Released in late 2013, WordPress 3.8 was packed with new features including, a new theme browser experience, widgets area chooser, and a redesign of the backend. It’s also the first release to include a feature using a new formal development process called features-as-plugins first. The backend redesign started off as a plugin called MP6 with development…
WordPress 3.8 shipped with eight different color schemes. The Admin Color Schemes plugin provides an additional 8 color schemes to choose from. All of these choices in colors are a great thing for users but there is one problem. Plugins that use images for custom top-level menu icons disrupt the consistency of the WordPress backend.…
WordPress 3.8 “Parker” has been released, named for jazz artist Charlie Parker. Version 3.8 has been in the oven for 49 days. This marks the second release that contains features that started off as plugins first, a development practice we’ve covered on WPTavern at great length. It’s important to note that after upgrading to WordPress…
Browsing ManageWP.org, I came across a submission that piqued my interests. George Kordas, an interactive designer and front end developer based in Melbourne, Australia, submitted a project to the creative social network Behance.net. WordPress Admin Theme Redesign is the name of the project and it shows a fresh new perspective on what the WordPress backend…
Earlier today, I read an article that took all of the hard work volunteers completed for inclusion into WordPress 3.8 and flushed it down the toilet. The main reason for their criticism is that WordPress is boring. The software is not changing enough to keep pace with competitors such as SquareSpace, Ghost, or Medium. The…
Created by Tung Do of DevPress, DP Dashboard is a plugin that transforms the back-end of WordPress into something that is supposed to be simpler, modern, clutter-free, productive and an enjoyable experience. For me however, I preferred the experience of MP6. Instead of writing a lengthy review, I’m going to tell you what I liked…
Today was an important day for nailing down the features that will be moving forward in WordPress 3.8. In an epic three hour planning and decisions meeting, Matt Mullenweg opened up the discussion by asking plugin leaders to provide a status for their proposed features. I’ve summarized a few of the highlights.
WordPress versions 3.7 and 3.8 have been under simultaneous development. This is the first time the project has undergone a tandem release cycle and the results so far have been very positive. The project’s momentum is at an all time high with a successful 3.7 release and some exciting core updates right around the corner…
Your experience in the WordPress media library is about to get a whole lot better. Very soon you’ll have the option to display media items in a grid view. An exciting project to enhance the media library is well underway and will eventually be added to the WordPress core. The good news is that you…
If you’ve ever worked on a WordPress site with a long list of widget areas and dozens of widgets, then you know how crowded this page can become. In this scenario the drag-and-drop interface becomes virtually useless, as you struggle to drag the widget to the right area while trying to force your browser window…
Although MP6 may sound like the code name of a covert spy mission, it’s actually one of the most exciting WordPress plugins in the repository right now. MP6 is part of the “features as plugins” initiative and houses the intended design updates to the WordPress admin. The plan is to include the changes in the…
The following plugins have either been recently updated or have an update pending. I use all three and know a bunch of other people who use them as well. Jetpack 2.4 in combination with Photon is causing problems on certain websites where images are showing at their full size instead of their specified dimensions. Meanwhile,…