Move To Movable Type Free! (Wizbang)

Note: Comments on this post are closed. Send your request for setup or help to to Exodus at wizbangblog dot com and all the fine folks who have volunteered to help will be notified. One of them will be back to you with details on the setup.

It's time for Blogspot Jihad Part II.

It's time to put a new call to arms out for a mass exodus off of BlogSpot. The major objection to moving to Movable Type is that you must pay a monthly fee to a hosting service to run MT. That's not a problem anymore...

For some unknown reason 1&1(Part of United Internet) is offering a free three year hosting setup with 5GB monthly transfer, e-mail, FTP, PHP, Perl, MySQL, CGI, SSH, and Cron Jobs. This is not a fly-by-bight company - they have the leadoff ad in this months Wired magazine.

Interested?

First - You will need to sign up for a free hosting plan at 1and1***. The plan is free hosting for 3 years no credit card required. You will need a phone number to activate the service.

Second - You will need a domain name for your blog. 1and1 allows you to register and configure a domain name for $5.99 a year, but you can use any registrar. You will need to handle the DNS settings yourself if you do not use the built-in registrations at 1and1.

Third - Leave a note in the comments that you signed up and are interested in an MT install (make sure you use a valid e-mail address in the form). I will contact you about getting the login settings for your control panel and other issues.

Call For Volunteers

Coordinators to help do blog setups for the less technically able should contact me. If we can get a small group to distribute the workload this shouldn't be too big a deal.

Additional Information

Since the 1and1 service is still sort of a technical unknown, it's going to be a few days before I have a feel for how MT will work on their service, but they appear to have all the proper components.

*** I have no financial ties to this company. Registering through that link does enter me in some sort of drawing, but you can find your way to their registration another way if you would like.

Update: I've got my fist site setup. No catch, no credit card required - just a phone number to activate. I used a work number (you have to be able to receive the call to get the PIN) and Hotmail to signup. I looked at the T&C's and there's nothing unusual. It's a full access hosting account, with all the features you'd get at other sites.

Here's a site I setup tonight with MT 2.64 running on MySQL: http://kevinaylward.com/. Total cost to setup: $0. Total monthly cost: $0.

Update 2: I've setup a new e-mail address to handle requests for the BlogSpot Jihad (Free MT hosting at 1and1). Send your requests to Exodus at wizbangblog dot com and all the fine folks who have volunteered to help will be notified. One of them will be back to you with details on the setup.

Comments on this post are closed. Send your request for setup or help to the e-mail address.

Credits

Section Editor: Maggie Whitton

Editors: Jay Tea, Lorie Byrd, Kim Priestap, DJ Drummond, Michael Laprarie, Baron Von Ottomatic, Shawn Mallow, Rick, Dan Karipides, Michael Avitablile, Charlie Quidnunc, Steve Schippert

Emeritus: Paul, Mary Katherine Ham, Jim Addison, Alexander K. McClure, Cassy Fiano, Bill Jempty, John Stansbury, Rob Port

In Memorium: HughS

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Temporary site design is based on Cutline and Cutline for MT. Graphics by Apothegm Designs.

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Comments (51)

I can't help out with insta... (Below threshold)

1. Posted by So Cal Lawyer | October 17, 2003 4:19 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

So Cal Lawyer:

I can't help out with installing MT, but once you get MT running, if you want to send folks my way with questions about templates, customizing, track backs, etc., feel free.

Jeff

Posted on October 17, 2003 16:19

Ditto what So Cal Lawyer sa... (Below threshold)

2. Posted by Adam | October 17, 2003 5:26 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Adam:

Ditto what So Cal Lawyer said.

Posted on October 17, 2003 17:26

This is kinda related...</p... (Below threshold)

3. Posted by Fritz | October 17, 2003 6:39 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Fritz:

This is kinda related...

I'm having an online poll product installed:

phpQuestionnnaire Junior

It looks like it could be an interesting addition to my blog, similar to the Bravenet polls that many bloggers are using. But, I'll be able to run as many as I like -- have people vote on individual posts, etc.

If people are using a service with PHP4 and MySQL, the $49 may be worth it -- another advantage for using MT on a service like this 1&1. Plus, installation is free with purchase.

It should be fun testing it out.

Posted on October 17, 2003 18:39

There has to be a catch wit... (Below threshold)

4. Posted by sugarmama | October 17, 2003 11:07 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

sugarmama:

There has to be a catch with the free web hosting service. The lack of "small print" has made me dubious of their offer.

Posted on October 17, 2003 23:07

For registration you can us... (Below threshold)

5. Posted by Jim | October 18, 2003 7:55 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Jim:

For registration you can use Ev1 (formerly Rackshack). 1 year domain reg is $5.

