Having this up and running is the beginning the journey towards the next version of Zenbaida.com. I am excited about the possibilities and ease of maintenance that this new content management system, or a CMS, offers.

My old site ran on a CMS called Drupal. The main issues that I had with it was that it was hard to maintain. Each new version required me to wait until the desired modules where available and stable. I had to redo each of my themes so they would work. Then I had to make sure that there where no issues with the database so the site would functioned normally.

Updates where not as bad as upgrades. To update the site to the next patch, I had to upload the new code to the server, then run the site’s database update script. Not until Version 7 did they add the ability to update contributed modules inside of the site it self. That meant that I had to upload each module and site update each time one came out.

Upgrading to version 7 would mean that I would have to essentially start over. Since I had to rebuild the site anyways, I took the opportunity to look at other CMSs, including WordPress. Any of them would work as a solution. It also would take about the same amount of work to get a site up and running no matter what I chose. What mattered most was the effort it would take to keep the site maintained and the community of themes and plugins that where behind it. With those requirements set, for me WordPress was the winner.

I have started on finding and testing the plugins that provide the functionality that I need. I also am beginning to create the themes for the site. Until the main theme is done, I will be sticking with one of the default themes for testing. I will also be leaving the old site and its portfolio up and running in its current state until the content has been moved over. You’ll find a link to it in the main menu.

I am excited with the possibilities that this empty slate provides. I plan on posting from time to time updates on the themes and other developments that come up, moving my portfolio moving here, and from time to time I’ll post from something that I find interesting and want to share it with the world.

I hope that you’ll love the finished and enjoy the product.

Micah

Update: The old portfolio is no longer up, and has been removed do to it’s age. It was becoming a security hazard to the site.