ExpressionEngine 1.4 (previously 1.3.2) has been released with a load of added features. ExpressionEngine’s increasing featureset already sets it apart from other blogging software, and these new additions extend it’s functionality.
Aside from the 70+ new features in the latest version of ExpressionEngine, the release of ExpressionEngine Core is likely to cause some changes on the web. The reason it will cause change? It’s free. A very very powerful blogging system for personal use.
ExpressionEngine to me seems to be a leader in CMS. It is highly customisable – you can control every* aspect of your site through the combination of templates in template groups, unlimited weblogs (sectioning of similar data, e.g. my “blog” vs the “elsewhere” section) and custom fields. *I say “every” because I couldn’t think of something that I’ve wanted to do with the new TAC site that I couldn’t.
For a personal site, it ships with templates that allow you to have a blog up and running quickly. Or, spend some time familiarising yourself with the template functionality, and you have the ability to build your site however you want.
The Core version is limited, that is it ships with half the “modules” that are included in the Personal version (Pricing and Options). The Personal version includes features that are aimed at a larger community site, like membership and an image gallery.
So, the timing of this update is handy. I can upgrade the TAC site to version 1.4 and sort out any bugs (from past experience with updates, likely to be none) before making the site public.
This site will probably stick with TextPattern for now, more so that I remain familiar with more than one software package.
Would I use ExpressionEngine Core for a church web-site? Yes. It will handle the publishing of all your static-like informational pages, as well as blogs and Bible talks (or sermons if you prefer). You can easily add RSS feeds and with the custom fields and a free plugin you can turn that RSS feed into a podcast. When you’re ready to extend your site, the Personal edition will add some nice new features.
I guess one question is, how long will it stay free? I think for the best interests of both EE and their customers/prospects, a free version, once released, should stay free as the product grows, without being further restricted later on.
I am saying this because 2 years ago I had a half-done church website implemented in MovableType—but their license change forced me to look elsewhere (being cheap not wanting to pay for a multi-user version of MT). Maybe I am just getting sceptical now days when a commercial company releases a restricted product to lure potential users in…