As you know, we are avid supporters of WordPress as a CMS; especially for small and mid-size businesses. And, the latest release, WordPress version 3.3, includes a host of major improvements. The following is a quick summary for you. For those interested, there is also an overview video and links for more info below.
Easier Uploading | File Type Detection
We’ve streamlined things! Instead of needing to click on a specific upload icon based on your file type, now there’s just one. Once your file is uploaded, the appropriate fields will be displayed for entering information based on the file type.
Drag-and-Drop Media Uploader
Adding photos or other files to posts and pages just got easier. Drag files from your desktop and drop them into the uploader. Add one file at a time, or many at once.
More File Formats
We’ve added the rar and 7z file formats to the list of allowed file types in the uploader.
Flyout Menus
Speed up navigating the dashboard and reduce repetitive clicking with our new flyout submenus. As you hover over each main menu item in your dashboard navigation, the submenus will magically appear, providing single-click access to any dashboard screen.
Header + Admin Bar = Toolbar
To save space and increase efficiency, we’ve combined the admin bar and the old Dashboard header into one persistent toolbar. Hovering over the toolbar items will reveal submenus when available for quick access.
Responsive Design
Certain dashboard screens have been updated to look better at various sizes, including improved iPad/tablet support.
Help Tabs
The Help tabs located in the upper corner of the dashboard screens below your name have gotten a facelift. Help content is broken into smaller sections for easier access, with links to relevant documentation and the support forums always visible.
New Feature Pointers
When we add new features, move navigation, or do anything else with the dashboard that might throw you for a loop when you update your WordPress site, we’ll let you know about it with new feature pointers explaining the change.
Post-update Changelog
This screen! From now on when you update WordPress, you’ll be brought to this screen — also accessible any time from the W logo in the corner of the toolbar — to get an overview of what’s changed.
Dashboard Welcome
The dashboard home screen will have a Welcome area that displays when a new WordPress installation is accessed for the first time, prompting the site owner to complete various setup tasks. Once dismissed, this welcome can be accessed via the dashboard home screen options tab.
Flexible Permalinks
You have more freedom when choosing a post permalink structure. Skip the date information or add a category slug without a performance penalty.
Post Slugs: Less Funky
Funky characters in post titles (e.g. curly quotes from a word processor) will no longer result in garbled post slugs.
jQuery and jQuery UI
WordPress now includes the entire jQuery UI stack and the latest version of jQuery: 1.7.1.
Additional resources can be found at the WordPress.org site here.
WordPress is a great software. I use it on several of my websites with its easy to use interface and flexibility with plugins and themes you can’t go wrong.
WordPress is very good. It is very simple, flexible, easy to configure.
I agree Dmitry – WordPress has really come a long way since we started using it and recommending it to our clients as a cost-effective CMS back in 2004 or so. Thanks for adding to the conversation.