WordPress Is Turning 21!

On Monday, May 27th, 2024, WordPress is 21 years old. That’s right, the platform that allows millions to create all types of websites is celebrating a grown-up birthday! But this isn’t just about blowing out candles – it’s a chance to revisit the incredible evolution of WordPress. In honor, we are going to celebrate by looking at the story of WordPress, from its beginning as a blogging platform to becoming one of the biggest, most popular site management and creation systems on the planet, and even leading to the development of its own specialized web hosting.

In The Beginning: Let There Be Blogs

Development started in 2003 because an existing blogging software, b2/cafelog, was discontinued by their main developers. Two of its users, Matt Mullenweg, and Mike Little, decided to build a new platform. They forked the b2/cafelog codebase and continued its development which would go on to become WordPress as we know it.

Version 1 was released in 2004. In addition to the new admin interface and new templates, it introduced the plugin architecture that laid the foundation for the huge library and range we have available to us today.

Fun Fact: WordPress’s original developers share a love of jazz music. All major releases are named in honor of jazz musicians, starting with Version 1 being named after Miles Davis.

We’re Seeing A Theme Here

In 2005, a brand new theme system in Version 1.5 offered more flexibility to users to use WordPress themes with independent template files, making theme development and customization much easier.

It also introduced Pages, letting users create static content alongside blog posts, expanding the platform’s abilities to launch WordPress websites beyond just blogs. Version 1.5 also came with improved moderation tools, giving users more control over managing comments on their sites.

WordPress 2.0’s admin dashboard was redesigned giving a more streamlined and improved user experience.

This year also saw a major upgrade in the form of persistent caching, to improve speed and efficiency.  It greatly improved site performance by storing frequently accessed data, making it easier for WordPress hosting to handle more traffic.

In keeping with making things smoother and more versatile, 2006 saw the addition of rich editing and widgets. Rich editing allowed users to easily format their content, making it more visually appealing. Widgets provided an easy way to add functionality without editing code.

This was the start of WordPress being used by an audience beyond just bloggers to create their websites.

Trademarked, Locked and Loaded

We can’t talk about the history of WordPress without mentioning Automattic, the company co-founded by Matt Mullenweg. Automattic initially filed the trademark registration for WordPress and its logo. To ensure the free and open development of the software, the trademark was later transferred to the WordPress Foundation, a non-profit organization, in 2010.

This helped protect the brand and keep WordPress open-source and safe from potential misuse or conflicts of interest while preserving its independence and community-driven development.

Enter The CMS

In 2010, WordPress 3.0 named Thelonious Monk was released. This version introduced several features and took a huge step toward solidifying WordPress as a true Content Management System (CMS).  These were:

• Custom Post Types: This allowed users to create different content types, beyond just blog posts and pages, opening the floodgates for building different types of websites.
• Improved Taxonomies: This gave users more flexibility in categorizing and organizing content by allowing them to create custom categories and tags instead of just using the default ones.
• More Customization: These features gave users more control over the appearance of their websites by allowing them to customize backgrounds, headers, and navigation menus.
• Contextual Help on Admin Screens: This provided helpful information directly within the admin area, making it easier for users to navigate and learn the platform.
• WordPress MU Integration: The Multi User (MU) project, which previously allowed for managing multiple sites from a single installation, was merged into the WordPress core in this version. This created the WordPress Multisite feature, allowing users to manage a network of websites under one installation.

Setting The Bar

In 2011, the admin bar and post formats were introduced in Version 3.1. Post formats let users differentiate between content like blog posts, videos, quotes, etc. The admin bar (found at the top of the screen) gave quick access to functions even while viewing a site’s front end.

Around the same time, plugins like WooCommerce allowed users to transform their WordPress websites into functional online stores, significantly expanding the platform’s capabilities.

Customize and Preview

WordPress 3.5 (released in 2012) introduced the theme customizer and previewer. This allowed users to make live changes to their theme’s appearance directly and allow them to view it before going live.

3.5 also included a revamped media manager, making it easier for users to upload, organize, and manage media files on their websites. It included drag-and-drop functionality and improved image editing.

Version 3.5 also came with the Twenty Ten theme. This was the beginning of the tradition of a new default theme being released with each major WordPress version.

Getting Admin Mobile

WordPress 3.8 was released with a major update that made the WordPress admin area fully responsive and mobile-friendly. This meant that users could access and manage their WordPress sites from smartphones and tablets, providing a better user experience on smaller screens.

We’ll Edit In The Post

2014’s first release was all about editing and managing content. Users could now drag and drop images directly into the post editor. Along with being able to crop, rotate, and scale images directly and preview their galleries in real-time.

The ability to create and manage audio playlists within the editor was also added, making it easier to embed and organize audio content.

Speaking of previews, widgets could now be previewed to see how they would look before activating them on their website.

Not Stopping To Take A REST

The next major development came along in 2015, with the integration of the REST API (Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface). The short version is – it separates the front-end layer (what users see) from the back-end data (where the information is stored).

Meaning that WordPress content was no longer tied to just a website format. Developers could get more creative with how they use content, for example, by building a mobile app that displays posts and pages.

