WP Queen

WordPress 2.9 (beta) – A quick peek

posted in WordPress News

Well today I took the plunge and dived into WordPress 2.9 (beta).  I installed it on a test site and also installed the Beta Tester plugin.   The plugin allows me to update the beta version to new stable releases or choose the nightly build bleeding edge release.     I like to walk on the wild side so I chose the bleeding edge.

I have to say that I was disappointed.

WordPress 2.9 looks exactly like WP 2.8.   You be the judge – here’s a screenshot below.

BUT although it still looks the same lots of geeky stuff has gone on behind the scenes that will make a big difference to plugin developers and theme designers.   You can read more about the techie changes here

There are also some subtle changes which I love

The first change that I noticed was when I created a new post.    WordPress has decided to remind us of good seo techniques.

Instead of the old “edit” button for permalinks you now have a “Change Permalinks” button.  If  you click this it will take you to your permalinks settings so you can update or change your permalinks structure.

The next thing I noticed was that instead of the Delete link in the Publish box we now have a link to “Move to Trash”.   This is where it gets good!   Move to trash does not mean delete.    Previously in WordPress when you deleted a post (sadly as I know) you could not retrieve or restore it.   Now you can.   Move to trash works just like the trash bin at your home or on your computer desktop.   If you accidentally delete something you can retrieve/restore it.

You will find in Posts/Edit a new link to the trash container.  If you click the link you can restore the post.

Just open up the trash to restore the post.  This handy trash feature is also in the Comments section and Media Library meaning you can restore files and images as well that you may have accidentally deleted.

The next change is also quite cool and will make a difference to those using images in their posts.    Now, when you upload images in WP 2.9 you will have full editing options available to you.

There’s the “edit image” button – click that and you will get a world of editing tools in WordPress just for you.

You can crop, rotate, change sizes ……this is going to be a fun feature to use

There’s also some time saving features in WP 2.9.   For example, if say you are in Links/Edit you can now just click to Add A New Link that should save seconds off your day!

You can also use this feature in the Posts/Edit and Pages/Edit menus as well as Plugins/Installed and Appearance/Themes

From a user’s experience these are the main changes I noticed.  Admittedly, I didn’t have a play for too long so no doubt I’ve missed a few things!

The real changes in WP 2.9 appears to be changes that will happen behind the scenes including bug fixes, improved features for coders and theme designers.   From your point of view, it doesn’t look like you will need to learn any new terminology or find where things have moved to or been renamed.

I do not advise that you run off and install WP 2.9 (beta) …. wait until the actual release of WP 2.9 is out and try it on a test site first not your main money making blog!   I would advise you to wait a few days after the release and check out the WordPress forums to see if any users are experiencing difficulties with plugins, themes or any other problems.

Enjoy,

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1. WordPress 2.8 – Quick Peek
2. WordPress 3.0 – Shortlinks – Why You Should Use Them
3. How To Edit WordPress Posts In Bulk
4. Quick And Easy Blog Database Housekeeping
5. Quick SEO Tips For Your WordPress Blog