As we were discussing the most popular free blogging software. Let’s get back where we left the discussion in Blogger’s Gear: Free Blog Software (Part one).

Drupal is a modular content management framework, content management system and blogging engine which was originally written by Dries Buytaert as a bulletin board system. Drupal written in PHP language. It’s comes under GPL license, so you can say a true open source software, what you can turn into anything you like, or can.

The Good: Wide array of fully customizable template selection. Multi-lingual supported, database independent, built in forum (can be turned on/off from admin panel), and available non-web browser based editing/posting tools are its exceptional feature. Unique collaborative book feature lets you setup a project or "book" that needs to be written and then authorize other individuals to contribute content. A great feature you can only find in Drupal.

The Bad: Little complex for user who started blogging. Parma link feature is not robust like WordPress; a certain degree of knowledge on feed, Parma link etc. is needed for getting best of it.

The Catch: Well documented and have good support system. Though there are some spam security feature are not yet to be present on Drupal, and don’t mind going extra mile to make your own stuff Drupal is excellent choice.

Greymatter is free, open source blogging software released by Noah Grey in November 2000. Greymatter requires no database; its only requirement is Perl support on its web server. It features robust options and extensibility, with a focus on customization and user control. It is made to reside in the cgi-bin subfolder of one's website. The blog itself resides either on the main page of the server or in a subfolder. The archives reside in the main folder or in a subfolder, traditionally called "archives". The main, archive, and entry pages are written in HTML.

The Good: Written in Perl so it’s really fast and can manipulate many files at a time.

The Bad: Actually have lots of Bug, my previous website was built on Greymatter. Since March 2005 no upgrade and no fix. Have serious security issues against spam. While Greymatter saves entries with 8-digit filenames in the format XXXXXXXX.cgi, after 5,000 entries diagnostic mode will not work. This bug claimed t be fixed, but practically it didn’t.

The Catch: Its fast, but unreliability’s and lack of design flexibilities makes it least favorite choice. And definitely not for novice.

b2evolution is a multi-lingual, multi-user, multi-blog publishing system written in PHP and backed by a MySQL database. It is distributed under the GNU General Public License and is available without charge.

The Good: No configuration file editing is necessary, as all configuration is handled through the installer or administrative back-end. Built for perfectly for novice blogger who do not have enough technical skills. Textile, Auto-P, Greymatter, BB code, Texturize, and graphic smilies are available through plug-in.

The Bad: Not too much flexible for bloggers who wants uniqueness. Not enough spam protection, dose not have flexible Parma link feature.

The Catch: Wake up! Smell the air; you don’t want to stuck in 19^th century. Blog world is changing faster than light; you need high tech features, not medieval stuffs.

Geeklog is a PHP/MySQL based application for managing dynamic web content. "Out of the box", it is a blog engine, CMS or Web Portal with support for comments, trackbacks, multiple syndication formats, spam protection, and all the other vital features of such a system. The core Geeklog distribution can easily be extended by the many community developed plug-ins to radically alter its functionality. Available plug-ins includes forums, image galleries, and many more.

Good but not that Good. Not yet ready to be the top choice.

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Here is some more promising blog software which is completely free. In near future maybe I will be able to make some in-depth review on these.

• bBlog
• Blogsphere
• blosxom
• Community Server
• ExpressionEngine
• Dotclear
• LifeType
• Nucleus CMS
• Radio UserLand
• Roller Weblogger
• Serendipity
• Subtext
• Textpattern
• Windows Live Writer