---
title: "Wordpress 2.1 Review"
date: 2007-01-25
description: "$( document ).ready(function() { // Handler for .ready() called. $("
canonical_url: https://idratherbewriting.com/2007/01/25/wordpress-21-review/
---
# Wordpress 2.1 Review
**Import/Export and the Zen of the Free**

In a podcast titled the [Zen of the Free](http://osc.gigavox.com/shows/detail1674.html), Simon Phipps — chief open source officer at Sun Microsystems — explains that open source content only has appeal if you can get your data in and get your data out. Users want to be like butterflys, trying out a service and then moving to another — they don't want their data locked into any one application.

For example, if you download a new calendar application, you want it to support ical or vcal format so you can import your data in, and export it when you're ready to move on.

WordPress allows that. First, their import function allows you to migrate your data from almost any blogging platform.

![wordpress import](https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/idbwmedia.com/images/wordpressimport.gif)

And just as important, when you're ready to move on to another blogging platform, you can export your content. (I'm actually not sure if the XML file is supported by other blogging platforms, but I'm assuming it is -- at least it should be.)

![wordpress export](https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/idbwmedia.com/images/wordpressexport.gif)

**Visual Editor**

WordPress 2.1's editor is by far superior to the previous version. You can flip back and forth between the WYSIWYG editor and the code editor in a flash. AJAX functionality drives this and many other interface changes. Things load instantly. The editor seems more functional and less prone to error.

Additionally, the editor is user-friendly to beginners. In an interview from [the WordPress podcast with Matt Mullenwig](http://wp-community.org/2006/12/06/episode-13-an-interview-with-matt-mullenweg-part-2/), the WordPress founder said that making the code view the default, as many experienced bloggers preferred, was an elitist decision that he wouldn't make. I agree with Matt and am glad he put effort into probably the most important feature of WordPress -- the feature used to write blog posts.