WordPress News Roundup July 2004: Version 1.3 Takes Shape as PHP 5 Arrives

July 2004 was a steady month for development. Matt Mullenweg posted a development update on July 13 listing what version 1.3 would do. That was the same day PHP 5.0 was released, and PHP 5 compatibility was on the list. In the code, Ryan Boren made permalinks much easier to set up, and Mullenweg reworked the installer. Around the project, a group of independent WordPress news sites was taking shape.

WordPress Core Updates

• The 1.3 plan: The update promised support for all trackback URLs, a new login system for people having trouble signing in, a new import and export system, better behaviour on servers without mod_rewrite, PHP 5.0 compatibility, category trackbacks, easier geographic functions, an improved plugin API and better spam control. Some features were being kept quiet until they were ready.
• Automatic .htaccess (July 27): Boren changed WordPress to write rewrite rules directly to .htaccess when the file was writable, and to create it if the directory allowed. That removed the copy-and-paste step the team had called overly complicated in January.
• Permalink and paging work: Timestamp-based permalinks were supported, and post paging became standard, with a posts_nav_link() tag added to the default template. A rewrite_rules_array filter let plugins change the rules.
• Friendlier installer (July 23): Mullenweg revised the installer to make setup easier, though more error checking was still needed.
• Post by email: Fixes from a contributor known as MooKitty, or Kitten, improved time zones, delimiters and permalinks in wp-mail.
• Admin hooks: Plugins could now add items to the main admin menu.

Other WordPress News

• Admin colour contest (July 28): Mullenweg ran a contest on his blog for alternative admin colour schemes. He planned to package the winners as a plugin, and prizes included a copy of Color Schemer Studio.
• Where to read WordPress news (July 29): The dev blog recommended WordLog, Carthik Sharma’s new daily WordPress site; Blogging Pro, often first with plugin news; Weblog Tools Collection, run by Mark Ghosh, known as LaughingLizard; and Scriptygoddess.

Industry Trends and Insights

PHP 5.0 was released on July 13 with a rewritten object model, but most shared hosts would stay on PHP 4 for years. WordPress’s approach, to support PHP 5 without requiring it, matched how web hosting actually worked. The growth of sites like WordLog and Blogging Pro also mattered. With plugins now possible, there was enough third-party activity for dedicated sites to report on it daily.

Founder of the Month: Carthik Sharma

Carthik Sharma had written a widely used Movable Type migration guide in May and contributed a new MT importer to core. In July he launched WordLog, a daily site about WordPress, while also writing posts for the official development blog. He was an early example of the community writers who helped new users find their way.

Looking Ahead to August 2004

Work toward 1.3 would continue, along with Mullenweg’s colour scheme contest. PHP 5 support, promised for 1.3, would get its first real tests as developers and hosts tried the new PHP release.