It didn’t stop there. The period between 2015 and 2016 was a pretty busy one with the releases of Versions 4.5, 4.6, and 4.7. Some of the highlights were:

• Streamlined Updates: These updates made the process of installing and managing plugin and theme updates more user-friendly.
• Content Recovery: WordPress improved recovering content in case of accidental edits or disruptions. Autosaving captures your work constantly, which can be a lifesaver.
• Custom CSS: This feature allows users to add custom CSS code directly in the theme customizer, giving even more control over a site’s appearance.

By the end of 2016, WordPress actively promoted and encouraged using HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) with SSL Certificate encryption for better site and user safety.

The Gutenberg Block

WordPress 5.0 in 2018 was a BIG milestone. The introduction of the Gutenberg Editor marked a huge shift in how users created content compared to the classic editor users had come to know and love.

Its block-based format revolutionized content creation by allowing users to easily rearrange, style, and customize individual, reusable blocks for paragraphs, images, galleries, videos, and more.

Project Site Health

WordPress started implementing the Site Health project into the core software in 2018. This aimed to improve WordPress sites’ overall health and security, by giving users a heads-up to prevent compatibility and performance issues.

The Language Of WordPress

With WordPress 5.1 and 5.2 users began receiving notifications prompting them to update their PHP version (the programming language that powers WordPress in the background) if they were running an outdated version.

This typically means using the latest stable version or the one preceding it. For example, at the time of writing, WordPress recommends using PHP version 8.0 or 8.1.

Full Site Editing

WordPress 5.7 and 5.8 marked another turning point with gearing up to Full Site Editing (FSE) capabilities. These versions introduced the concept of template editing and blocks designed for site-wide elements.

Fast forward to February 2023, which saw core FSE features graduate from beta testing, making them more stable and widely available in Version 6.2. 

Alongside these developments, WordPress has been constantly improving the template browsing experience within the site editor, allowing users to visually create custom layouts without needing to code.

The Gift of Present

This brings us to the present day. The current version of WordPress, 6.5 (named after jazz violinist Regina Carter) was released on April 2, 2024, continuing to innovate and improve.

A built-in Font Library lets users manage fonts directly, eliminating the need for external plugins or custom code, simplifying adding and controlling fonts used on your website.

The Site Editor also received an upgrade to include data views, in either a grid or table layout ,of pages, blocks, and templates, making it easier to manage and edit content structure.

As always, developers have more ways to create more engaging and interactive experiences for websites too. The update introduced new APIs and functions like Block Bindings and the Interactivity API.

Today, WordPress powers over 43% of all websites on the internet. Not only that, when you take websites that use a CMS, that number jumps to a staggering 64% share of the market. Not bad for starting out as a way to publishing blogs, right?

The heart of WordPress lies in its community with developers, designers, and users constantly fueling its growth. From creating new WordPress plugins, themes, and visuals, to users contributing to the ever-growing knowledgebase with a wealth of resources.

WordPress does it all from personal blogs to small online stores and corporate to e-commerce (WooCommerce) websites. If you need any more proof of just how versatile and powerful the platform is; there are globally renowned companies like Disney Books, Sony Music, Time Magazine, and Meta Newsroom that use WordPress.

What’s Next?

While WordPress has come a long way, its journey is far from over. With the upcoming release of version 6.6 scheduled for July 16, 2024, we can expect to see even more exciting upgrades, features, and functionalities on the horizon.

Hosting Your WordPress Site With Hosted.com

Like all websites, your WordPress site needs somewhere to live so users can view and access it on the Internet. WordPress Hosting from Hosted.com gives you everything you need to get your site created and live quickly and easily.

Our servers are fine-tuned to handle the resource demands of WordPress, ensuring fast load times and outstanding performance.

To keep your site safe from vulnerabilities and threats, you get access to a tailored suite of malware scanning and removal software, firewalls, a free SSL Certificate, and daily backups.

The Hosted.com Client Portal simplifies site management tasks like; updating plugins, database optimizations, and 1-Click installs of the WordPress software.

Finally, our Customer Support Team is on hand for specialized assistance and troubleshooting of any issues.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. WordPress originated in 2003 as a fork of b2/cafelog, with Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little as the founding developers, and Version 1 was released in 2004.
2. WordPress has had multiple milestones over the years, including the introduction of plugins (version 2.0), custom post types (version 3.0), the Gutenberg editor (version 5.0), and more, constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of users.
3. WordPress has experienced tremendous growth and adoption, becoming the most widely used CMS globally, with a vast ecosystem of themes and plugins, powering websites for individuals, small businesses, large corporations, and high-profile organizations.
4. The WordPress community, including contributors, developers, and users, has played a crucial role in the platform’s success, through collaboration and sharing knowledge.
5. WordPress continues to evolve with projects like Full Site Editing (FSE) in the current Version 6.5 and with Version 6.6 due for release in July 2024.

FAQs

Other Blogs of Interest:

– Five Best cPanel Alternatives for Managing Websites in 2024

– How Long Does It Take To Build A Website With WordPress

– How To Create a Website for Affiliate Marketing

– Web Hosting for WordPress Website – 6 Helpful Tips

– A Beginner’s Guide to WordPress Hosting – Part 1