WordPress gets better with 3.0

The newest and greatest of WordPress is now out at version 3.0. This is probably one of the most awaited version of WordPress. So, what’s so spectacular about WordPress 3.0? For the ordinary user existing, at a glance, you’d only probably notice the addition of menu management as a new feature. But under the hood, a lot of things have actually changed.

I think one of the most important change is the merging of the single user WordPress and the multi-user WordPress codebase. Why? Because with the merge comes several things in my opinion.

First, it’s easier for those involved in the WordPress development world (both the core developers and the 3rd party developers) to have a single codebase in terms of maintenance.

Second, with the merge, WordPress has actually become more than just a blogging software. Think enterprise level site content management and community site management. Features such as single user base administration allows for easier maintenance of several sites that would usually be desired in enterprise-wide web sites.

Third, now that there’s one code base, fixing things will be simpler — think 1200 bug fixes with just this release. This makes WordPress a lot better and more secure than the previous version.

With all those changes, big and small, WordPress is still the same thing that I have come to appreciate and use. It’s so flexible and powerful that calling it a blogging software is an understatement. It is in fact a content management system in it’s own right. A great platform for creating different types of content. One example is what I’m trying to create at Ortigas Online — using WordPress, I plan to not just use it for blogging but also for presenting different types of content like a Map and Business Directory and a Products Directory. I’m also working into creating a way to manage classified ads content and other forms of content such as photos and videos forming a truly community centric site using WordPress.

Of course WordPress won’t be complete if you won’t be able to easily upgrade it to the latest and greatest. A simple copying of files into your old version and WordPress does the rest — that simple!