WordPress 3.0 Released, Download And Upgrade Now

The popular blogging platform WordPress has been updated to version 3.0. WordPress 3.0 contains more than 1200 bug fixes and enhancements including a new default theme and a redesigned admin area with lighter colors. One of the major changes in WordPress 3.0 is the merging with WordPress MU, the multi-user version, that was offered only separately before.

WordPress 3.0, the thirteenth major release of WordPress and the culmination of half a year of work by 218 contributors, is now available for download (or upgrade within your dashboard). Major new features in this release include a sexy new default theme called Twenty Ten. Theme developers have new APIs that allow them to easily implement custom backgrounds, headers, shortlinks, menus (no more file editing), post types, and taxonomies. (Twenty Ten theme shows all of that off.) Developers and network admins will appreciate the long-awaited merge of MU and WordPress, creating the new multi-site functionality which makes it possible to run one blog or ten million from the same installation. As a user, you will love the new lighter interface, the contextual help on every screen, the 1,217 bug fixes and feature enhancements, bulk updates so you can upgrade 15 plugins at once with a single click, and blah blah blah just watch the video. [via]

WordPress webmasters can now setup additional blogs easily from their admin interface. Multi-user blogs are disabled by default and need to be enabled by setting WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE to true in wp-config before the option becomes available under Tools > Network in the admin interface.

The following parameter needs to be added to wp-config:

define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);

Another helpful feature is the ability to update plugins and themes in bulk which was previously not possible. WordPress will automatically switch the blog to maintenance mode for the updating period.

The majority of changes have been made to the appearance and development backend of the blogging software.

Interested users can take a look at the WordPress Codex for an overview of the changes in the release. Updates are available directly from the admin interface of a WordPress installation or by downloading WordPress 3.0 from the official website and upgrading the blog manually.

The update should not cause troubles for the majority of WordPress sites out there. Only plugin incompatibilities could result in problems, it is recommended to backup the blog before installing and to verify that the installed plugins are compatible with the new WordPress 3.0.

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