Want to change your default WordPress category?

Say you have a bunch of categories, and you’d like the one that’s checked by default whenever you launch a new post to be something other than your catch-all category. (For example, if you’d like it to be somethat that doesn’t get swamped by posts from a deleted category.)

To find out how to do it in WordPress 1.5.x, read these simple yet utterly baffling instructions:

In your WordPress control panel, navigate to “Manage” and “Categories”. Read the ID number of the category that’s going to be your new checked-by-default category. Memorize it. (If you have a moment, write it down and place it in a secure place, like in a safety deposit box or on top of a shelf nobody cleans very often. Be sure to mention it in your will; years from now, you don’t want your kids fighting over who gets that ID number.)

Back up wp-admin/edit-form.php. Give the backup a new name like “edit-form.php.original.” (Don’t call it “edit-form.php.old,” because computer files tend to be very insecure about their age. If it seems a little down, call it “edit-form.php.supercoolfile”. A little kindness goes a long way in this business.)
Open your newly-duplicated edit-form.php in your favourite text editor. (Just in case you thought, “Hmm, since he didn’t actually specify a particular text editor, he must want me to use one I really hate.“)
Scroll down to Line 30, which reads
⟨? php dropdown_categories($default_post_cat);?⟩
If someone is watching over your shoulder, nod sagely and pretend to know what Line 30 means.
Insert a new line before Line 30, reading ⟨? php $default_post_cat =(that post category ID number you memorized)?⟩ For instance, if your category’s ID number is 5, that line would read ⟨? php $default_post_cat=5; ?⟩ Or, if your category’s ID number is 867-5309, then Jenny, I got your number.
Don’t cut and paste the new line from this page, by the way. WordPress has managed to thwart my every effort to insert proper angle brackets in this post; you’ll only get something weird.
Save and upload your file. No! Not to that directory! To wp-admin! Too late — it’s ruined!
Test your newly hacked installation of WordPress by creating a new post and seeing if your new default category is automatically checked for you. Or, alternately, whether this hack has turned WordPress into a monstrous killing machine. If so, my bad.
Spend the next three days Googling for a plug-in that does this quickly and easily. When you find one, and I know you will, come back here and post a sneering, condescending comment.