Plod

Testing Begins & More Info about 3.0
03.16.2004 We're taking our first steps towards the release of Movable Type 3.0. The pre-beta version has just finished its initial two rounds of alpha testing and we're now opening the testing to a larger audience (we've picked 300 random addresses from those who applied and will be adding more as time progresses).

The testing that we're conducting will not only help ensure a stable final release but will also give us an opportunity to receive feedback on feature implementation from both users and developers.

Starting today, we'll be giving all of our users much more information on what to expect in Movable Type 3.0.

The official 3.0 release will contain a significant change to the existing interface that embraces web standards, usability and localization. This will also be reflected in a new set of default templates that will implement more of the best practices that both Movable Type and TypePad have become known for.

With a suite of comment management features and versatile comment registration--utilizing a centralized authentication service we're calling TypeKey--Movable Type 3.0 will give you more control than ever before over the public face of your website. We've spent a lot of time planning a comment registration system that will fit the needs of different types of webloggers, and we have focused our attention on a system that will encourage registration and open communication.

In addition to providing authentication for comment registration, TypeKey's open nature will enable developers to build applications upon the infrastructure, utilizing its authentication hooks. Since TypeKey and comment registration are such a significant addition to Movable Type 3.0, we'll be going into more detail about these features later this week.

In addition, our support for the Atom API and syndication feeds will allow Movable Type users to utilize the richer content model offered by the new format, including the use of clients that communicate through the API.

And for developers who like to get under the hood, we've added many new hooks into the application, allowing plugins more control over data, configuration, and user interface.

COMING UP:

If you haven't been added to the testing list yet, don't worry. We've got lots of you who we want to add to the list once the initial bugs have been worked out, so we can get your valuable feedback without being distracted by minor issues. If you submitted the contact form requesting to be on the beta, keep an eye on your mailbox over the next few weeks.

And stay tuned over the coming days, as we outline some of the other major new areas of improvement in Movable Type 3.0. With the help of our dedicated testers, we're hoping to make this our best version of Movable Type ever.