I generally save my critiques of software, albeit a webapp or an installable package, until I get a chance to use either a Release Candidate or the final product, but I really have nothing but (mostly) good things to say about the new version of Wordpress (2.7 beta 3) and in the spirit of being first on the job, let me tell you a little about why I like it.
Biggest Change: The Interface
People have been complaining about the Wordpress Admin Panel ever since version 2.0 came out. Some people have even gone to great lengths to theme it or otherwise enhance it. I personally have no problem with the pre-2.7 Wordpress Admin Panel. Each area is clear and easily clickable thanks to the large, clean typeface and the sub navigation for each section is logically placed and well arranged.
The new admin interface, which I’ve installed locally for theme testing, does away with the horizontal navigation for a persistent left nav with some neat animatons courtesy of jQuery. I suppose the reason they did away with the horizontal nav is to reduce top-to-bottom screen real estate. I found myself scrolling up and down a lot less on this release, with the dashboard screen being the primary offender. Speaking of the dashboard, here’s a look at the new one with key parts annotated.
I really appreciate that the dashboard can now be as robust or minimal as I want it to be with the newly added screen options as the top. QuickPress is also handy, although I doubt I’ll ever use it since installing post-related plugins doesn’t alter it’s appearance and you can’t categorize from the dashboard.
The Write Stuff
The Write Panel carries many of the same screen options for you to conveniently be able to see only what’s important to you. Don’t use the custom fields? You don’t have to see them at all. You also now have the ability to drap and drop elements into and out of the sidebar, changing their effective size and shape. Other additional niceties include a few additional visibility options, including being able to make a post sticky on the front page, thus making all subsequent posts appear below it until the option is unchecked. Other than that, the whole setup just seems much cleaner and overall a lot easier to work with. I can’t help but wonder, however, that with screen resolutions the way they are if these space saving techniques are really all they’re cracked up to be. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate simplicity as much as the next guy, but it just makes me wonder.
Plugins and Updates and Theming, Oh My
Installing plugins is a whiz from this release of Wordpress, with one click installs directly from the Admin panel. The same is true of updating your installed version. Under the Tools menu in the sidebar there’s an option labeled “Update”. This page tells you what version of Wordpress your currently running and let’s you know if there’s a newer version available. You can also choose to install a nightly build for everyone that needs to be on the bleeding edge of the curve. Theme switching is just as robust as it was in 2.5, but doesn’t support the one-click install of the plugins (as of this release).
My Only Quibble…
I really dislike the default look of the sidebar in this new version of Wordpress. The default font seems too small and the serifed titles just don’t sit well with me. It’s my understanding that there was recently a contest to design the icons and sidebar on the default install with several runners up trailing by a hundred or so votes, leading me to believe that the sidebar style may be user-selectable. If that’s the case, then I have no problem at all with the enormous amount of effort put into bettering an already excellent content management system.
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