WordPress 3.2 crosses the 9 million download mark

By 231 days agoOctober 4, 2011

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WordPress 3.2, or “Gershwin”, was released just 92 days ago on July 4, 2011. As of today the WordPress download counter shows that version 3.2 has seen over nine million downloads, which comes to approximately 97,800 downloads each day.

That’s a bunch.

After each new major WordPress release the download counter is reset to zero, in order to count the downloads of the next version. Of course you too can track the WordPress download count on WordPress.org anytime you want.

The last version, WordPress 3.1, was downloaded just over 15 million times during its four month release. Do you think WordPress 3.2 will see more downloads than 3.1 by the time 3.3 is released?

Partial downloads of 3.2.1 saved WordPress.org approximately one terabyte in bandwidth

By 301 days agoJuly 27, 2011

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WordPress 3.2 introduced an update to the automatic updates built into WordPress (you know, the functionality that lets you click one button and update your install) to allow for partial downloads. This meant that when automatically updating your WordPress site, after 3.2, only a partial download (of changes) would be necessary, and not a full copy.

According to Napkin MathTM by core developer and Audrey Capital Tech Ninja Andrew Nacin, shipping 3.2.1 (the update that came right after 3.2) as partial builds saved WordPress.org approximately one terabyte in bandwidth costs compared to the previous full download upgrades. Additional savings are expected in later versions as well, since a lot of people upgraded to 3.2.1 from 3.1 instead of 3.2.

This was one aspect of the move to partial downloads that I hadn’t really considered. Had you considered this benefit when you first found out about partial download upgrades?

Reminisce with the big WordPress 3.2 redesign gallery

By 321 days agoJuly 6, 2011

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While the design update in WordPress 3.2 is certainly not of the magnitude of the redesign that 2.7 saw, it represents a significant step forward for WordPress as a platform. Despite the many significant updates, it’s odd how quickly we adapt to the change and even forget what things used to look like. After using 3.2 for a few days it’s easy to forget what all the changes between 3.1 and 3.2 were. And that’s a good thing.

If you’re using 3.2 and aren’t quite sure of each of the subtle design changes it brought, skim through the gallery below and reminisce on how things used to be. And in the future, when you want to remember what the 3.1 to 3.2 visual shift was like, don’t forget about this post.

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WPCandy Podcast 23: Punched in the face by 3.2 edition

By 322 days agoJuly 6, 2011

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This week the show was dedicated to (big surprise here) the release of WordPress 3.2. We run down the list of features, pick out our favorites, and chat a bit about the reactions we noticed within the community. We didn’t stick to 3.2 only, though: DevPress was discussed, as well as Miniraffe, the upcoming project from Adii Pienaar.

Jump straight into the podcast audio here:

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Link-wise, this week we covered:

Brian’s pick this week was the custom taxonomy generator (driven by Gravity Forms) over at Themergency. My pick was a plugin called Search Meter, which will soon be featured on The Daily Plugin.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, or directly to the RSS feed. As always you can send any emails you would like to have included on the show to podcast@wpcandy.com. Download links are after the jump.

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The Sweet Plugin: Health Check

By 323 days agoJuly 4, 2011

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Today’s Sweet Plugin directly relates to the newly released WordPress 3.2. It’s called Health Check, and makes sure that your host is prepared for the new version, which requires PHP 5.2.4 and MySQL 5. If you aren’t sure that your host (or your friend’s) is ready for the change, this plugin will set your mind at ease.

The video is embedded at the top of this post’s page, with more about the plugin below.

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Poll: What’s your favorite new feature in WordPress 3.2?

By 323 days agoJuly 4, 2011

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Few things bring about the opinions and reflection in the WordPress community quite like a new version release does. We’ve already seen all sorts of opinions in our coverage of the 3.2 development process, but now that it’s out we really want to know is which features excite you the most?

We all know the only way to find out is by holding a poll. It’s just the way things work. The Internet Gods demand it.

So after you’ve had a look through WordPress 3.2′s new features and enhancements, click past the jump and have a say in our community poll.

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Everything we know about the newly released WordPress 3.2

By 323 days agoJuly 4, 2011

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WordPress 3.2, or “Gershwin”, is now available on WordPress.org. Odds are you’ve already run over to update your install or to download it fresh to check it out. If you haven’t done that yet, well, why not? Get to it.

Once you have 3.2 in hand you might be wondering just what the new version brings to the table. We’ve reviewed all of the new bits and bobs and have summarized them all below. If you aren’t sure of everything in WordPress 3.2, or aren’t completely up to date, this post is for you.

We’ll walk you through literally everything we know about WordPress 3.2. If you’re already using and enjoying 3.2, be sure to jump down to the comments and describe you experience so far.

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WordPress 3.2 “Gershwin” is ready for your loving embrace

By 324 days agoJuly 4, 2011

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After four months of development on WordPress 3.2, nicknamed Gershwin, it is now ready to be downloaded. Have at it!

We’ve been covering the development of WordPress 3.2 pretty closely, so it shouldn’t be much of a mystery to you by now. Just to recap, the mile-high features for 3.2 are:

  • Speed enhancements throughout: “faster and lighter”
  • User interface redesign
  • Distraction Free Writing
  • Twenty Eleven, the new default theme
  • End of support for Internet Explorer 6 and the launch of the Browse Happy initiative
  • New requirement for PHP 5.2.4 and MySQL 5

Be sure to check out the version release video just after the jump as well.

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