Posted on October 18, 2003 07:55

I've been involved in the p... (Below threshold)

6. Posted by Xrlq | October 19, 2003 3:53 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Xrlq:

I've been involved in the past jihad and would be delighted to help in this one as well. My offer is the reverse of what the other Xrlq offers; I'm useless with templates but can do installations in my sleep.

Posted on October 19, 2003 03:53

I can do both installs as w... (Below threshold)

7. Posted by King of Fools | October 19, 2003 6:35 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

King of Fools:

I can do both installs as well as assist with templating. Just let me know what you need.

Posted on October 19, 2003 06:35

I'd be happy to help :) MT ... (Below threshold)

8. Posted by Tanya | October 19, 2003 10:40 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Tanya:

I'd be happy to help :) MT templates and MT itself. I went ahead and signed up for he 1and1 deal yesterday and familiarized myself with their control panel interface. I don't like it, but hey, they offer SSH so it's all good :D

Posted on October 19, 2003 10:40

Bugga, 1and1 appear to only... (Below threshold)

9. Posted by RanK | October 19, 2003 5:02 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

RanK:

Bugga, 1and1 appear to only want people from USA and Canada, are there any others you know of, I can get a free domain name easy enough.

Posted on October 19, 2003 17:02

My only real problem (besid... (Below threshold)

10. Posted by Kevin Murphy | October 19, 2003 8:34 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Kevin Murphy:

My only real problem (besides being happy elsewhere) is that a free hosting account that rquires no real ID to start up is going to get abused by spammers. With some risk of blacklisting of IP blocks as a result. Let me know how it works out.

Posted on October 19, 2003 20:34

MT set up OK, but I'm getti... (Below threshold)

11. Posted by Xrlq | October 20, 2003 9:53 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

MT set up OK, but I'm getting Internal Error 500 every time I try to do any large batch jobs. I emailed tech support yesterday but have received no response as yet. Has anyone else experienced this?

Posted on October 20, 2003 09:53

I'm a little too busy doing... (Below threshold)

12. Posted by SteveB | October 20, 2003 11:24 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

SteveB:

I'm a little too busy doing templates for a few people right now to do any more of them, but I'll be more than happy to help set up MT.

Posted on October 20, 2003 11:24

Xrlq - I tried a free host ... (Below threshold)

13. Posted by King of Fools | October 20, 2003 2:17 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Xrlq - I tried a free host (Netfirms) with MT, and experienced that continuously. It worked fine when I had no posts, but I imported about 130 posts in and then I could never rebuild. I finally abandoned the host - it was unworkable. (Not for lack of effort...I found all sorts of tricks to minimize batches but never got it so I could actually use MT)

It seemed to be the a limitation placed on CGI, which proved fatal to MT, especially once you actually had content.

Posted on October 20, 2003 14:17

I'll be happy to help with ... (Below threshold)

14. Posted by Matt | October 20, 2003 3:32 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Matt:

I'll be happy to help with MT and templates as needed.

Posted on October 20, 2003 15:32

Ok, I have set up the domai... (Below threshold)

15. Posted by Anastasia | October 20, 2003 5:27 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Anastasia:

Ok, I have set up the domain and the webspace but will definately need help with the moveable type set up. Will accept any help you can give. Thanks!

-Stasia

Posted on October 20, 2003 17:27

Okey-doke. I've got a bran... (Below threshold)

16. Posted by gnotalex | October 21, 2003 2:38 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

gnotalex:

Okey-doke. I've got a brand new account and a shiny new domain.

From here, where? Why? How?

Especially the "how?" part.

Posted on October 21, 2003 02:38

Um, my email addy as above.... (Below threshold)

17. Posted by gnotalex | October 21, 2003 2:41 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Um, my email addy as above. You could also go to my blog and get it there (left side, about the middle of the page).

Posted on October 21, 2003 02:41

Ignore the incorrect email ... (Below threshold)

18. Posted by gnotalex | October 21, 2003 2:46 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Ignore the incorrect email addy as of the previous message. This one is the really, really, true one.

Can a man so clumsy on the keyboard be entrusted with installing Movable Tupe by himself?

No, he cannot. So I welcome your input.

Pierre

Posted on October 21, 2003 02:46

Okay.... I've signed up and... (Below threshold)

19. Posted by Mike Polak | October 22, 2003 10:45 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Mike Polak:

Okay.... I've signed up and would like to have MT set up. Please contact me at above email address.

Posted on October 22, 2003 10:45

Thanks, I am very intereste... (Below threshold)

20. Posted by Eric | October 23, 2003 8:45 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Eric:

Thanks, I am very interested...I've set up the domain, and the account at 1and1...Any help with a MT setup would be very much appreciated...

all the best,

Eric

Posted on October 23, 2003 08:45

I'm in need of having MT se... (Below threshold)

21. Posted by PoloRandy | October 23, 2003 2:31 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

PoloRandy:

I'm in need of having MT setup. Please contact me.

