OFFLINE blogging software

March 29, 2005 5:16 PM

Is there such a software critter that one can keep an offline (read completely private) blog or journal, readable only to the author, in HTML format stylee, with features that allow for easy input of pictures, links, backups, etc ...?

My google-fu is pathetic in this regard. I've found a great deal of shareware journal type critters but they don't have the features of WordPress or MovableType simply designed to have a personal journal on the desktop, with no intent to publish to the great wide world. Suggestions?

(And here's a meta-suggestion; how 'bout a "software" category?)

posted by Wulfgar! to computers & internet (23 comments total)

Have you considered installing WordPress or MoveableType locally?

If you're on OS X, this is not that difficult. (i.e.: I did it.)
posted by docgonzo at 5:18 PM on March 29, 2005

Tried an older version of MT on Windows XP, and it wants host information. I'm confused.
posted by Wulfgar! at 5:20 PM on March 29, 2005

You got me thinkin' though. I'm gonna try WordPress.
posted by Wulfgar! at 5:22 PM on March 29, 2005

Nope, still requires php database config info.
posted by Wulfgar! at 5:25 PM on March 29, 2005

Other Windows type Mefites should jump in, but the general idea is to install a webserver on your computer and have it serve your WordPress or MT blog to you. You can easily configure your firewall to not allow any other computers to access your website (or you can turn off/unplug the network.)
posted by docgonzo at 5:26 PM on March 29, 2005

Instiki might be what you're looking for. I found linked to instiki through this article. The software was terribley easy to install though, I confess, I haven't found it personally hugely useful.
posted by stet at 5:26 PM on March 29, 2005

I think your best bet would be to install the Apache webserver (www.apache.org). That's all moveabletype needs. WordPress needs you to install MySQL and PHP, also.
posted by docgonzo at 5:28 PM on March 29, 2005

I've recently learned about Nextaris - from SurfWax. Would this "fit the bill"? I do recognize that it isn't "offline", but I suppose you could set access to a "community of one" - yourself.
posted by ericb at 5:42 PM on March 29, 2005

Radio is a blogging tool that lives on your desktop and publishes to a host when you connect it. Perhaps you could run Radio and never connect to the host.
posted by Tubes at 5:50 PM on March 29, 2005

This is what you are looking for, at least if you want to run Wordpress.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 6:08 PM on March 29, 2005

docgonzo: I think your best bet would be to install the Apache webserver (www.apache.org). That's all moveabletype needs.

If only. You'll need Perl, at the very least, and MySQL is recommended. Perl running under Apache on XP ain't no joke and you'll still need Image:Magick to suit the posters requirements.

WordPress is, in my opinion, the best bet. Installing Apache, MySQL and PHP (GD is built into PHP for the image part) is fairly easy and there are bundles available that make it a one-click deal.

I would start with XAMPP and move on to the WordPress forums (a search should turn up plenty about local installations) .
posted by cedar at 6:11 PM on March 29, 2005

I use Blosxom for a local-to-my-machine blog at work; I use it for note keeping, more than anything else.

You'll need a web server and perl, but it doesn't need a database, and it's pretty intuitive - posts are just text files you save in a designated folder structure.
posted by Remy at 6:45 PM on March 29, 2005

moinmoin only needs python (it has its own http server). it's a wiki though, not a blog.
posted by juv3nal at 7:02 PM on March 29, 2005

Have you looked at City Desk? It's a billed as a user friendly "desktop content management system."
posted by madamjujujive at 7:29 PM on March 29, 2005

If only. You'll need Perl, at the very least, and MySQL is recommended. Perl running under Apache on XP ain't no joke and you'll still need Image:Magick to suit the posters requirements.

agreed.


WordPress is, in my opinion, the best bet. Installing Apache, MySQL and PHP (GD is built into PHP for the image part) is fairly easy and there are bundles available that make it a one-click deal.

i had pooploads of trouble getting php running properly on our server -- ended up having to use the distro without the installer (like i should've in the first place). Also occasionally run into annoying diffs between php5 (which we're running) and php4 (which we're not) when the code expects the latter. Still, i haven't seen the distro you're talking about, so you might be right. Either way, if the need is for an offline server-side app, then there is a need for a server locally, and if the apache install is as easy as you say it is (i remember it not being terrible -- but i haven't touched it on the windows platform, as we mostly stick with IIS), then this might be the best bet.

are there any wikis that run locally without a webserv? or install their own?

wulfgar: maybe your best bet is, as cedar suggests, to install apache/mysql/php. if you run into trouble, you can always come back here with any problems. If i see you on #mefi and you have any questions i'll try to help. This is def. the solution if you have more time than money.
posted by fishfucker at 7:38 PM on March 29, 2005

I'm glad to be corrected by (more knowledgeable) posters; all I know is OS X, where Apache & perl come standard.
posted by docgonzo at 7:58 PM on March 29, 2005

Have you considered a word processor? Judging by your requirements, I don't see any reason it needs to be Web-based. After all, only you're going to be reading it or writing in it.
posted by kindall at 8:07 PM on March 29, 2005

I'd actually recommend Livejournal for this sort of thing. All this php & perl seems like overkill. Just get an LJ account and set all your entries to "private".

Its maybe not the coolest of solutions, but it meets all your needs and is updatable from anywhere you happen to be. Its not offline, certainly, but meets the "readable only by the author" criteria.....
posted by anastasiav at 8:25 PM on March 29, 2005

SimpleServer is what you need. It's a teeny tiny webserver that you launch whenever you want to view webstuff locally. I've used it for years.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 9:07 PM on March 29, 2005

I'll second the vote for just using a word processor like Microsoft Word. If you don't ever intend to publish it, there's no reason why you need HTML format. Word allows you to insert images, format text, and do everything else presentation-related easier than HTML does.

Or, you could get a LiveJournal account and then download Semagic, a desktop update client. You have full access and control of your LiveJournal account from this utility, including all past entries. Just set all of your entries to the 'Private' setting so no one else can see them, and you're set.
posted by ElfWord at 5:36 AM on March 30, 2005

If you're on OSX VoodooPad is awesome. You can drag links onto your pages, or create WikiWords. It has an encryption feature for passwords, etc. You can also export the contents to HTML, your iPod, etc.
posted by srburns at 7:01 AM on March 30, 2005

How about your favorite WYSIWYG html editor? Since you're not publishing it you don't really need to care about how crap the underlying code is, you could even use frontpage or such and then lock down the perms on the folder you store it in.

(nice the spell checker knows WYSIWYG)
posted by [this is good] at 11:25 PM on March 30, 2005

The current version of MT should install a lot better on Windows, and you can just use "localhost" as your host name.
posted by anildash at 9:19 PM on March 31, 2005