WordPress 3.8 Merge Window Closed: New Features Now Locked In

Today was an important day for moving forward on the WordPress 3.8 project schedule. The merge window is now closed for new features, which means that all the main features included in this release are set.

There were no surprises during the regularly scheduled WordPress development chat. All of the expected plugin candidates made it in on time, including the new dashboard design, MP6, and the THX (Theme Experience) project. Twenty Fourteen was also merged into the trunk, so the theme will officially be making its debut in WordPress 3.8 before the end of the year.

All of these features-as-plugins candidates will soon be shedding their quirky names and assimilated into core. The plugins will no longer be needed but will always have a special place in WordPress history as the features formerly known as MP6, THX and DASH.

photo credit – Matt Thomas

Beta 1 is just around the corner and is scheduled to be out November 20th. At that point in time, no more commits for any new enhancements or feature requests will be included in 3.8. Contributors will focus on bug fixes and inline documentation.

Getting Ready for WordPress 3.9

Matt closed the development meeting by encouraging everyone to start getting fired up about new features for the 3.9 release.

One final thing, everyone should start thinking about plugin projects, and renewed energy on ones that didn’t make 3.8, starting after beta 1. For 3.9 to go smoothly we need the head start, just like we had for 3.8.

He suggested that developers start periodic chats to talk about new plugin projects outside of the timeline of releases. During next week’s development meeting there will be time carved out for folks to mention the projects and invite others to join for longer scheduled chats. “The obvious first ones on deck are ones that missed 3.8,” Matt said. “But we can kick off entirely new things as well, just needs folks who want to work on it.”

Now is a great time to get involved in WordPress core development. If you have feature that you’d like to work on as a plugin, you’re invited to throw your hat into the ring next Wednesday.