WordPress 2.7 is a very different beast from it’s predecessors.
Well there are changes to the front end, like a more advanced comments system and I’m sure a countless number of little enhancements, but front ends are the domain of the visitor and theme developers. Let’s look at WordPress from the perspective of a user. After all, us bloggers are the ones who will end up most affected by these updates.
Comparing the old and new interfaces, one gets a sense that WP has really come of age. Moving with the times, the interface looks much better resolved, adopting an almost Apple glossy type finish. Whereas the old interface looked like it was hacked together almost as an afterthought, it certainly looks like a lot more consideration was put into the overall feel of the interface, with a full set of icons the result of a worldwide search.
The new layout is certainly a lot more user centered. Gone are the variety of navigation bars that used to take up the top of the screen. Now all the various bits and sections of the site are pretty much available within two clicks from the collapsible accordion. Very clever way to compress all that information into a small space. The WP team have really put a focus on publishing. After all, what else is a blog for?
There is the new Quickpress tool that lets you write a post directly from the dashboard, but who really needs that when it’s so easy to reach the Post page. There is a drop down from the top bar and a link from the accordion! It’s all over the place!
Another great feature is the Screen options menu. It lets me reduce clutter by hiding stuff that I don’t need.
Plugin installation is also made incredibly simple. The new plugins interface lets you find and install new plugins right in the admin interface. This is a great next step from on step updates, because sometimes the whole process of having to download, unpack and upload was a bit of a hassle.
It took me awhile to get my bearings back, but the result of this redesign is that it makes me feel much more in control. It feels like in the aftermath of events in which blogs and social media have overtaken traditional platforms, WordPress has really come of age.
