Are We There Yet?

First, there's the fact that it's running off of a MySQL database server. Upgrading Movable Type, especially a major upgrade, usually means it will be making changes to the database. While I have MySQL configured to perform nightly backups, restoring a corrupted database isn't something any network administrator looks forward to. But it's a necessary evil of the upgrade process from time-to-time, and the backups means that the change is reversible.

Next on the list of concerns is that a major upgrade like this can make a long-time user feel like they're using an entirely new piece of software. Indeed, Movable Type 4.0 introduces an entirely new control panel with drop-down menus and a redesigned composition window. I like the familiar. If there's one thing I don't like, it's now knowing how to do something. Especially, if I used to know how to do it. Still, it's the price you pay for progress. Nobody gets things 100% right the first - especially user interfaces - and when it comes to web technologies, there's always something new.

So it was with grudging acknowledgement of these facts that I went forth with the upgrade to Movable Type 4.0 on Saturday afternoon. The astute reader will notice that the right sidebar still proclaims "Powered by Movable Type 3.34". That's right, I had to rollback the changes. I followed the upgrade instructions on the Six Apart web site, including removing obsolete files and plug-ins. I backed up the entire existing installation. I verified that Friday night's database backup was successful and the file wasn't corrupt. After logging in to the control panel, upgraded scripts were detected, and the upgrade process began. The database was upgraded without any errors, and before I knew it I was staring at the very new and unfamiliar control panel of Movable Type 4.0.

I took a moment to explore the interface and look for the familiar configuration pages to ensure nothing obvious was out of place. I marveled at the unnecessarily complex user account privileges setup. I appreciated the streamlined navigation links and menu system. I noticed that certain templates had been rendered obsolete and were automatically removed from the system. All seemed well, so I proceeded to the compose page to blog about the experience.

And therein lies the reason that I am still using Movable Type 3.34. The compose control was disabled. I could not click inside it and start typing. The format buttons all appeared to work as normal, however the composition control refused to acknowledge any user input. I thought maybe it was unhappy with Firefox, but I encountered the same problem when using Internet Explorer 7.0.

I began searching for answers starting with the community support forums. There were several topics addressing this issue, however none of the proposed solutions worked for me. This thread suggests reinstalling from scratch. I already did that once a few months ago when I migrated the server from separate daemon packages to a unified WAMP installation. I didn't much like the prospect of doing it again and I didn't see how that would fix a problem that clearly resides in client-side scripting. Another poster solved the problem when he realized that his mt.js file was becoming corrupted whenever he made a post since he stored all his mt-static files in the root server directory. Not only am I not doing this, but my mt.js file is identical to the one inside the installation archive.

That pretty much exhausted what I was able to find in terms of support. The browser did not log any JavaScript errors on the page and I could find nothing else to solve the problem. I briefly considered the fact that I could use w.bloggar as my sole posting mechanism, but immediately rejected the idea on the grounds that relying upon third-party software because of faulty first-party support is a risky venture. So I did what any other sensible individual would do - I rolled back to the last functional version of the software. It's a good thing I backed up the old installation before attempting the upgrade. Rolling back was a simple matter of removing the installation directory, renaming the back-up folder, and restoring the DB from the nightly back-up.

I'm not sure when I'll attempt the upgrade again. Perhaps I'll keep an eye on the relevant forum threads and see what kinds of suggestions continue to flow in. It's unfortunate that the official Six Apart presence on the forums is rather sparse. This type of problem strikes me as one that might require more than the usual community tinkering to solve. Perhaps another upgrade in the pipeline will inadvertently address the issue.

In the meantime, perhaps it's time I took a closer look at WordPress.