Movable Type 4.0 Released, To Have Source Opened Q3 Of ‘07

Movable Type, a “publishing platform” created by the folks at SixApart, has been released in 4.0 form – and it’s going to have its source code open for all to see in a few months.

It's about time.

SixApart will be throwing Movable Type into the OSS (open source software) ring around the end of Q3 ‘07, and with version four packed with “more than 50 new features, including a new installation and upgrade wizard, easier and more powerful template management tools that speed site development, all new default templates and themes, and a completely redesigned user interface focused on streamlining common tasks,” the decision by SixApart to lay bare their code is already being met with considerable applause. Hopefully, it’ll be worth the wait, ‘cause the new release already sounds downright lovely.

You might ask why Movable Type wasn’t introduced as an open source platform from the start. After all, WordPress, its largest competitor, was delivered from conception in exactly such a form and it has done well all along. Very well, actually. The reason for the close-off, according to Anil Dash, currently SixApart’s VP, is that for years the company “had no choice other than to enforce licensing at the time.” Hmm. Alright.

Anywho, now, however, Mr Dash says SixApart is “thriving…with a broad suite of popular products, including TypePad, Vox, and LiveJournal, and today can afford to give back to the blogging community.” Good to hear. Loosing the strings will only attract more folks to the platform. We’re happy with anything resulting in more attention given to blogging and the stuff that helps keep the publication of posts going.

So, there it is. No need for OSS fans to hold a grudge against SixApart for keeping Movable Type under wraps for so long. Soon anyone will be able to parse through the code and do as they wish. It’ll be interesting to see what comes of experiments with the platform, considering how far along blogging software in general has come thus far.

If anything of important note makes itself known to us, we’ll be sure to let you in on the deets as they flow through our CPUs.