It seems that the folks at GraffitiCMS, who make a competitor to WordPress, are aligning with Presidential hopefuls and slinging mud to promote their product even though it isn’t out of beta yet. I found the article here, I am not going to give them the satisfaction of linking to the original. Let’s take a walk though their arguments, shall we?

Finally, a WordPress Alternative

Really? Boy I am sure glad you guys showed up since there are certainly no other blogs or CMS tools out there. I can sleep good tonight.

We just released beta 1. But we’re already pretty confident that we got it right.

I am glad someone figured out how to get it right, a few million people who downloaded WordPress must be elated.

Install and setup is easier

Oh, really?

WordPress is known for having an install that takes 5 minutes or less. Graffiti’s install takes less than 2 minutes.

Not 2 minutes or less, but less that 2 minutes.

Why? We don’t expect you to setup or configure a database.

Um, that’s not exactly true. From your website: “The Personal Edition (free) and Commercial Edition use Microsoft Access for data storage and requires no setup. The Professional Edition uses Microsoft SQL Server and does require some setup and configuration.”

So if someone buys the Professional edition, you have to setup and configure a database, it’s the Personal and Commercial edition that you don’t, but it runs on Microsoft Access (Yikes!). Words fail me.

WordPress has 5 installation steps, below is Graffiti’s:

1. Make sure your host meets the requirements (IIS and .NET).

2. Unzip the package you downloaded.

3. Upload all the files to your web host.

Let’s see, my install steps for wordpress are:

1. Create the database (mysqladmin create dbname)

2. Upload the files

3. Run the install script

4. Profit … I mean, more beer

Yep, they got me beat, I could only get it down to four.

You don’t need to know PHP

That’s probably the worst argument I have ever heard. First, PHP is the best web scripting language I have seen, and Second, you don’t need to know PHP to use WordPress. Have you heard of point and click?

Graffiti is built for people.

And WordPress is built for what? Mongoloids? Cats? Hello?

You don’t have to know how how to program your DVR to use it. Why should you be required to write code to use a CMS?

See my point above. You don’t have to code anything to use WordPress, are you just making this stuff up as you go? I smell FUD! By the way, what does a DVR have to do with blogs or CMS? Put down the crack pipe, umkay?

Now we did realize that designers would want to customize how Graffiti looks.

Say it ain’t so!

So we decided to introduce a neutral programming concept we call Chalk. Chalk is a simple templating language that gives both designers and developers the ability to customize how content is shown without requiring them to read a 500 lb. book on programming.

OK, back up the bus skippy. One of your “features” is that you don’t have to know PHP to use Graffiti, right? Yet you are going to require people to learn a whole new language that you wrote, so there is not only no chance of already being familiar with it, but you won’t use it anywhere else? Boy, you guys are good.

By the way, if you know where I can find a 500 lb. book on PHP, I’d love to see it.

Of course Graffiti is built on .NET and truth be told any good developer can make either PHP or ASP.NET code perform. However, we think there are more long-term advantages in Microsoft’s platform and better tools. So for developers familiar with ASP.NET its full power and capability are available to you.

Of course it’s built on .NET, proprietary closed source platforms are the best. (that was sarcasm by the way)

Just enough workflow

Graffiti enables just enough workflow. By just enough we mean that workflow is available if you want to use it but workflow isn’t required. The workflow concepts in Graffiti revolve around content creators, content managers, and site managers. Content creators create the content, content managers publish the content, and site managers control how content is presented.

Yeah, this is very different from WordPress, e107, Post-Nuke and all the others out there. They have no control or workflow capabilities. Uh-huh. Yep. (more sarcasm)

Simple.

Oh goodie, WordPress is so hard!

Best of all workflow is something that you can choose to use. You’re never forced into anything.

Simple content management tools

Graffiti keeps track of all changes in your content and who made the changes. Want to see what has changed or roll back to a previous version. No problem.

I’ll give you this one over WordPress, it doesn’t do versioning. Frankly I don’t need it, it’s not that type of environment. For that I use a wiki … oh, but wait, I bet Graffiti beats my PmWiki install too?

We’ve tried to skim the top of traditional content management and blogging and blend them together.

Search Engine Optimized for Google and everyone else

Yeah, I can’t get that and more functionality out of WordPress, much less enhance it with plugins. Sigh.

We put a lot of effort into ensuring that Graffiti is optimized for search engines. Whether it’s search engine friendly URLs, smart redirects, or properly structured content you’ll find that Graffiti was built to help people find your content.

*Cough* I think that’s what we call Permalinks … hello? Step away from the bong. Does your system keep track of and never lose URLs, even when they change? WordPress does! Oh my!

Built by Telligent

Graffiti CMS is built by Telligent the same folks behind Community Server. Community Server was one of the first robust multi-user blogging/community platforms available. We’ve got an 80+ person team that does nothing but eat, live, and breath communities and social software and more importantly help customers build and grow successful communities.

Of course there are a number of other reasons why you should evaluate Graffiti. But why don’t you see for yourself.

You made the very first ever blogging/community platform that was available? OMG, like you totally started a trend, you are like so cool! I think you need to go back and learn a little more of your IT history bub. I guess Usenet, GEnie, BiX, CompuServe, e-mail lists, and Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) don’t count, huh? Maybe <a href=’http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog’>this</a> will help.

Now, let’s talk price. WordPress is free and the source is open. Graffiti is $99 for pre-order?!? $399 after that according to your website? Isn’t that a bit high for only 10 user accounts? Plus you have to buy Windows and the database software unless you use MySQL on Windows or Microsoft Access (Yikes!). But wait, you said free Open Source software is bad. I am so confused! In fairness, they do report that Graffiti will run on Linux using the mono platform, and they do have a Personal version that is free, but mono seems like a lot of work when I already have LAMP and WordPress (among others).

Now, let me play devil’s advocate for a moment, I might enjoy being a smart alek but I always want to be fair. There are some situations where Open Source tools don’t fit. I have some clients that are not allowed to use free, Open Source, or other software. Many in the corporate world only allow COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) products. This is an environment where Graffiti would shine, although I don’t know of many of these same clients that would put up a blog, but that’s beside the point.

The folks that make graffiti didn’t come out and present this as a tool for the com world, they attacked WordPress head on and make some very shaky if not absurd arguments. I think this whole debate was geared towards people that don’t know either platform, so it sounds like Graffiti has it all over the competition when you read their comparison. Kinda reminds me of Microsoft’s “get the facts” program against Linux. The rest of us know better.