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[Ben Barden]

Andrew, thanks for the mention.

It might sound like heresy, especially coming from me, but the FOSS movement has not yet produced a truly remarkable blogging platform.

You know, I think that one of the most important blogging tips applies here.  I often hear people saying that you shouldn't start a blog to make money, you should write about a subject you enjoy.  In a similar way, I've seen a few open source projects come and go (I actually contributed to a bulletin board project) and in some cases, I noticed that the project wasn't started because the contributors loved to code and wanted to make a genuinely good system. They simply wanted to use the project as a springboard into a job.  People join and leave and it seems there is a lot less accountability - if users find bugs, who cares, they're using free software - it goes with the territory!

Of course this is far from the case with all open source projects.  I'd just like to say that a project succeeds based on whether the participants are driven and enthusiastic, not whether or not it's open source.

I started writing Majestic because I didn't like any of the systems out there.  It started as a hobby in 2005 and turned into a business in 2007.  I use Majestic to run my own sites and while I probably use it in a very specific way because I know it so well, I do find things that need improving and just get on and make the changes.  Of course not everything is this quick and easy and I do have a change list that is pretty long.

In theory, an open source project with a number of volunteers can get things done quicker than a two person company (I run Injader with my wife).  But having worked for a large company I know that more people doesn't necessarily lead to better results - to be honest it always slowed things down for me.

In closing, I'd like to mention that we are very interested to know what people think of Majestic. If you have the time and inclination to give it a try, any feedback would be much appreciated. Things you like, things you don't like, suggestions, bugs, anything really. Just let me know.

[Cellobella]

Well Ben I like your work and would be interested in seeing Majestic but as far as WP2.5 goes...  I really don't have an issue with it.

I like the fact the stats are visible on the dashboard for example.

I think I'm getting less spam.

The media library function is great.

The upgrade plugin function is handy - although I hear what Snos and Andrew are saying about it being a potential hacker hole...

Overall - I don't see what the big deal is...

Shrug.

[Lee]

Well Ben I like your work and would be interested in seeing Majestic but as far as WP2.5 goes...  I really don't have an issue with it.

I like the fact the stats are visible on the dashboard for example.

I think I'm getting less spam.

The media library function is great.

The upgrade plugin function is handy - although I hear what Snos and Andrew are saying about it being a potential hacker hole...

Overall - I don't see what the big deal is...

Shrug.

 
I second that.

[Snoskred]

One rather large big deal is the fact that this was released with a lot of bugs and issues.  :rundecided:

You can see the issues they are working on for 2.5.1 which is not due out for about a month by checking the "trac roadmap" here -

http://trac.wordpress.org/roadmap

There's currently 17 fixed and 81 outstanding tickets.

[Gemisht]

In a perfect world, wouldn't this release have been extensively tested before public release, and shouldn't that testing cover lots of worse case scenarios, as opposed to ideal operating conditions???

Does this mean that Wordpress were in a big hurry to launch??? And why would they be in such a hurry?????

[Sephyroth]

I should have kept the link where I saw this, but apparently the trac thingy for the 2.5 release was at like 73% for the longest time with a release estimate of next year or something, with a whole bunch of unresolved tickets, and then suddenly by time it was set for release, it was up to 100%, with all the unresolved tickets solved, etc.

The response was that was apparently only a guide, and not to be taken as gospel...

[Lee]

All I can say is that it is working great for me, I haven't had any real huge problems - I did experience some drama with my Atom feed but that was thanks to podpress.

Again I like the changes aesthetically but that's a personal thing.

[Bettina]

yeah, I'm finding it ok too. It's set out a little different, but I think sometimes we have to not be afraid of change or to press buttons.

[Lee]

yeah, I'm finding it ok too. It's set out a little different, but I think sometimes we have to not be afraid of change or to press buttons.

I like pressing buttons 

[AndrewBoyd]

Hi folks,

for those who are fans or foes of WordPress 2.5 - please see the comment left on my blog this morning - it neatly quantifies some of the issues I have with the new version.

Cheers, Andrew

[ChristineParfitt]

I hadn't really taken that much interest in the debate (no offense to your good posts on it hehe).

I figured that if it was largely interface issues I'd just get used to it and I don't use that many plugins anyway.

However, I was setting up a new blog so I downloaded wordpress 2.5.

I make quite extensive use of custom page templates and I couldn't get it working in the theme I wanted to use (mimbo as it happens). I tried umpteen things, looked at some support threads, realised that other people have the same problem and finally out of frustration I started again with 2.3.3.

So yeah, I'm holding off for the time being.

I'm still a wordpress fan though

edit to give a bit more info

This thread outlines exactly the problems I had. I read through every comment and tried everything suggested - no luck with mimbo. It worked fine with the default theme
support thread

[AndrewBoyd]

I hadn't really taken that much interest in the debate (no offense to your good posts on it hehe).

I figured that if it was largely interface issues I'd just get used to it and I don't use that many plugins anyway.

However, I was setting up a new blog so I downloaded wordpress 2.5.

I make quite extensive use of custom page templates and I couldn't get it working in the theme I wanted to use (mimbo as it happens). I tried umpteen things, looked at some support threads, realised that other people have the same problem and finally out of frustration I started again with 2.3.3.

So yeah, I'm holding off for the time being.

I'm still a wordpress fan though

Hi Christine,

that is interesting - as you know, I am a big fan of Mimbo, and do need to look at implications for custom page templates prior to upgrading some of my other blogs. Can you put a post together on the issues as you see them?

Cheers, Andrew

[ChristineParfitt]

oops - I overlapped while I was editing my post.

