Ask anyone why they chose WordPress and there is a strong chance that simplicity and ease of use will be in the list somewhere, but as more and more features are added the complexity grows. If simplicity is still your primary motivation, as it is mine, then it may be worth your while taking a gander at Habari. So I did.
Version 0.5 of Habari was released in July with a new interface. While WordPress 2.5’s admin update was an improvement Habari is on another level, but first things first.
WordPress has been famous for its simple installation but it’s amongst the last that still requires files to be manually edited. Habari comes with an installation routine that asks for the database information and even offers a choice of default plugins.
The first login to Habari comes with a full page explanation of what to do next. It explains the user interface and gives some tips for how to get right in.
There has clearly been a lot of thought given to the way Habari is used. Just looking at the sheer number of links in the Manage section of the WordPress admin screen makes me wonder how Habari can have so few and yet not be obviously missing anything that I want.
The most impressive thing for me is the post screen. It is empty until you ask to be shown more. Take a look at this:
This is quite a contrast to the WordPress post screen.
Depending on how much of WordPress’s functionality you actually use you might find some things missing, but if you just want to write and publish, well then it is ideal. It also has great integration with Flickr.
One of the best things about Habari at the moment, from a users point of view, is the lack of features. How it will change as extras are added remains to be seen but it shows a great deal of potential.
I will post more as I experiment with it. I plan on writing some test themes and plugins to explore the code side but what I know about it already makes me think I will enjoy the experience. For now it is probably enough to say “Watch out WordPress!”
It’s certainly possible to replicate the look of Habari’s admin elsewhere, but the power behind the interface itself is something that you’d miss by doing that.
Specifically, the Habari admin uses methods that allow plugins to alter the interface wholly, not just insert controls in certain places. The result is a cohesion of form and function that even plugins integrate with well.
You can see this at work in how well the media plugins (like the Flickr plugin) integrate into the posting interface. With this underlying “FormUI” feature, plugins can add additional fields and shuffle around existing fields to provide an arrangement of controls that makes the most sense for the task they’re presenting to the user.
What you see in the Habari admin is not just a slick design by one of the best designers to influence blogging, but also evidence of Habari’s desire to be deceptively simple, yet deeply robust.
Thanks for taking the time to review what Habari has to offer, and I hope you continue to keep up with our work on Habari.
Excellent. Thanks Jake.
I reckon it wouldn’t be difficult to replace the WordPress admin with a Habari one via a plugin. I won’t be doing it though.
Michael Heilmann, the guy behind Habari’s admin interface (who also was behind k2 for wp), posted a couple interesting videos on the process he went through in making it. http://binarybonsai.com/tag/monolith
Thanks Arthus, I will certainly not hisitate to point out difficulties where they arise.
I am looking forward to doing some development in a more structured environment; although, I have no intention of ditching WordPress.
Thanks for your kind words! Glad to hear you’re enjoying your exploration of Habari.
Keeping things simple is deeply ingrained in the culture of Habari: you won’t see us adopting any of the bloat which WordPress has come to see. Heck, even pingback functionality isn’t core (instead, it’s in one of the default plugins).
Fortunately, there is a very powerful plugin architecture and API (http://doc.habariproject.org/api). Unfortunately, the API is still a little undocumented