WordPress just released major upgrade 2.5 not too long ago, followed closely by a bug fix and security update under WordPress 2.5.1. The popular blog platform is already moving right along to the next version, however. Should you upgrade when the next version drops in a week or so? How do you decide?

Not every WordPress upgrade is a necessity for non-developers, and the whole number upgrades are usually reserved for massive overhauls. WordPress 2.5, for example, offered an entirely different UI (User Interface) than its predecessor, with improved image handling, Gravatar/comment avatar integration and more. It was what I would consider an essential upgrade.

This new version, WordPress 2.6, does have some nice features, but many of the upgrades and changes seem like they would have fit under the guise of a minor release (WordPress 2.5.2 perhaps). My guess is that the new Google Gears integration, XML-RPC fix and a unique new feature that lets you see previous versions of a post are what bumped it into the major release category.

I think my two favorite features of the upgrade are the Google Gears integration and the previous version view for posts. As a writer and editor for many blogs, there are many times I’ve wanted to see what changes have been made to a post to settle disputes in comments or behind the scenes on a blog network. With WordPress 2.6 that is now possible, which will be a huge help.

XML-RPC working may not make sense to many WordPress users, but if you use a client like Ecto, LiveWriter or MarsEdit for your posting to a WordPress blog, the disabling of the XML-RPC function in the WordPress 2.5 and 2.5.1 releases has mare than likely been causing you problems behind the scenes. With WordPress 2.6 those issues should resolve.

There are other features that don’t excite me as much, like a theme preview ability and bookmarklet integration for example. Several standard WordPress features like Category Management and Plugin Management are getting some added features. The avatar compatibility has been expanded to accept more than just Gravatars. It now includes Monster IDs, Wavatars and more. The scariest new feature, however is a new ability to edit themes remotely through the XML-RPC interface. That leaves your blog vulnerable to outside meddling, and you may want to turn off XML-RPC is you don’t need it on for your writers to post through.

Should you upgrade? If you aren’t a developer or in need of these advanced developer oriented tools, I’d recommend you wait a bit. You just upgraded to WordPress 2.5.1, after all (or you should have, that 2.5.1 was a security fix you need). Why rush things. Let someone else find the inevitable bugs in a first release.

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Entry was posted on Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 at 5:26 pm under Software.

Read more entries by Leslie Poston.
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