WordPress 3.0 New Feature #1 – Custom Admin User and Password

I am excited about WordPress 3.0. The new features in WordPress 3.0 become evident right at the beginning, when you install a new blog / website using this version.

You can now pick the admin user’s password right during the installation itself. This is a significant improvement over the previous version wherein you were given an obscure system generated GUIDish looking password. You would have to copy-paste that and keep it somewhere safely, then login as admin and change it.

Not only can you set the admin password during setup, you can also pick your own admin username. For example, gagabooty in this case. Besides being fun and feeling powerful to be able to pick your own admin user name, this is also a subtle security upgrade. You can add one layer of protection from hackers who might be trying to infiltrate your blog, by having a unique username instead of the standard “admin” admin user name which everyone knows is the default admin user name for a wordpress blog / website.

Finally, in the 2nd step of the installation, the admin password is hidden and the screen simply tells you it is the password you picked. An even subtler security perk in that no one else can actually see the password in your physical vicinity.

Hope you are as excited as I am!