So I upgraded to the latest MoveableType version and changed the colors for itymbi. The upgrade went well, even the unexplained bit of enabling TrackBack when you're using mod_perl. It's interesting, though perhaps obvious, that because of the pattern used for the application and comments code finding how to setup TrackBack was pretty simple. The color scheme comes from a book called A Book of Colors published by the Nippon Color & Design Research Institute. It's fantastic for finding color combinations that work well together.

Of course the most interesting feature of the latest MoveableType version is TrackBack. This is something I, along with others, have thought about before, looks like there's going to be an open standard around this functionality, so I'll just hook MBlog into it, I hope.

TrackBack is implemented using REST and not SOAP. The REST vs. SOAP discussions are interesting. Perhaps SOAP has already been taken over by the standards people to such an extent that it's about to be suplanted by REST when ordinary mortals want to get something done. A rant I've indulged in before is my feeling that there are some people who get more enjoyment out of the standards setting process than is right. These people glom onto any new technology as an opportunity to get involved and make their mark on a new standard. The results are sometimes over elaborate for ordinary use. SOAP may be going this way, it's just getting too complicated to set up for simple, though powerful stuff, like the amazon api or TrackBack.