Posted on October 23, 2003 14:31

I would be glad to help, Po... (Below threshold)

22. Posted by King of Fools | October 23, 2003 5:39 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

I would be glad to help, PoloRandy, but I need an email address from you.

Posted on October 23, 2003 17:39

1and1 will not install Imag... (Below threshold)

23. Posted by evariste | October 23, 2003 11:27 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

evariste:

1and1 will not install Image::Magick, so you have to use the other alternative if you want thumbnailing for your images (I already did this but I forgot what it's called; look in your mt.cfg file to find out, then Google for some instructions. You will need to use ssh; download Putty if you are on windows, it's free and will do the job).

Posted on October 23, 2003 23:27

I believe that all the peop... (Below threshold)

24. Posted by King of Fools | October 24, 2003 1:49 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

I believe that all the people who requested assistance are taken care of. Are there any other people out there who need help getting Movable Type installed?

Posted on October 24, 2003 13:49

I'd like to take advantage ... (Below threshold)

25. Posted by Andy | October 24, 2003 1:52 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Andy:

I'd like to take advantage of the offer. My 1and1 account is setup.

Thanks!
-Andy

Posted on October 24, 2003 13:52

Great deal! I've set up my ... (Below threshold)

26. Posted by Kinsey | October 24, 2003 2:57 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Kinsey:

Great deal! I've set up my account on 1&1. Any help you could provide on installing MT would be appreciated. Thank you.

Posted on October 24, 2003 14:57

Hey, all you MT phreaks! ;-... (Below threshold)

27. Posted by jed | October 27, 2003 5:58 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

jed:

Hey, all you MT phreaks! ;-) Just to buck the trend, I've setup a pMachine blog. Took me long enough, but it was pretty easy, overall, to get the basic install up and running.

Posted on October 27, 2003 17:58

Glad to see so many people ... (Below threshold)

28. Posted by Anil | October 29, 2003 8:15 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Anil:

Glad to see so many people happy with MT. Just as a note, if you're interested in a hosted weblog service that, while not free, *does* support our development of Movable Type, you can try TypePad, which has a 30 day free trial, doesn't require any installation , and doesn't require you to know any HTML to customize your template.

And those of you who have donated to support Movable Type, thanks for helping us keep working on the system!

Posted on October 29, 2003 20:15

So what is the verdict? I ... (Below threshold)

29. Posted by Ron | October 30, 2003 2:39 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Ron:

So what is the verdict? I have a 1and1 account and am interested in the process, but I don't want to go down this path if the servers are not going to be able to keep up.

(Currently, I sometimes get 404 errors with just basic HTML pages).

P.S. Your advice is of great help!

Posted on October 30, 2003 14:39

I second what Ron said. Ha... (Below threshold)

30. Posted by MIchael | November 2, 2003 3:46 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

MIchael:

I second what Ron said. Have the issues with doing rebuilds/batch jobs been resolved. I'm squatting on a 1&1 account but am not sure if I should move my blogs over there or not.

Posted on November 2, 2003 15:46

I think the verdict is that... (Below threshold)

31. Posted by Kevin | November 2, 2003 5:19 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Kevin:

I think the verdict is that things seem to work, if and only if, you use MySQL. That's how we are setting people up... I've imported 500 posts from a text file no problem, and The King, XLRQ and others have setup quite a few sites.

Posted on November 2, 2003 17:19

That's good to hear. Thank... (Below threshold)

32. Posted by Michael | November 3, 2003 12:36 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Michael:

That's good to hear. Thanks Kevin.

Posted on November 3, 2003 12:36

Just out of interest, What ... (Below threshold)

33. Posted by Chris | November 5, 2003 7:13 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Chris:

Just out of interest, What do you make out of the 1and1 link?

Posted on November 5, 2003 07:13

Hi,I have just follo... (Below threshold)

34. Posted by Brian Alger | November 6, 2003 8:40 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Brian Alger:

Hi,
I have just followed the process above and registered with 1and1 and have secured a domain name (should have by the end of the day). I could really use some help with the MovableType install!
Brian Alger

Posted on November 6, 2003 08:40

I could really use the help... (Below threshold)

35. Posted by Paul | November 13, 2003 1:52 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Paul:

I could really use the help with the MT install at 1&1 Many thanks.

Posted on November 13, 2003 13:52

I have just secured a 1&1 a... (Below threshold)

36. Posted by Leonardo | November 16, 2003 2:19 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Leonardo:

I have just secured a 1&1 account. I have not yet attempted to install MT, so I don't know if I will need any help. But based on my past experience with MT, I probably *will* need help.

