FTI: WordPress.com interface update
Screenshot of different WordPress Versions
Since there was an announcement 2 days ago regarding upgrade of WordPress.com blogs, there was a feeling of anticipation when I logged in to try a live roll-out of the new interface.
As with the previous major 2.5 release of WordPress, WordPress.com has rolled out the new interface before the WordPress.org release after the software. Prior to this, developers were able to run the beta release from WordPress.org.
The new layout is definitely cleaner and more pleasing to the eye. Color contrast between the background and the navigation text, something which I didn’t like in the previous layout, has thankfully been improved.
The dashboard is now customizable, with the ability to re-arrange the dashboard modules as well as hide them. The navigation is also collapsible, allowing the blogger to increase screen space when blogging.
What struck me at the dashboard was the QuickPress feature and the Recent Drafts module. Probably due to the manner which I blog, just this 2 features have already saved me quite a few clicks. That’s a god-send especially when I on most days, I am in a location (I can’t say where!) which has mutiple proxies and slower internet connections.
Another long-awaited addition worth mentioning is a file-uploader which can now be found under the “media” section. Previously, I had to go to “create a new post” in order to upload files to places like the sidebar. Having the uploader in the “media” section would save the hassle.
Its also worth mentioning that in this current iteration of wordpress, the development team has added quite a few “quick editing” features. Besides the aforementioned QuickPress feature on the dashboard, the post pages also inherited the ability to quickly edit post tags, time-stamp etc. Quite a nifty feature especially if you want to add a new tag and don’t want to load the full editor just to do it…
Other than the interface, the speed at which the admin interface loads caught my attention. The time taken for the dashboard to load definitely feels alot faster. Although I can’t back it up with real statistics here, I am quite certain on that.
Anyway, I am sure there are still many under-the-hood improvements which I haven’t seen, but I can safely say that the day-to-day blogging experience has been improved in my personal opinion. However, the changes may not have gone down well with everyone. Looking through the announcement thread, you can see a couple of people voicing their displeasure. I can only echo Matt in saying that we should give the new interface a few days and see how it goes.
As for me, I am satisfied with the improvements with the current WordPress. Thanks to the WordPress Team and Matt!
Now its just a wait for the WordPress.org version to be released so that I can continue with my web developments.
FTI: WordPress and Google Reader updates their interface
In a blink of an eye on Thursday Night, two major services which I used, underwent interface changes. The two services are: WordPress.com and Google Reader.
I took about a day (Friday) to re-orientate (for wordpress) and try out the newly designed services.
In the following 2 posts on this blog, I will be giving my personal opinion on the two updates.
