Update Advisor: Movable Type 4.21

We've seen an amazing response to the release of Movable Type Pro and Movable Type 4.2. As with any project of this scope, we have discovered a few small but significant issues, which are addressed by our release of the Movable Type 4.21 update last week.

Full details of the 4.21 update are available on movabletype.org, the community site that's a companion to this official product site. The issues resolved between 4.2 and 4.21 are particularly important for customers using Custom Fields or extensive template mappings.

Below you'll find the Movable Type Update Advisor. If you are using a version of MT prior to 4.2, this guide makes it easy to plan your move to Movable Type 4.2.

Move from MT 4.1 or earlier to Version 4.21

• Release Type: Feature Release, with significant new features, improved performance, and enhanced security.
• Mandatory? Strongly Recommended for all MT users on all versions, especially those concerned about performance.
• Performance Implications: Expect significant performance increase. This release provides publishing improvements of 2x to 3x on unmodified templates, and search speeds can improve up to 100x. Administrators can further enhance performance with a few simple optimizations.
• Plugins Affected: None that we are aware of — all MT4.x plugins should work in MT 4.21. Some plugins should be updated to newer versions to take advantage of features in this release.
• Templates Affected: No changes in your templates are required. Taking advantage of some new features in MT 4.2 and MT Pro can require optional template modifications.
• System Requirements: This release has no new or additional system requirements. Many configurations will find decreased system requirements, especially around memory usage.
• Licensing considerations: Smooth sailing. MT 4.21 is a free update for users of any version of MT 4.0. MT Pro is a free update for all paying users of MT 4.x and is a free download for bloggers.
• Upgrade Fatigue: No planned updates are scheduled until the next feature release of MT4. This will only change if significant security issues are found which require a 4.2x release.

Downloads are available in your account for current customers or through the download page.

Want to know more?

To learn more, read our announcement post about Movable Type Pro and version 4.2, or check out "It raises the bar", our roundup of the critical reaction to MT Pro's launch.

To find out more about the specific fixes between 4.2 and 4.21, view the version 4.21 update announcement. And consult the Movable Type documentation for information about the new release, including what's new in Movable Type 4.2.