It’s here! It’s now! It’s stunning!
I just updated all the site’s of my clients who are running WordPress, as well as this site.
(I’ll write a more comprehensive review once the adrenaline wears off.)
Alright, WordPress 3.1, not only is the software itself amazing to use, it’s built on firm foundations. WordPress as certainly grown from just blogging software to a fully-featured Content Management System (CMS). It’s open-source, which encourages the community to fix bugs, troubleshoot WP-powered sites, and expand the use of it. From themes to plugins web designers and users everywhere can make WordPress do almost anything. This site itself serves as a perfect example of what you can do with it.
The most notable feature of Version 3.1 would be the admin bar. It used to only be available on WordPress.com but is now offered freely to self-hosted sites as well. The bar simplifies the process of editing content and accessing common areas of the dashboard. In addition it should also be pointed out that the Post and Page editing screens have been simplified so it’s easier for beginners not to get lost in too many features. (The sections can be brought back using Screen Options at the top of the post/page editor.) With over 820 fixed issues, this is definitely a proud moment for WordPress and open-source in general. Along with all of that the theme management page in the admin panel has also received some updates; like a feature filter and links to quickly update widgets and menus..
The official WordPress download counter has declared over 400,000 downloads (and it’s only been ~24 hours since the release of 3.1)
http://wordpress.org/download/counter/
(If you are curious to see the admin bar in action, you can simply make an account on this site;
About > Login > Register and then login.)