carlos123

Under Microsoft Windows one installs a program once into the Program Files folder (from what I can remember...I now use Linux exclusively ). Subsequent to that install the same program is called up and presents word processing files for example (if one installed Microsoft Office). One does not need to install Microsoft Office in every single directory where there are word processing files.

Is there a way to do something similar with WordPress? Where one installs it somewhere on a web server such that you then need to upgrade just the one install when upgrading is needed in the future.

Presently it seems that one must install WordPress fully into whatever domain directories one wants to use it on. Which is an incredible hassle in that not only must one install it but also one must keep every single instance of WordPress updated. The more websites one has the more unworkable this becomes.

Any input would be appreciated.,

Thanks.

Carlos

PS. I won't be using WordPress for this and many other reasons but I was just curious if there was way to do this.

cma01

Carlos,

I just addressed this in Kristen's post about WP plugins, but yes, there is the Wordpress Multi User version that does just this.

There is only one set of platform files and each new site you set up has its own set of database tables for the content and settings.

The platform and plugins only have to be updated once; however, you can specify themes and activate plugins site by site.

carlos123

Very interesting. This is the first I heard of it.

It's unclear from the readme file at the MU web site how this works exactly with respect to where on a server one's blogs reside relative to the MU root installation but one thing is certain....

This is NOT an installation for your average mom and pop site or blog. Which is great for my purposes in all this . I am creating a system that is far, far easier than WordPress to use in creating simple sites of the type that many Adsense sites are.

And this is just one more reason to not use WordPress for simple Adsense sites by those who create a ton of them. It's too complicated to either install MU (or at least it seems to be) or to keep a WordPress installed for each and every site updated and secure not to mention keeping track of which plugins or changes one has made to the various WordPress installs.

I am curious about whether installation of WordPress MU requires server root privileges? Something shared hosting account holders do not have.

Any further insight or comments you or anyone else can share on any of the above would be most appreciated.

Thanks.

Carlos

cma01

No, it doesn't require server root privileges and the maintenance is about the same as a regular Wordpress install.

You don't have to keep track of plugins . . . there is only one set of files to update.

There is a learning curve, after all it is a web platform. If you want idiot proof web development, no it isn't it.

But I've fixed some pretty messed up sites people have built with the no brainer site builders too.

carlos123

Hmm...I don't understand something.

I mean I do understand that it can be used to set up multiple blogs on subdomains well enough. No real hassles there.

But what I am interested in knowing is whether it can be used under the same multi-use scenario to allow multiple, indendent domain based, blogs?

So instead of having a domain...let's call it www.somedomain.com and having multiple blogs as subdomains under it (i.e. blog1.somedomain.com, blog2.somedomain.com, etc.) you would have...

blog1.com
blog2.net
blog2.info
etc..

All using the same MU WordPress install somewhere.

Is that possible?

My simpler website building system has nothing to do with the no brainer site builders you refer to by the way. It is a set of PHP object classes that take text input and create web pages from the content in such text files and build the site for you.

No backend MySQL needed. No caching needed. No security holes or likely to be any due to it's simplicity. No need to upgrade like with WordPress. You just feed the PHP classes the name of the header, the content file name, and a few other particulars and it builds the site for you.

Easily copied among directories. Real simple. Perfect for Adsense builders.

Carlos

cma01

Yes, that is exactly how I use my installation. I may at some point do subdomains, but right now I'm not using that feature.

Then there is Buddypress, which is Wordpress's answer to social networking designed for WPMU. I have it installed, but I haven't made it public yet.

The one thing that I'm trying to work out in my head is that Buddypress will default to the main domain that WPMU is installed on. Which if you are using the installation for one site or closely related sites with subdomains, it makes sense.

But if you're using WPMU like I am to publish a bunch of completely unrelated sites, you don't really want people seeing all the connected domains. So I think if I get to a point where I really want to use Buddypress for a domain or set of domains, I'll probably put them on their own install of WPMU.

Your publishing platform sounds like it would be a good option for people publishing a bunch of sites with the same format but on different topics.

With the sites I've been doing, I start with the same base PSD wireframe, but from there it is a completely custom design for each site. I have 10 or 12 plugins I use on every site on Wordpress, but from there, each one is set up a little differently.

carlos123

Hmm...very interesting. I wonder why more people are not using WordPress MU? It makes no sense to do seperate installs if one can do just one install that is used by multiple domains being hosted under the same shared hosting account.

For that matter why don't web hosts all set themselves up with WordPress MU and just have all the shared hosting customers on a server use that instead of allowing them all to install individual instances of WordPress through Fantastico or some such?

I will definitely have to look into this some more. Very interesting indeed.

I had no idea that you could set up a WordPress install this way.

Carlos

cma01

I don't know. I think it's awesome!

It used to be a little trickier to configure. The built-in multiple site management is fairly recent. You were able to do it before, but you had to do a modification to be able to manage it all in the back end. There have been some major upgrades in the past year.

But now I don't think it is anymore difficult to install than the standard version, or I guess it could be that I'm just used to it.

SummitBloggers

WordPress MU will support multiple blogs and also multiple accounts. With the addition of a plugin, it will map domains and subdomains to the blogs. It makes an awesome AdSense or ClickBank package. There are several Ad plugins available. Themes can be modified to place ads within content for good clickthru rates.

The software only has to be installed once. With a little programming (plugin), you can have default settings automatically loaded when a new blog is created. That saves a bunch of time and effort.

carlos123

You know I was looking through the installation instructions for MU WordPress and there is absolutely no way that the average, non techie user of WordPress, would be able to install this version of WordPress on their own.

.htaccess files, Apache, subdomains, domains, DNS changes, propagating, etc., etc..

They would be utterly lost. If a web host like Hostgator does not offer it already installed...it is way more complicated than a regular WordPress install in that Fantistico and other easy install applications do not offer an MU install. If you want to use MU you will have to install it on your own.

The average user will bump up against absolute Geeky Greek that will bury them.

It sounds like a great application but because of the extra geekiness of it I don't think it will catch on with the masses anytime soon.

Carlos

ZorroCat

Carlos,

I've found WP-Hive to be much easier. It installs as a regular plugin into a standard Wordpress installation and gives you the ability to run unlimited sites from there - on subdomains, domains and even subdirectories as of version 0.5.

A big advantage with this solution is that is compatible with basically all other WP plugins - which Wordpress MU is not. Highly recommended.

WP Hive - Multiple WordPress Blogs with a Single Installation

Kind regards,
Zorro

carlos123

Thanks Zorro but as usual what seems easier to one person ain't so much easier to another. In this case...for the life of me I can't find the WP Admin > WP Hive > Add new administration interface for this plugin. I've looked all over inside my WordPress install. I activated alright but the WP-Admin is just nowhere in sight.

Sigh...

WordPress is such a pain in the rear! At least that has been my experience of it from day 1.

Carlos

harmonyinfotech

Carlos,
Not sure if you would be interested to outsource the stuff. But in case you want, you can contact me.

Regards,
Alok.

carlos123

Thanks Alok but I am not really interested in WordPress at all as something I want to be using (quite frankly it's a pain). My interest in it is only to uncover weaknesses in it's use that I can focus on building a better solution around.

I already have most of what I consider to be a much better solution in place and just need to test it and otherwise tweak it before rolling it out.

Carlos

Foresights

Carlos,
As nobody else has mentioned it yet, WP and WPMU will be merged soon.
Therefore all installs will be made much simpler, and include all features.

I believe b2evolution.net and other platforms also do this for some time - WP has been slow on this.

- Vince

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