WordPress 2.7

Though it’s still in a very early Beta stage, WordPress 2.7 is set to impress many of the WordPress community who’ve been less than impressed by recent editions of the software.

A bit of background…

Earlier this year, Automattic released version 2.5 which provided a substantial redesign to the administrative back-end of WordPress.  For the most part 2.5 looked really nice, but when people started to use it, that’s when the griping really began.

Version 2.6 was already being roadmapped at the time, so there weren’t many major changes to the admin interface when 2.6.x versions were released.  Other features were included, but the admin interface remained pretty much unchanged.

Enter WP 2.7…

WordPress 2.7 Beta 1 remakes the entire admin section, and in rather dramatic fashion.  The dashboard has for the most part been completely rethought.  The movable sections which disappeared in the 2.5.x release have made a triumphant comeback, and for the most part this release of WordPress is the most customizable version that has ever been released.

Gone are the “Web 1.5″ style menus along the top.  They’ve been replaced by a really slick set of cascading menus along the left-side panel.  Now this may seem like a drastic change in UI design.  Well you’re right, it is.

Here’s a quick screenshot of WP 2.7’s new admin panel.  If you want to try out the beta, you can grab it from the WordPress.org website.

Keep your eyes posted here for a more detailed review of WordPress 2.7 once the final release is made public.