WordPress is easy-peasy by comparison with MT. Still not sure what’s wrong with my server but I managed to script MT exporting it’s posts+comments so I can officially bury it.. Bye bye MT.
UPDATE
I’ve been trying to understand just how MT managed to fall so far behind in the usability stakes. I found this post about SixApart’s efforts to convert WordPress customers before the 2.5 upgrade. I’ve used typepad and there’s no doubt that it’s a powerful platform. The combination of a properly configured and supported MT with access to tested plugins is neat. The problem is that this isn’t the out of the box experience one gets with MT. Whereas WordPress took me under 5 minutes to install, is well supported by my hosting provider and has an integrated plugins and theme search system that seems to just work immediately. Not only that but the dashboard integration with wordpress.com and API gives a typepad like experience outside of a hosted service.
A cursory look implies the code has improved too. The performance is way faster and the scripting/styling is well organised for those who like to customise their blog to death. The 6apart guys really need to wake up. Maybe typepad motion is the answer but a similar experience is available through WP plugins and you just know the WP community will integrate them neatly before long.