Announcement of new numbering policy

Today I'd like to update you about Movable Type's next release as well as the changes to the release numbering policy.

Movable Type 5.2.2 (the new numbering) will be released in December and will be the newest version of Movable Type 5.2. We will start the new numbering policy with this new release.

**Please continue reading for more details on this update**

Details on the New MT Version Numbering Policy

Until now, major releases were written as such: 4.0, 5.0, etc., with minor releases for each version, including minor bug fixes and new functions, written as such: 4.x, 5.x, etc. Any further releases after the initial minor release would be written with the additional version number in the second decimal slot, such as MT5.12.

Starting with the release of Movable Type 5.2.2, instead of adding a second decimal slot for additional small scale releases, a new decimal point and a new number will be added. For example, MT5.22 under the old system would become MT5.2.2 under the new system.

Why did we feel this change was necessary?

Primarily because of our new upcoming cloud service, currently in development by the Movable Type development team.

In general, major releases and upgrades happen every two to three years. During that two to three year period between major releases, and excluding emergency security updates, minor upgrades to the most current version of MT are released every six months to a year.

The main problem with the old release system is that huge gaps between major releases translate to delays in releasing new innovative features, bug fixes and enhanced compatibility for preferred browsers.

When the new Movable Type cloud service is in place, we will be able to release patches and new innovative feature updates every 1 to 2 months, enhancing the value of your Movable Type installation.

These new bug fixes, patches and additional features will be reflected not only in the cloud version of MT, but also in all purchased self hosted releases and will become permanent additions to feature software versions of Movable Type.

Future MT Version Numbering Policy

In order to more easily organize future releases, we decided to make a minor change to the version numbering method. In short, from now on, instead of releases being numbered as such: 5.21, 5.22, etc., they will be numbered like this: 5.2.1, 5.2.2, etc.

Please note there is a possibility that future releases may not follow a strict chronological order, with some numbers being skipped over. An example release order might be as follows:

5.2 => 5.2.2 => 5.2.3 => 5.2.5

We hope this numbering change will make it easier for our users to keep track of the most recent versions of MT, and allow you to keep up to date on the latest features to improve your experience using our software. We are looking forward to the advantages the new cloud system will bring to the future of Movable Type and hope you will be excited when it is released!