phpWordPress released version 2.52 in December 2004, 3.0 in October 2005, 3.2 in May 2006 and a 3.25 patch in June 2006, before becoming Vivvo. Releases added templates, authors, AJAX headlines, SEO fields, membership access and a plug-in manager, with dates drawn from the archived changelog and forum.
phpWordPress was a commercial PHP article manager made by Spoonlabs. It was unrelated to the open-source WordPress project, and in 2006 it was renamed Vivvo. This page lists its releases in order, using the archived changelog, the “What’s New” pages and staff announcements on the support forum. The history hub has the background, and the news timeline covers press releases and notices.
What were the phpWordPress releases?
Dates below are the ones the archive gives. The forum often announced a feature before or after the version that shipped it, so rows without a version number say so.
| Version | Date | Notable changes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.52 | 1 Dec 2004 | New template system | forum thread 1 |
| 2.5.2 | 20 Jan 2005 | Fix for a magic_quotes_gpc “Bad insert query” error | forum thread 5 |
| 2.6.0 | 26 Jan 2005 | Richer meta description and keywords; syntax-highlighted template editor; PDF export | forum thread 7 |
| Not stated | 17 Mar 2005 | Search sorted by relevancy, fuller result pages | forum thread 20 |
| Not stated | 30 Mar 2005 | Author landing pages with personal details and article lists | forum thread 25 |
| Not stated | 27 Apr 2005 | Dynamic sitemap, multilanguage support, RSS filter | forum thread 30 |
| Not stated | 2 Aug 2005 | Poll control (Enterprise and Developer licences) | forum thread 44 |
| 3.0 | 19 Oct 2005 | Major release after almost a year in development | forum thread 58 |
| 3.0 patch | 1 Dec 2005 | Fix for an SQL injection vulnerability | forum thread 72 |
| 3.0.1 | 8 Dec 2005 | AJAX headline rotation; auto-complete search | forum thread 74 |
| 3.11 | 6 Feb 2006 | SEO fields per article; category name in meta title; comment CAPTCHA; friendly URLs for feeds and PDFs | changelog |
| 3.2 | 8 May 2006 | Tabbed article editing; membership access; advanced search; plug-in manager; ContactBuilder; Google XML sitemap; new template manager | What’s New, changelog |
| 3.25 | 7 Jun 2006 (patch) | AJAX calendar; collapsible categories; newsletter address import | changelog, forum thread 233 |
The changelog’s 3.25 entries run from 17 May to 4 June 2006, and the patch was posted on 7 June. In July 2006 the product became Vivvo, which inherited 3.25.
What changed between 2.x and 3.0?
Version 2.6.0 was an incremental step. In December 2005 staff told 2.6 users to migrate to 3.0, because all 2.6.0 updates were already in the 3.0 package and, they said, the move was recommended mainly for security reasons. There was no separate 2.6 patch.
Version 3.0 itself arrived in October 2005. The December 2005 security patch covered an SQL injection flaw in three parameters of the main index script.
What did version 3.2 add?
The archived “What’s New” page names six headline features, each with its own page:
- Tabbed article management. Article text, search engine options and display options such as comments and ratings, edited on tabs.
- Membership-based access. Whole sections limited to registered members, others left public.
- In-place editing for preferences. Settings applied immediately, with no submit and reload.
- Improved search. More control over search parameters.
- New plug-in manager. A rebuilt manager for third-party scripts, plus a central log for notices, warnings and errors.
- ContactBuilder. A wizard for building a custom contact page.
The changelog adds smaller items: a Google XML sitemap, W3C validation on the template and a new template manager. The upgrade pack covered only 3.1 to 3.2, which caused upgrade questions on the forum.
Which 2006 ideas became standard in modern CMSs?
Five features from the release history are now ordinary expectations. We keep this section general; it is not a claim about any one product.
- Search-friendly URLs. Readable article and category addresses, and per-article meta fields, were a paid selling point. Most current CMSs generate clean URLs by default.
- Browser-based admin without full reloads. AJAX headline rotation and live preference changes were novelties. Dynamic admin screens are now the norm.
