WordPress 3.0 nears completion

During the final days of May, the first release candidate for WordPress 3.0 was released to the public. In the world of WordPress, when a version of the popular blogging application becomes a release candidates it means that the official version of WordPress isn't too far behind.

What’s an RC? An RC comes after beta and before the final launch. It means we think we’ve got everything done: all features finished, all bugs squashed, and all potential issues addressed. But, then, with over 20 million people using WordPress with a wide variety of configurations and hosting setups, it’s entirely possible that we’ve missed something.

WordPress logo So what are the new features that will be included in WordPress 3.0. Personally, I'm excited about improvements in custom taxonomy and the merging of standalone WordPress with WordPress Multi-User code which WordPress is calling Multisite. Some of the highlights of WordPress 3.0 include:

New menu management feature
New theme "Twenty Ten" is the only theme in the WordPress distribution.
Improved child theme support; child theme use is highly encouraged and as described in the Child Themes article, very simple to accomplish
New comment_form() that outputs a complete commenting form for use within a theme template
Expanded contextual help
All importers moved to the plugin repository (e.g. WordPress Importer)
Custom backgrounds for themes
The Default (Kubrick), and Classic themes, are no longer included in the WordPress distribution, but are available in the Theme repository
Bulk theme update ability
Improved custom post types (try the Custom Post Type UI or GD Custom Posts And Taxonomies Tools plugins to see the possibilities)
Improved custom taxonomies including hierarchical (category-style) support (again, try the Custom Post Type UI or GD Custom Posts And Taxonomies Tools plugins)
Standalone WordPress and WPMU code merged and is called Multisite (Note: extra domain stuff remains plugin territory for this version)
Multisite requires wp-config.php file changes to institute

Below the fold I've also included a video from WordPress.TV on WordPress 3.0 multisite.

A WordPress MU video

Andrea Rennick gives a brief 5-minute overview of the capabilities and extensibility of WordPress MU.

WordPress MU and Ecommerce video

WordPress.TV: Shayne Sanderson of S-Tastic Designs talks about integrating WordPress MU [Multi-User] and the WP E-Commerce plugin from Instinct Entertainment. He covers the features and benefits of using WP E-Commerce with WPMU, gives a demo and overview of the process, and takes questions from the audience. [Source]

BuddyPress

BuddyPress 1.0.1 was released yesterday. This point release fixes a number of security issues in the 1.0 version so it is a critical upgrade for everyone currently running BuddyPress. There is also a number of other bug fixes so please review the release history for more information.

BuddyPress 1.0.1 is now available. The easiest way to upgrade is through the plugin browser on your WordPress MU installation, you should see a notification for the latest version. If you would like to upgrade manually you can download the latest then simply overwrite your existing files. Please make sure you backup first.

Embarrassingly, I missed the release of BuddyPress 1.0 which was released a few weeks ago. That's too bad because I've been watching the development of BuddyPress since it's infancy in the development cycle. I had hoped to give BuddyPress more attention when it when the 1.0 version had been released.

BuddyPress will transform an installation of WordPress MU into a social network platform. BuddyPress is actually a suite of WordPress plugins and themes, each adding a distinct new feature. BuddyPress contains all the features you’d expect from WordPress but aims to let members socially interact. I've always wanted to give WordPresss MU a try but I've never had a project that needed the software. Someday it will happen...

New versions of Wordpress and Wordpress MU

This past week saw updates for both Wordpress and Wordpress MU. While both open source packages are blogging applications they are not quite the same software. Wordpress MU is intended to run up to hundreds of thousands of blogs with a single install of WordPress. Hence the MU in Wordpress MU stands for Multi-User.

A security update is available in both branches of Wordpress as 2.1.3 and 2.0.10.

Donncha: Catch it if you can! WordPress MU 1.1.1 escaped!

I could not help but chuckle when I read this post. Donncha O Caoimh hinted that he may have released Wordpress MU 1.1.1 a day earlier then he intended. Sort of like sending that e-mail or blog post sooner then you had intended. Despite the release of Wordpress MU 1.1.1 a day early, it still sounds as if you can expect a good package out of this version.

Despite my best efforts to put off releasing WordPress mu 1.1.1 for another day it slipped through my fingers, tarred and zipped itself into neat bundles on the download page and screamed at all and sundry that it was free. Complete Story

The new version of Wordpress MU can be obtained though the official Wordpress MU download page. Those new to Wordpress will want to take note that "MU" stands for the multi-user version of Wordpress and should not be be confused with the normal versions of Wordpress. Wordpress MU allows you to host hundreds of blogs in much the same way of Wordpress.com does. In other words if you are currently not using Wordpress MU you likely don't need this upgrade.

Lorelle on WP: The Wonderful World of WordPress Products

"By now, most of you should know that there are three versions of WordPress available and one awesome forum software program, bbPress, which works seamlessly integrated with two versions of WordPress. Let’s look at your WordPress options and see which one is right for your blogging needs. Wordpress.com Wordpress.com is the free but limited version of WordPress..."

Complete Story

Dev Blog: Wordpress Multi User and bbPress Forum

"The WordPress family has been really starting to grow lately. I wanted to let you guys know about two big releases: WordPress Multi-user 1.0 and bbPress 0.72.

WordPress MU is an official branch of WordPress that is designed for managing and hosting thousands of blogs instead of just one. It’s the software that powers WordPress.com, for example...

Second I wanted to introduce an old friend you are all probably familiar with from our support forums, bbPress. bbPress is forum software with the WordPress touch, and developed by the same folks."

Complete Story

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