Jun 5 2006

Movable Type 3.3 Beta is here

« Previous | News Blog | Next » By Jay Alen

Good news! The latest version of Movable Type is now available as a completely free beta for you to try out. There's two big things to keep in mind:

  • It's a beta! In the old-fashioned sense. (That means don't run it on production data.)

  • We're doing a structured beta test, with a schedule for releases. So we'll tell you when there's enough new stuff to install a new version.

The defined schedule for the beta test is kind of an experiment, so that you can update any time you want with regular new builds available for you to try out. But we'll also define checkpoints where you can know exactly what's been fixed and how close we are to a final release.

The goal, as always, is to have the highest quality release possible. Since Movable Type 3.2 came out in August of last year, we haven't had to do a version .01 bug fix release at all, because you've told us you hate the bother of getting a little point upgrade every couple weeks. So start hammering away on the new build, and start filing those bugs!

What's New? Should I check this out?

If you're a plugin developer, manage a number of blogs, work as a professional blog consultant, or are responsible for a business deployment of blogs, get the beta now. If you're just into blogging technology in general, the new version is worth a look and is solid enough to test out. If you just want to wait to try out all the tasty new stuff without worrying about rough edges, don't jump yet -- we'll have a version for you soon.

And as for features, we've started outlining some highlights on the Professional Network blog already. We've got better management of blogs through a unique new Activity Feed -- keep track of everything on your blog in one place. Tags! Cool new Transformer plugins make it easy to modify any part of Movable Type's interface, so you can remix MT to personalize it just the way you like. Better spam protection. Tons of features for free for plugin developers. It's easier than ever to create posts and edit them. Smarter Security. And all of this with fifty fewer settings to keep track of -- all the power, none of the hassle.

Go get it

Some of the best surprises in Movable Type 3.3 are yet to come, but if you're curious, try it out. We'll be talking more about the new version on the spanking-new Movable Type 3.3 Beta Blog, and we can't wait to hear what you think. Here are some important posts that you should check out:

We know the entire Movable Type community is hungry for more information from us, and we hear you loud and clear that you want to know about our commitment and investment to the platform. As we start this new beta, here's the bottom line: Movable Type 3.3 is the first step to showing you just how much we appreciate your contributions to making Movable Type the success that it is. And we'll be opening up even more about how we'll be building on that success over the weeks to come.