Wordpress

WordPress is an easy to customise web software system which can be used to create blogs and websites. It is an open source system which is free to use, and with plugins, themes and other WordPress functionalities, incredibly beautiful websites or blogs can be created. Presently, millions of people around the world use the WordPress platform for content management.

The origin and evolution of WordPress

In 2002, Matt Mullenweg, a college student, installed the cafelog blogging system for his private use. The following year, Matt created his own version of this blogging system with assistance from Mike Little, a software developer, and the name 'WordPress', suggested by Christine Tremoulet, a friend of Matt, stuck on. 

In January 2004, the 'Davis' version known as WordPress 1.0 was released. Although comment moderation, permalinks and upgrade capabilities were available then, the use of these features was restricted to experienced programmers. In October 2005, Matt Mullenweg added the Akismet, which still remains one of the most popular comment spam filters to the WordPress platform

In December 2005, a major overhaul of the WordPress dashboard was carried out and the Duke 2.0 update, which improved the speed and efficiency of uploading images and posts was introduced. Working with a handful of volunteer developers, Matt and Mike continued to improve on the software, and today about one third of websites are running on the WordPress platform.

Companies using WordPress

WordPress is an open source platform, which implies that it is free to use and free to modify. Therefore, several companies are active participants in the WordPress ecosystem. Companies such as WP Engine and Flywheel offer web hosting using WordPress managed solutions. Flywheel specialises in providing WordPress hosting for freelancers and web design agencies. A company like Envanto provides premium WordPress themes ranging from general to e-commerce ones.

Pros and cons of using WordPress

With increasing number of people becoming internet marketers, webmasters and bloggers, WordPress has transformed into a huge content management system or CMS. WordPress is a self-hosted platform, which means that site owners can access the code behind their site, including all the themes and plug-ins available to users. 
WordPress enables bloggers and webmasters change parts of their site on a regular basis without the use of the traditional editor software. 

WordPress is not without its own downsides. As an open source platform, security is an issue, and WordPress is often a prime target for hackers. Although some plugins and themes are free and WordPress itself is free, reliable and safe plugins and themes required for customisation still come at a price. 

Advantages of WordPress hosting

With the increasing demand for specialised hosting, WordPress introduced the managed hosting solution in 2006 and the response has been phenomenal. Apart from the WordPress focused support, the hosting control panels are WordPress friendly and managed backup solutions are available. Custom tailored caching systems are also provided.