I just moved a whole solar system!

While I can’t be sure of everywhere, I believe that the system13.org domain name has mostly re-propagated with the new name-servers. Which means, basically, that you’re now reading the “new” (old, really, but stored on a different server) System 13.

If all went as smoothly as I think it did, most of you should have no idea what I’m talking about.

There are still some things that aren’t quite right, like the CSS and the page titles. I’m seeing some text that isn’t styled as it should be, and a few other minor things, but they truly are minor. I haven’t, for example, seen any fatal PHP errors. Regarding the page titles, the name of the blog isn’t showing up in them. So instead of getting (post title) - (System 13), it’s simply (post title). Easily fixed, though, with a big of PHP digging. (Fixed!) All in all, I’m amazed at how well the jump from WordPress.com to the new host went. The host I’m using, by the way, is A Small Orange, who were quite helpful during the process. I had a few issues that they dealt with very quickly (I’m talking like 3-5 minute responses).

I decided to hop back to my own hosting because there were a few things I wanted to do that I wasn’t able to do with WordPress.com:

• Create pages outside of the blog structure for other interests of mine, i.e. if I wanted to make a page about Old Norse or Battlestar Galactica or ketchup popsicles (the urge might hit me, you know). The page system in WordPress is nice if you’re going to make a few pages, but it seems rather clunky if you’re going to do anything extensive. It’s also a real pain in the butt to make pages look drastically different than your blog when you make the pages inside of WordPress. If I were to make a page on Old Norse or Vikings, I wouldn’t want to have it showing up inside the System 13 blog template. (Unless, of course, the page were about Vikings in space…)
• Use the LibraryThing widget. What can I say, I love books. I really, really wanted that widget on my blog. My LibraryThing widget, by the way, is now in the sidebar, if you hadn’t noticed it yet.

There was nothing at all wrong at WordPress.com, other than I was limited by a few things. For what they’re doing - hosting blogs - they are, in my book, the best out there. I don’t think I ever got a 404 or time out on their site, and it’s always been speedy. My other blog, Language Geek, will continue to be housed in the mighty blog warehouse that is WordPress.com.

Lastly, if you see anything “off” - weird display problems, broken links, alien limbs hanging out from under the header - let me know, and I’ll take a looksie. As my toddler would say, “Tinks!”