Jalaj P. Jha

I Love WordPress, I Love WordPress 2.7, but I loved the admin interfaces of previous versions more! While new features on visible side (visible to users) can be a lot exciting, new features on admin interfaces may not be welcomed by everyone.

While the older versions of WordPress were 2000-ish, and latest versions using all latest stuff as ajax, I love the simple old ones. Particularly when it comes to uploading images, I find the latest approaches frustrating. No wonder number of images used in my posts have decreased. With problems that I faced uploading the only one picture on my previous post, I decided admin interface is no longer bearable and then I remembered my old friend Windows Live Writer, which I had stopped using as my old system was too slow to handle Windows XP SP2, and other softwares that were invariably required for Windows Live Writer to run. But now as I am sitting many feet away from that system with new Acer notebook on my lap, I thought it was right time to get started with Windows Live Writer again.

When I visited the Windows Live Writer site, found the latest release WLW 2009 released barely a month ago and so immediately sat downloading it. On running the installer went through a few hiccups, namely improper version of Windows Installer and .NET framework installed on my fresh XP with SP2. Thankfully I had both the softwares already with me downloaded previously. In very little time Windows Live Writer was up and running. Windows Live Writer has grown up with WordPress and also has capability of adding tags in addition to categories. The last time I used it neither WordPress nor WLW had it. So it’s a relief that I would miss nothing by avoiding the WordPress admin interface.

Does it matter to a person if he is blogging on WordPress 2.5 or 2.6 or 2.7 when he is posting through an offline blogging software?

With Windows Live Writer adding a picture is as easy as copy and paste. You can use print-screen button to copy the screenshot, paste it, and using the ‘crop’ action available on sidebar on the right, mark the area that you want to actually show

What’s more you can also use many other ‘actions’ available to rotate, tilt or apply watermark or adjust contrast. With Windows Live Writers capability of applying various borders and effects, I doubt if anyone will require to use a photo editor (unless you do some really exclusive effect on photos posted).

Once you have added all the photos to the post, uploading it to your wordpress blog just requires publishing the post or if you are not yet ready for publishing just select “Post draft to blog” under File Menu.

This was all about uploading images that I now hated doing directly on blog. But various other facilities as ability to write offline even in absence of an internet connection, speedier addition of links (did you try adding a link on WordPress 2.7 using visual editor in slow connection?).

On flip side I miss find/replace facility on WIndows Live Writer (I only allows Find). Hope future versions will carry that.

What are your opinion about Windows Live Writer? What are things that you like or dislike on it? Eager to hear from you…