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Scribefire vs. Windows Live Writer

As you can see, I have started blogging only recently. So far I have used the native platform offered by Blogger to create and edit my posts. But it's kind of limited in scope. Uploading pictures is a long drawn out process and also a bit wonky (sometimes it works, other times not) plus formatting options are limited. So, I started looking around for blog editors.

live writer Only two really stood out from the rest. One was Windows Live Writer.My first reaction? Microsoft? No way could it be good.But after downloading a hefty 17 MB file and installing it (beware! as usual, MS tries to install other 'Live Apps',) and playing around for a while, I had to change my opinion. The wizard is very helpful and a breeze to follow. Setting up a connection to your blog is very easy and takes just a few steps. Creating, editing and formatting posts is also a snap. In fact, this is one of the few apps that Microsoft gets right. Live writer also connects to your blog and downloads the CSS, so you know how your posts look even while typing.

scribefireThe other editor I tried, Scribefire took a different route. It is not a standalone piece of software, instead it is an add on for my favourite browser - Firefox.

Downloading it took only a few minutes. Pressing F8 brings up the editing windows in the bottom half of my open tab. It handles all my posting needs in such a small interface. It has some additional benefits too, being browser based. Reading something interesting on a page? I can blog right from there. Pictures, text etc can all be dragged and dropped into my post. It also does not add any overhead to my CPU. I do not have to open up a separate application just to blog. Scribefire even sucked in my previous posts so I can easily edit them, should I chose to.

So which one am I going to use? Well, in spite of all the bells and whistles offered by WLW, Scribefire it is for me. Nothing quite beats it for quick blogging-on-the-go. Why I picked Scribefire:
  • Quick
  • Integrates easily into my work flow
  • Compact appearance and small footprint
  • Drag and drop feature
Update (12 April, 2009): Looks like I’ll have to eat my words. WLW is far better than Scribefire for blogging. It has many advanced options absent in scribefire, especially image manipulation and formatting. Also, inserting URLs manually was a pain in scribefire. Besides, WLW fits my workflow a lot better, I spent way too much time on formatting than actually writing in the other one. Yes, RS you can say ‘I told you so!’

I also found a portable version that is perfect for me (it means I can get rid of all the crap that MS installs).
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Comments

  1. Rahul SharmaFebruary 26, 2009 at 7:37 AM

    how much do they consume, the processing power in terms of cpu usage and virtual memory. so far i hav been unable to check it because my browser just wont open scribefire.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shilpa JFebruary 28, 2009 at 4:39 AM

    @rahul: As far as I have noticed, Live Writer does consume a fair amount of processor power. Scribefire does not have any overhead beyond that used by Firefox itself.

    *Note: I haven't taken accurate measurements.

    ReplyDelete
  3. RaptorakJanuary 6, 2012 at 2:10 PM

    This is a somewhat old post but I'm curious as to if you have an updated view of which is better, if either. Across a LOT of review reading, people seem to dislike both pretty much...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Shilpa JJanuary 7, 2012 at 12:30 AM

    From my personal experience I've to say Windows Live Writer serves quite well for my blogging needs. So much so that I've forgotten what the blogger dashboard looks like :) It may not be the BEST blogging software but it's the best we've got.

    ReplyDelete

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