14 DAY TRIAL // WordPress 3.3 Beta 3 is now available for testing. The latest release comes with plenty of bug fixes and improvements, but no new features at this stage.
Whatever has made it in will stick around, provided it doesn't prove too broken when it's time to make the final release, everything else will have to wait for the next train (WordPress version).
"Testers, Beta 3 is now available! You know the drill: use a test install, see what you can break, and report any bugs you find," WordPress announced.
"There have been 200 commits since Beta 2, but at this point, betas are not adding new features — it’s all about fixing bugs, making things a little prettier, and editing text strings," it said.
Just like WordPress is insisting, there are no new features, so if you've used WordPress 3.3 before, you'll know what you're in for with WordPress 3.3 Beta 3, apart from some of the bugs that have been patched, of course.
One big new feature in WordPress 3.3 is the new HTML5 media uploader. The interesting thing about the new media uploader is how versatile it is, it can use several technologies to manage the files, depending on the conditions.
The new uploader can use standard HTML5 web technologies, which is the best option if you can get it working, but also Flash, Gears, Silverlight, BrowserPlus and even standard HTML4 as a fallback.
Another new thing in WordPress 3.3 is the auto-adjusting Admin dashboard, which fits itself to whatever size window or screen you're using. It's a design idea shared by many these days, as people start using all sorts of devices to browse the web.
Other changes include a new Admin bar, modeled after the one now used by WordPress.com, and the new info balloons which show up in the dashboard to highlight and explain new features and changes.
Back to the WordPress 3.3 Beta 3 release, it now uses jQuery 1.7 so any plugin or theme maker has to make sure that their creations still work with the new WordPress. WordPress 3.3 Beta 3 is as good a time as any to test your work.
WordPress 3.3 Beta 3 is available for download here.