain 
names coming out my ears.  I have no interest in paying a web host 
because I already have the server.  I don't have a local Linux machine 
or local web server.  I guess it sounds like I'm looking for a lot but 
really I'm not.  I just want a basic blog engine that lets me easily 
write posts without a bunch of maintenance and configuration.  I didn't 
mind WordPress but it looked hard to configure and seems to have 
security issues.

If there is no accessible vlog engine that runs under Linux which does 
what I want, I would like to know what third party site to use.  My 
preference would be to use the server that's already available.  I'm not 
going to pay anything because I don't see any point.  I don't really 
want to deal with tons of plugins and themes.  I just want to either 
login with ssh, write my entry and have it do the work or login to the 
web interface and be put directly on an edit page.  I don't need lots of 
other things for now.

I'm well aware of how hard it is to move from one CMS to another which 
is why I'm not settled on one.  I don't really want to find out later 
that I'm limited in what I can do, but if that's the price of 
simplicity, I guess I can live with it.  Again, podcasts are something 
way down the road but not a major requirement.  My main reason for 
wanting standards-compliant feeds is to avoid parse errors with feed 
readers.  A built-in search engine and "about the blog" boilerplate 
would be nice bonuses but aren't necessary.  I like the idea of an 
offline blog editor or being able to email an entry.  Since I can login 
with ssh, limiting email to localhost only would be fine.

Again, is this too much to ask?  Am I missing something obvious?  I've 
spent several years thinking about what my blog is and isn't so maybe 
that's why I seem picky, but like I said, I don't need much.  I really 
don't want to babysit my blog software, I just want to write when I feel 
like writing.  I hope this gives a better idea of what I'm after and 
sorry for the apparent confusion.