There's a link above. Basically I couldn't see the drop down to include a custom page template in the mimbo theme. It just wasn't there!

[Sephyroth]

This was something mentioned in another thread which I wanted to bring up over here.

But the best thing that you can do is upgrade your site to at least wp 2.3.3 if you're not ready to make the switch to 2.5 yet.  Otherwise, just go straight to 2.5 as the 2.3 series is not been maintained for security fixes anymore.

Why exactly did the folks at WordPress decide to drop support of the 2.3 branch after releasing 2.5? It seems, as I think I'd seen somewhere else (possibly in the comment on your site Andrew?), that they're saying you must upgrade to 2.5 otherwise you open yourself up to compromising your blog. Most logical people would think that if you're changing the software that radically, you'd keep support for the most recent stable version for at least a few months, not just kill support off on day 1 of the new version...

It's kinda like Microsoft's plan where they phase out support after a certain amount of time. Of course, now XP users are asking that they keep XP support open indefinitely because of the issues that they're experiencing in Vista, thus having to go back to XP...

[Lani]

Yeah - I only found that out when I was checking for planningqueen.  It's pretty bad form, if you ask me.

[AndrewBoyd]

This was something mentioned in another thread which I wanted to bring up over here.

But the best thing that you can do is upgrade your site to at least wp 2.3.3 if you're not ready to make the switch to 2.5 yet.  Otherwise, just go straight to 2.5 as the 2.3 series is not been maintained for security fixes anymore.

Why exactly did the folks at WordPress decide to drop support of the 2.3 branch after releasing 2.5? It seems, as I think I'd seen somewhere else (possibly in the comment on your site Andrew?), that they're saying you must upgrade to 2.5 otherwise you open yourself up to compromising your blog. Most logical people would think that if you're changing the software that radically, you'd keep support for the most recent stable version for at least a few months, not just kill support off on day 1 of the new version...

It's kinda like Microsoft's plan where they phase out support after a certain amount of time. Of course, now XP users are asking that they keep XP support open indefinitely because of the issues that they're experiencing in Vista, thus having to go back to XP...

Hi Sephy,

it looks like there really will be no more 2.3.n releases - and it is good to see that opinions on the WP forums are not universally supportive.

At best, Automattic are disingenuous, at worst, dangerously arrogant.

Best regards, Andrew

[Snoskred]

I put a comment on the post that was linked to, as follows..

Matt - I do intend offense so I won’t lie and say no offense. Perhaps the only way you people are going to listen to the users at this point is for us to out and out insult you.

What you have done to Wordpress with the release of 2.5 is disgraceful.. You have taken something usable, something good, something decent and most of all something I was quite enthusiastic about, and turned it into a pile of turds.

People are TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING. They are saying it on their blogs. They are saying it in the .org support forums. They are saying it in the .com support forums. They are saying it in other places, too.

Why can’t you LISTEN? And then to come along here and insult the efforts of a user who has worked hard to turn 2.5 back into something usable by saying it is ugly?

You are ugly on the inside - I would call it arrogance. And apparently deaf as well, because users are crying out for you to fix this version as well as provide support for 2.3.x but you are refusing to hear.

This is precisely why people hate Microsoft - nobody was listening to the users. You want to do the same with Wordpress?

[AndrewBoyd]

I put a comment on the post that was linked to, as follows..

Matt - I do intend offense so I won’t lie and say no offense. Perhaps the only way you people are going to listen to the users at this point is for us to out and out insult you.

What you have done to Wordpress with the release of 2.5 is disgraceful.. You have taken something usable, something good, something decent and most of all something I was quite enthusiastic about, and turned it into a pile of turds.

People are TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING. They are saying it on their blogs. They are saying it in the .org support forums. They are saying it in the .com support forums. They are saying it in other places, too.

Why can’t you LISTEN? And then to come along here and insult the efforts of a user who has worked hard to turn 2.5 back into something usable by saying it is ugly?

You are ugly on the inside - I would call it arrogance. And apparently deaf as well, because users are crying out for you to fix this version as well as provide support for 2.3.x but you are refusing to hear.

This is precisely why people hate Microsoft - nobody was listening to the users. You want to do the same with Wordpress?

Go Snos

Cheers, Andrew

[Lightening]

So I notice that 2.5.1 has now been released and I've read it's an "Urgent security upgrade".  And that there are 70 bug fixes in it!!!!   

ETA link to announcement: http://wordpress.org/development/2008/04/wordpress-251/

[Gemisht]

And that there are 70 bug fixes in it!!!!   

That's unreal - can we safely assume then if there are that many bugs being fixed that the release really was rushed through without testing it as much as it needed to be ?????

[Anonymum]

And that there are 70 bug fixes in it!!!!   

That's unreal - can we safely assume then if there are that many bugs being fixed that the release really was rushed through without testing it as much as it needed to be ?????

There is NO way I'm going to 2.5 any time soon...i have it on my other blogs so i didn't have a choice, but on my self hosted it's not going to happen. I don't think anyone would be surprised at anything W/press do at this point.
I'm slowly getting used to it, but I want my drafts back at the top of the posting screen, and save and continue editing back below the posting box. Thus the move to Windows Live writer. It's simple, efficient and works for me as it does for many others. I'm going to install a couple of plugins today as well.
Perhaps this is the W/press way of saying they screwed it up so tell everyone it's security issues and they feel they HAVE to in order to upgrade...again.
I want to know how to get rid of the damned message in my dashboard advising me there is a newer version available. I hate that type of thing, it's like automatic upgrades that are automatically included in any Windows program. It's the first thing I change on it, immediately before downloadign Firefox.
I prefer to have the choice and resent being told they know what's best for me