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WordPress is the most widely used content management system in the world, powering over 40% of all websites on the internet and 63% of websites using a CMS.
But how did this open-source platform become so popular?
In this (WordPress-powered) post, I’ll explore the history of WordPress, looking at major releases from its humble beginnings as a simple blogging platform to the powerful and dominant CMS it is today.
The Birth of WordPress
In 2003, Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little created a fork of an existing blogging platform called b2/cafelog.
They called their new platform WordPress, and it quickly gained popularity among bloggers who were looking for an easy-to-use and customizable platform for their content.
The first version of WordPress, released on May 27, 2003, included features such as permalinks, a template system, and a commenting system.
Version 1.2: The Era of Plugins
With the release of WordPress 1.2 in 2004, the platform began to focus on extensibility and customisability.
This version introduced support for plugins, which allowed developers to create new features and functionality for WordPress without modifying its core code.
It also included new features such as thumbnail generation and post previews.
Version 2.0: The Dashboard
In 2005, WordPress 2.0 was released, which introduced a new admin interface called the Dashboard.
This made it easier for users to manage their content, customise their website’s appearance, and track their website’s traffic.
Version 2.0 also introduced a new rich text editor called TinyMCE, which made it easier to format content without using HTML code.
Version 2.5: A Redesigned Admin Interface
In 2008, WordPress 2.5 was released, which included a completely redesigned admin interface.
This new interface was more user-friendly and streamlined, making it easier for users to navigate and manage their website’s content.
Version 2.5 also included new features such as one-click plugin installation, built-in galleries, and multi-file upload.
Version 3.0: Custom Post Types and Taxonomies
In 2010, WordPress 3.0 was released, which introduced several new features that made it even more powerful as a CMS.
The most significant of these features were custom post types and taxonomies, which allowed developers to create new content types and categories for their websites.
This version also included a new default theme called Twenty Ten, which showcased the platform’s new features and customization options.
Version 3.5: The Media Library
In 2012, WordPress 3.5 was released, which included a redesigned media library that made it easier to upload, organise, and manage images, videos, and other media files.
This version introduced a new default theme called Twenty Twelve, which was designed to be responsive and mobile-friendly.
Version 4.0: The Customizer
In 2014, WordPress 4.0 was released, which included a new feature called the Customizer.
This allowed users to preview changes to their website’s appearance in real-time, making it easier to customise a site’s design without having to switch back and forth between the admin panel and the front-end.
Version 4.0: The Customizer
In 2014, WordPress 4.0 was released, which included a new feature called the Customizer.
This allowed users to preview changes to their website’s appearance in real-time, making it easier to customise a site’s design without having to switch back and forth between the admin panel and the front-end.
Version 5.0: The Gutenberg Block Editor
In 2018, WordPress 5.0 was released, which introduced the new Gutenberg block editor. This replaced the traditional editor with a new interface that allowed users to create content using drag-and-drop blocks.
This version also included a new default theme called Twenty Nineteen, which was designed to showcase the new editor’s features and flexibility.
Version 5.5: Auto-Updates and Lazy Loading
In 2020, WordPress 5.5 was released, which introduced several new features designed to improve the platform’s performance and security.
The most significant of these features were automatic updates for plugins and themes, which helped to ensure that users always had the latest security patches and bug fixes.
The version also included lazy loading for images, which helped to improve website loading times by only loading images when they were visible on the screen.