Should I go wih WP?

Well i never used another blog system before and didn’t find it too hard. I did know HTML and CSS, but no php or database stuff. searching thru the forums and occasionally the wiki, i found existing answers to every issue so far. So I’d say you don’t really have to know the backend stuff as long as you’re not planning on doing something exotic.
As for your other questions..
– blogging by email is possible, but I haven’t tried it
– adjusting layout: i would have thought this is just as easy or hard with WP than any other system because it depends on how well you know HTML/CSS much more than it depends on the blog program
– hacks/plugins: can’t comment, haven’t used any
hope this helps

While you weigh up the benefits of WordPress perhaps I could ask you to point us to the url of any other open source (free) software which has remotely equivalent functionality which you are comparing it with.

It’s easier than falling off a log. If I can do it, anybody can do it. It only takes five minutes to install. Why wait? Just dive in with both feet and go for it. I have learned a lot these past few months since joining the WP.
You won’t be disappointed.

I’m also very interested in switching, but as I have a blog with several authors a big must have for me is remote access. Is there web access to post (http and/or ftp?), or would it be just via e-mail?

Yes, if you as admin create multiple users and give them a high enough user level, then each of them can login (from your front page or direclty on yourdomain.com/wp-login.php) and post stuff from their borowser. This is actually the default way to post, rather than by email. No ftp is needed for posting, ever.

Hooray! Looks like I’ll be installing when I get home.

– How technically skilled with backend stuff do you have to be? I’m pretty adept at picking these things up, but it’s not my forte. I’d like to set up the installation of WP, set the template and other doodads and then let it all alone (for the most part) from there and just focus on the content creation.
For the most part 99% of any changes you make will be in the index.php file, which is all front end. Coding skills are minimal, byut HTML/CSS experience is good. There is a wide range of knowledgable people on the forums here to help, and there is the IRC channel too.
– This probably sounds very naive: Are you able to blog remotely with WP? I’d like to be able to post items while at work, on the road, etc. Is this possible by logging in, or would it be via email posts, etc?
Since there isn’t a client install, anywhere you have internet access and a web browser, just go to your blog, login in and post. WP also has the capability to blog by email, but it seems to have varying degrees of success. I’ve never gotten it to work, but others have. Go figure. I don’t do much bloggin by mail anyways.
– For those occasions when it’s needed, how difficult is it to adjust layout items, etc. without fouling up the whole thing?
Make a copy of the file before you go spellunking through the code. That’s the best safety net. If something does go foul, just delete the screwed up file and rename the copy (which will be the original file). It works for me. I’ve hosed my site once or twice messing with it.
– Are hacks for things like customized commenting features (like optionally displaying them on the post page and such) reliably functional enough for a newbie like me to use?
Some are, some aren’t. Note who created the hack, follow their instructions, and ask questions when needed. I haven’t yet implemented a hack that didn’t work and totaly screwed things up. I’ve had few that weren’t quite what I expected, but I just turned them off.
TG

For someone coming from MT with the template tags, plugins and all that jazz, wordpress will not be difficult, I presume. It was not when I came over, and I feel more confident using wordpress, than I ever did using MT.

Ah, now i see what “blogging remotely” means… I never imagined another blogging system would not allow you to post from any computer with an internet connection. How annoying would that be? I guess the advantage is you have a complete copy of your site on your won harddrive, just in case the host goes belly up… but then it seems that with cpanel hosts you can easily download a backup too – although I haven’t tried this yet.

I just mention that many relatively inexperienced bloggers like myself started at Word Press because they did not like or couldn’t get on with MT anyway.
Anyone coming across should find it a revelation. It rocks! In a shameless plug I should also that Eric Meyer is now using it. What you will also find – and this may weigh in the balance – is a fanatical and supportive community in this forum. The level of involvement here as a proportion of all WP installs (my estimate: 3,700 and 2,000 registered members) is staggering. I am going to describe WP in a special way now: In my book the software has integrity. That is it. Go for it guys. Good luck and as NM would say (and does – frequently) have a lot of fun. We do.

Thanks all… Very encouraging words. I think I’ll give it a spin. I’m in no rush, so I’ll be working on it bit by bit over the next several weekends. I’m still nervous, but what’s the worst that could happen? I can always come back here for advice. I appreciate all the response.

A final thought for any MT users. If you install WP there is absolutely no need to put those butt ugly advertising blogspot type of things on your blog.

Sooo agreed with Root

What “butt ugly blogspot type things” are you referring to? Any examples blogs? Taking a quick scan at some MT blogs I regularly visit, I don’t see anything uniform: Some have a text link back to Movabletyp.com, others a little button, but nothing particularly noticable.

My point is you can install it yourself anywhere you like in an advertising free environment.