WordPress News Roundup March 2013: WooCommerce 2.0 Launches and ThemeForest Adds a 100% GPL Option

March 2013 was a month of commercial milestones rather than core releases. WooCommerce reached version 2.0, the GPL debate that started in January ended with Envato offering a fully GPL licence on ThemeForest, and the hosting giant behind Bluehost and HostGator bought its way into themes. Meanwhile WordPress 3.6, originally pencilled in for a late-March beta, was running behind.

The wider web also delivered a shock to bloggers: Google announced it would shut down Google Reader, the RSS reader many of them relied on for both reading and traffic.

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Investments

• Endurance International Group acquires Mojo Themes: On March 28, Endurance International Group announced it had acquired Mojoness, Inc., the company behind the Mojo Themes and Mojo Code marketplaces. EIG said it would integrate the products into the platforms of its hosting brands, including HostGator and Bluehost, an early sign of hosts trying to own more of the WordPress buying journey.

WordPress Core Updates

• The road to 3.6 Beta 1: On March 13 the release leads posted The Road to 3.6 Beta 1, setting out what had to be finished first. The leads wanted a true beta with its headline features complete rather than an alpha by another name, and the original late-March target slipped into April.
• Twenty Thirteen progress: The default theme team posted updates on March 4, 12, 19 and 26 as Twenty Thirteen moved from draft toward something ready for testing.
• MP6 iterates in public: On March 9 the design team formally presented the first iteration of the MP6 plugin on make.wordpress.org/design as a test-bed for a refreshed admin, with regular releases and a feedback loop through the plugin directory.
• GSoC 2013 preparation: The project began organising its Google Summer of Code participation, recruiting mentors and drafting project ideas.

Other WordPress News

• WooCommerce 2.0: WooThemes shipped WooCommerce 2.0 on March 4, its first major version since the plugin forked from Jigoshop in 2011. The release reworked large parts of the codebase and the admin, and WooThemes made sure its own themes and extensions were compatible on launch day.
• ThemeForest adds a 100% GPL option: In late March Envato announced that authors on ThemeForest and CodeCanyon could license their WordPress items under a fully GPL option. WooThemes joined ThemeForest as a launch partner. The change meant marketplace authors no longer had to choose between selling on Envato and participating in WordCamps.
• Jetpack Developer Mode: Jetpack 2.2.1 added a long-requested development mode, letting developers run the plugin on local installs without connecting to WordPress.com.
• Mark Ghosh steps back: Mark Ghosh, founder of Weblog Tools Collection, one of the earliest and most influential WordPress news blogs, announced he was leaving the site at the end of the month.
• New WordPress.com themes: Automattic’s theme team released new photo-focused themes on WordPress.com, including Ryu and Full Frame, continuing a steady stream of responsive designs.

Security Alerts and Plugin Vulnerabilities

No major WordPress core or plugin vulnerabilities were disclosed in March. With no security release since 3.5.1 in January, the month’s practical advice was simply to keep sites and plugins current before the 3.6 cycle reached beta.

Industry Trends and Insights

• Google Reader’s sunset: Google announced on March 13 that Reader would close on July 1, 2013. For bloggers it meant a likely dip in returning readers and a scramble to point subscribers to alternatives, and it renewed interest in tools that kept syndication on the open web.
• Hosts move up the stack: EIG’s purchase of Mojo Themes showed hosting companies wanted a share of theme and add-on spending, not just hosting fees.
• Commerce becomes core business: WooCommerce 2.0 confirmed e-commerce as one of the fastest-growing parts of the WordPress economy.

Theme of the Month: Ryu

Ryu, released by Automattic on WordPress.com this month, was a minimalist, responsive theme built around large images and clean typography. It reflected the theme team’s push toward designs that looked good on phones first, and it would later be made available to self-hosted users through the WordPress.org directory.

Plugin of the Month: WooCommerce

WooCommerce 2.0 was the release that turned WooThemes’ fork of Jigoshop into a mature platform. Its cleaner architecture gave extension developers a stable base, and it set WooCommerce on the path to becoming WordPress’s default answer for online stores.

Host of the Month: Bluehost

Bluehost, one of the hosts long recommended on WordPress.org, was among the EIG brands set to receive Mojo Themes products. The acquisition hinted at a future in which mass-market hosts bundled themes and add-ons directly into the sign-up flow for millions of new WordPress users.

Founder of the Month: Mark Ghosh

Mark Ghosh founded Weblog Tools Collection, which for years was a primary source of WordPress plugin, theme and community news. His departure in March marked the end of an era for WordPress news, just as newer outlets were stepping in to fill the gap.

Looking Ahead to April 2013

WordPress 3.6 Beta 1 is expected in early April, bringing Post Formats UI, revisions and Twenty Thirteen into public testing. Plans for celebrating WordPress’s 10th anniversary on May 27 should also be announced, and the project will confirm its Google Summer of Code participation.