Version 1.31 of Movable Type is now out. It is essentially the same as 1.3, but with a couple of minor bug fixes, and one major bug fix to the "link this template to a file" feature. If you are using that feature, and have already upgraded to 1.3, you should definitely upgrade to 1.31 (see instructions below).

To use this new release, follow the instructions below that apply to you:

• If you are a new user, simply download the full distribution as normal; you will be downloading version 1.31 automatically.
• If you are a user of any of versions 1.0, 1.1, or 1.2, simply download the upgrade distribution, which will upgrade your Movable Type system to version 1.31.
• If you have already upgraded to 1.3, or if you installed the full release of 1.3, you do not need to download either of the distributions. Simply follow the instructions in this thread to patch Movable Type; this is the major bug fix, and this is really all that you need.

We have released a new version of Movable Type, version 1.3. Existing users of versions 1.0-1.2 should use the upgrade distribution to update their MT installation, and should follow the upgrade instructions

In addition to bug fixes and improvements to general stability, this release adds the following features:

• XML-RPC server implementation of the Blogger API, so you can use existing XML-RPC clients to post to Movable Type (more information)
• Search and replace functionality (more information)
• Ability to specify the directory in which upload files are placed, rather than just dumping files into the archive directory (more information)
• Archive File Templates: the ability to specify the output path for a particular archive type (eg. Monthly archives) using MT template tags (more information)
• Ability to overwrite existing uploaded files (with confirmation, of course).
• "Remember me" Javascript added to default templates
• Security enhancements (configurable umask settings, for example)
• Ability to convert line breaks in comments, but not in entries, and vice versa
• Keyboard shortcuts and buttons for entry text formatting, for Windows IE users (more information)

For a full list of changes, take a look at the changelog.

Kiwinessie's enthusiam for Movable Type shows: she has started a web ring for MT users.

So if you have a MT-powered blog and are interested in being linked through a network of MT users, be sure to join!

A number of international MT users have expressed their desire to donate through methods other than Paypal.

For those who wish to donate but can not use Paypal, we will be very happy to accept gift certificates via Amazon. If you're interested in donating, please send the certificate to donation@movabletype.org.

Donations via Amazon gift certificates will be treated just like Paypal donations, so for every $20, you'll receive a recently updated key. And, for donations of $45 and up, you'll be entitled to extra and personal support.