- Templates and skins. Switching a site’s layout without touching content was explained to customers in 2006 as a feature. Theme systems are now a basic part of choosing a CMS.
- Author pages. Each author having a public page listing their work is routine in publishing tools today.
- Multilingual support. Language packs were distributed one by one, with community members thanked for each. Multilingual publishing is now widely supported, through core features or extensions.
What has not changed is the trade-off: every one of these features needs configuring and maintaining. The about page explains how this site handles evidence, and the history hub lists related pages.
Questions people ask
What was the last version of phpWordPress?
Version 3.25. The archived news page says Vivvo inherited the v3.25 release when the product was renamed on 12 July 2006. A 3.25 upgrade patch had been released on 7 June 2006.
When was phpWordPress 3.0 released?
The forum announced version 3.0 on 19 October 2005, after almost a year in development. A security patch for 3.0 followed on 1 December 2005, and 3.0.1 added AJAX features in December.
What did version 3.2 add?
The archived What's New page lists tabbed article management, membership-based access, in-place editing for preferences, improved search, a revamped plug-in manager and a ContactBuilder plug-in. It was released on 8 May 2006.
Did phpWordPress support multiple languages?
Yes. Multilanguage support appeared in 2005, and by the 3.2 press release Spoonlabs said it offered 11 language packs, including Arabic, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Portuguese and Swedish.
Sources
- Version 2.52 was announced on 1 December 2004, featuring a new template system. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- On 20 January 2005 the forum reported a magic_quotes_gpc bug that produced a 'Bad insert query' error when posting articles, fixed for version 2.5.2. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Version 2.6.0 (26 January 2005) added richer meta description and keywords, a syntax-highlighted template editor, and export of articles as PDF files. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- On 14 December 2005 staff said all 2.6.0 updates were contained in the 3.0 package and strongly recommended 2.6 users migrate to 3.0, mainly for security reasons. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- On 17 March 2005 the forum described a search update: more detailed result pages, results sorted by relevancy and better display of second-level subcategories. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- On 27 April 2005 new modules were listed: a dynamic sitemap linking to all categories and articles, multilanguage support for static elements, and an RSS filter for blocking certain IPs and domains. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- On 2 August 2005 a poll control was added, included in Enterprise and Developer licences. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Version 3.0 was announced on 19 October 2005, after almost a year in development. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- A security patch for 3.0 was announced on 1 December 2005 for an SQL injection vulnerability. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Version 3.0.1 (8 December 2005) added AJAX rotation of headlines on the home page and auto-complete search. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Between November and December 2005 front-end language packs were added for Spanish, French, Slovenian, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese (simplified and traditional) and German. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The changelog block ending 'version 3.11' on 6 February 2006 records SEO fields on articles (friendly name, meta keywords, description, robots), category name in the meta title, a CAPTCHA on comments, and friendly URLs for RSS feeds and PDFs. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- Version 3.2 was released on 8 May 2006, when customers were told the upgrade download was in their Administration Panels. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The What's New page for 3.2 lists tabbed article management, membership-based access, in-place editing for Preferences, improved search, a new plug-in manager and a ContactBuilder plug-in. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The 3.2 changelog (9 March to 3 May 2006) also records a Google XML Sitemap, a new template manager supporting global tags, W3C validation on the template, and Arabic and Swedish language files. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The 3.2 press release said Spoonlabs offered 11 language packs, including Arabic, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Portuguese and Swedish. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The 3.2 upgrade pack covered only upgrades from 3.1 to 3.2, according to the readme. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The 3.25 changelog (17 May to 4 June 2006) records an AJAX calendar replacing the standard one, collapsible categories, and an import filter for third-party email addresses in the newsletter plug-in. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- A 3.25 upgrade patch was released on 7 June 2006. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- On 17 May 2006 staff explained that a site could hold more than one skin (template) and switch between them, so different layouts could be served to different visitors. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- The features page listed 'Build Static SE Friendly Pages' and the pricing page listed 'SE Friendly URLs' among the product's features. — source, checked 10 October 2026.
- On 12 July 2006 the news page said Vivvo would inherit the v3.25 release of phpWordPress. — source, checked 10 October 2026.