Two thumbs up for Wordpress 2.0 beta

Wordpress.com has certainly stirred some buzz, but I'm still a fan of running my favorite blogging software on my own domains. Fortunately, it looks like the version of Wordpress driving Wordpress.com has made it into a public 2.0 beta. Before I say anything else though, I have to stress the obvious: this is beta software. If you're running a (dare I say it) 'mission-critical blog', I wouldn't recommend upgrading.

That said: the Wordpress 2.0 beta rocks. I haven't had the chance to use Wordpress.com, but from the screenshots I've seen, this beta looks like it has most or all of the same new features. There is much AJAX-ification, the ability to import from a couple other blog services and a more understandable system for designating user and author rights. These aren't the only changes, and their Codex has a more complete (though not concrete) list.