ClassicPress 1.0.0 "Aurora" Release Notes

This is no longer the latest release of ClassicPress!
You can find the latest release at the top of the Release Notes subforum.

We’re excited to announce the first official, stable release of ClassicPress, version 1.0.0, codenamed Aurora!

Starting with Aurora , the ClassicPress v1 series is a long-term support (LTS) version for businesses who want the power and stability of WordPress 4.9.x and are seeking an equally stable alternative solution. Since all existing plugins and themes that are supported on WP 4.9.x are supported in ClassicPress 1.0.0 , Aurora is also ideal for those that find that WordPress 5.0+ is no longer a fit for them.

ClassicPress 1.0.0 is based on the codebase of the WordPress 4.9 branch (currently WordPress version 4.9.9) and contains all changes from this version of WordPress, including the latest security fixes.

Of course, we’ve also made the codebase our own. Read on for more details…

Major changes from WordPress

  • Versioning strategy. We use the industry standard semver specification for predictable, logical ClassicPress version numbers.
  • Development process. ClassicPress is developed on GitHub, which allows us to take full advantage of development tools such as Travis CI and Renovate.
  • GPG signed releases. We publish our releases using signed git tags and zip files served from GitHub, so that you know what you’re getting. Much more to come in future versions, including release verification during automatic and manual updates!
  • Updates. ClassicPress serves new version notifications from our own API servers, again with a well-tested and clearly-defined versioning policy.
  • Translations. ClassicPress serves core translations from our own API servers. ClassicPress core is currently translated into 10 languages, and more to come with help from our community.
  • Admin dashboard. WordPress-specific features like community events and featured plugins have been removed and/or replaced with ClassicPress equivalents. For example, we’ve added a “Featured Petitions” widget to encourage community participation in our development process.
  • Renaming. We’ve renamed all visual aspects and comments/docblocks from WordPress to ClassicPress. For compatibility, class/function and file names have been left alone.
  • PHP versions. ClassicPress requires PHP 5.6 or higher, as the first step in a strategy for encouraging ClassicPress users to keep their sites up to date. ClassicPress 1.0.0 also adds PHP 7.3 compatibility for all unit-tested code in the core software.
  • Installation. For new sites, ClassicPress has a re-branded installation process, with fewer steps. We also support installation using composer natively.
  • Simplifications. We’ve removed the Akismet and Hello Dolly plugins, but they can still be installed from the plugin directory. We’ll be making the core software even leaner in version 2.
  • Community. ClassicPress is what it is today due to input and support from our welcoming and thriving community. Thank you for helping us make ClassicPress a reality!

For a list of new or changed functions and filters in ClassicPress 1.0.0, see this post.

There are a lot of other places where we’ve been able to make small improvements to ClassicPress so far, such as better design and typography in parts of the admin dashboard, and other developer experience improvements. The related changes are too many to list here, but if you’d like to know more, see the links to GitHub changelogs at the bottom of this post.

Minor changes from 1.0.0-rc2

For people who are already using ClassicPress, there were just a few minor changes from our last release candidate version, 1.0.0-rc2:

  • Include an anonymous site identifier when communicating with the ClassicPress updates API (details). ClassicPress can use this to count active sites, but not to identify them individually.
  • Remove pre-release versions from @since and @deprecated tags (details)
  • Clean up the way data is sent to the ClassicPress updates API (details)

Download this release

New sites Download
ClassicPress-release-1.0.0.zip (9.9 MB)
and follow the installation instructions.
Existing WordPress sites Download the migration plugin and follow the migration instructions.
Existing ClassicPress sites Use the built-in update mechanism (more info).

Full changelog

Full changelogs are available on GitHub:

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As always, if you have any issues with this release, please look for existing threads with the same issue, and then start a new thread on our version 1.x support subforum.

The migration plugin is updated to support new releases of ClassicPress. Info about the latest version is always available here: Release Version 1.4.1 · ClassicPress/ClassicPress-Migration-Plugin · GitHub

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Congrats! Great job everyone.

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