First Beta Released for WordPress 4.1
WordPress 4.1 is on the horizon. The first beta will give us a taste of the latest features soon to be added to the most popular CMS on earth (Yes, WordPress is a CMS).
The most recent major release, WordPress 4.0 Benny, introduced a number of handy features, including an improved media manager and an easier editing interface.
WordPress 4.1 looks to bring some equally exciting additions. For one, the brand new default theme called Twenty Fifteen actually looks pretty slick and usable, as opposed to previous WordPress default themes, which many (including myself) only ever saw as placeholders.
Sleek Theme & Distraction-free Content Creation
Version 4.1 is only in early Beta of course, but here's what we know it has on offer so far:
- A shiny new WordPress default theme, Twenty Fifteen that looks very clean. It's a mobile-first, blog-focused theme designed with simplicity in mind.
- A new distraction-free writing mode for the editor . It’s enabled by default for the beta, so you can go in and test it right off the bat.
- The ability to automatically install new language packs right from the General Settings screen (available as long as your site’s filesystem is writable).
- A new inline formatting toolbar for images embedded into posts.
Plus, the WordPress developers will have plenty to chew on once WordPress 4.1 drops:
- Improvements to meta, date, comment, and taxonomy queries , including complex queries; and querying comment types.
- A single term shared across multiple taxonomies is now split into two when updated.
- A new and better way for themes to handle title tags .
- Several improvements to the Customizer API , including contextual panels and sections, and JavaScript templates for controls.
If you want to get in on the Beta action, you can make use of the official WordPress Beta Plugin, or you can simply download the beta from here.
Naturally, the core aim of any beta is for the vendor to obtain feedback. So make sure you give WordPress a heads up on any bugs or issues you find.