Dear Apple Computer,
It’s been a while since I wrote you last. Sorry about that. But it wouldn’t kill you to write back every once in a while, that’s all I’m saying.
So here’s the thing: I like having a photoblog. Lots of people do. And I like iPhoto as well. But there’s no easy way to bring the two together. Oh, sure, there’s Photon, you say. But have you seen the results?
I tried using it to post to my photoblog this morning, and after much fiddling, I got it to post an article. But it doesn’t offer the most basic functionality: thumbnail linked to a full-size photo. Which, one would assume, would be the single most important feature in a photoblogging tool. Right?
But I’m not writing to you to bag on Photon. There’s one guy writing it and he’s giving it away for free - you can’t complain about free. But I can complain that iPhoto, which I paid you for, ought to have something like Photon built in. Right?
Now obviously I understand that you’re unlikely to just cram Photon into iPhoto. It’s got the kind of messy configuration that is still mandatory in the brave new world of blogging. And let’s face it, most of your users don’t need the features it provides. So I’m not asking for that.
What I am asking for is a few hours of your time. Specifically, the time of one of your in-house developers to look over the recently open-sourced Photon code and add in the features that would turn iPhoto into a world-class photoblogging tool. Or at least as good as the overly-complicated setup I was using before.
Why? Well, partly because it would make me happy, but more importantly because it would make happy all of those big name bloggers that have become so influential lately. You know what I’m talking about. A few good words from Kottke and you guys sell a hundred iPods, am I right?
So let’s get to it. You make a developer available, I’ll kiss your ass all over my blog about how great you are. Others will follow my lead, I’m sure. Deal?
Oh, and while we’re on the topic, take a look at Picasa. Steal those features, my friends.
Sincerely,
Jemal
Baltimore, for those not in the know, is a hotbed of blogging:
Of course there are many more - but that should give you plenty to do for the time being. Enjoy!
UPDATE: D’oh. This blog is quickly becoming the “continuing story of a webgeek gone to the dogs…”. The problem, believe it or not is caused by a moose. A floppy moose.
It seems that my user-Content.css file thinks that some of the MT images are ads. Clearing out the ad-blocking stuff has MT working just fine. In fact, it’s probably my fault for not just using the default directory names. I’m so dumb.
Unfortunately this just brings up another difficult choice: Ad blocking or MT? Maybe with some luck I can turn images that point to mt.cgi back on.
As a last ditch effort, I go to my daughter’s computer and fire up IE. [I know friends don't let friend use IE, but it's the only browser that works with the sites she uses (their fault, not ours).] And whaddya know? It works.
So now I’m left in a quandary: Use the browser I love, or the CMS that everyone says is so wonderful?
Right now I’m leaning to blogging in one and browsing in the other, but it makes me feel like a real sell-out. I’m hoping this is just a freak occurrence, and some sort of upgrade will make all the pain go away.