If anyone has a set of instructions or advice for installing MySQL MT onto the 1&1 server, please contact me. I would appreciate it.

Issues of migration do not concern me.

Posted on November 16, 2003 02:19

ok, everything is set up. ... (Below threshold)

37. Posted by Los | November 18, 2003 12:15 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Los:

ok, everything is set up. I figure I may need help with the MT install...thanks!

Posted on November 18, 2003 12:15

Hi: I have a 1&1 account. ... (Below threshold)

38. Posted by paul | November 19, 2003 8:42 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

paul:

Hi: I have a 1&1 account. I would love those instructions on setting up MT on there! thanks

Posted on November 19, 2003 08:42

oops - maybe now you can se... (Below threshold)

39. Posted by paul | November 19, 2003 8:45 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

oops - maybe now you can see my email address in the post...

Posted on November 19, 2003 08:45

I could use some guidance. ... (Below threshold)

40. Posted by John T. Kennedy | November 19, 2003 6:47 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

John T. Kennedy:

I could use some guidance. I'm usually pretty good at these things but I can't even get PHP files to run.

Posted on November 19, 2003 18:47

I did setup MT but with PHP... (Below threshold)

41. Posted by keyword analysis | November 20, 2003 4:58 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

keyword analysis:

I did setup MT but with PHP it looks so complicated ,Here again I think I will have lots of problems learning and doing it.

Posted on November 20, 2003 16:58

I just secured myself a new... (Below threshold)

42. Posted by Sfving | November 28, 2003 12:05 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Sfving:

I just secured myself a new 1and1 account, and would like to install Movable Type, but unfortunately have no experience with such things as "Perl." Can anyone set up my account? It's OK, I'm a Nice Guy.

Email, please, at edsvingen [at] cox {dot} net.

Posted on November 28, 2003 00:05

I saw the ad for 1&1 in eWe... (Below threshold)

43. Posted by dianna | November 28, 2003 3:16 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

dianna:

I saw the ad for 1&1 in eWeek and it did look too good to be true but I tried it anyway and it seems legit so far hehe. I currently have an MT blog on a subdomain of someone else's domain and want to move it to my new domain (which I just registered). Any suggestions or set up FAQs or whatever would be helpful. Thank you! I really hope everyone interested is able to get this working for them. Thank you!

Posted on November 28, 2003 15:16

I have a 1and1 account, and... (Below threshold)

44. Posted by Tim | November 29, 2003 4:30 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Tim:

I have a 1and1 account, and could use some help setting up MT... thanks in advance!

Posted on November 29, 2003 16:30

I just got 1and1 setup, and... (Below threshold)

45. Posted by Brent Johnson | November 30, 2003 1:12 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Brent Johnson:

I just got 1and1 setup, and the domain has been going for months. I could use some help. Please with a MT install. Looks too tough for me.

Thank you.

-- Brent

Posted on November 30, 2003 01:12

Hi there,I registe... (Below threshold)

46. Posted by Chandru | November 30, 2003 7:17 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Chandru:

Hi there,

I registered with 1and1 recently and could use some help moving from Blogger to MovableType, since I haven't used much of perl or php myself.

Thanks in advance.

- Chandru

Posted on November 30, 2003 19:17

Just registered for 1and1..... (Below threshold)

47. Posted by Phil | December 1, 2003 1:24 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Phil:

Just registered for 1and1.. seems like a great service, but I'm having trouble installing the MT thing. Can anyone assist with the installation? It seems simple enough but I just can't get it working.. Thanks in advance.

Posted on December 1, 2003 13:24

Hi!I've just joine... (Below threshold)

48. Posted by Bruce | December 6, 2003 12:53 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Bruce:

Hi!

I've just joined 1&1. I want to set up a MovableType weblog but I don't know where to start. Do I need to install it on my computer first and then upload it? I am using Windows and any help will be appreciated. Thanks

Posted on December 6, 2003 00:53

Hi,Thanks for the ... (Below threshold)

49. Posted by nader | December 7, 2003 7:17 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

nader:

Hi,

Thanks for the usefull info about 1&1 webhosting. I just created an account and appreciate it if you could help me with setting up the MT on my account.

Thanks.

Posted on December 7, 2003 19:17

I already registered with 1... (Below threshold)

50. Posted by JR | December 15, 2003 4:18 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

JR:

I already registered with 1and1.com..
Plz i need help with the mt instalation and configuration..

Thanks for everything.. =)

Posted on December 15, 2003 16:18

Comments are closed on this... (Below threshold)

51. Posted by Kevin | December 15, 2003 4:30 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Comments are closed on this post.

Please send your request for help to:

exodus at wizbangblog.com

Posted on December 15, 2003 16:30

Move To Movable Type Free!

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