One of the many benefit business members of Locally get is their WordPress powered website gets updated in the background by us. Several times a year WordPress release a new version of software which includes security and functionality releases. We at Locally test each new version of WordPress and when we are happy that it performs correctly we role it out to our Locally business level members’ WordPress based websites.
On 1st of August, WordPress release 3.6. This was a release they called ‘Oscar’ in the honor of the jazz pianist Oscar Peterson. 3.6 is mainly a ‘features’ release which means that it contains mainly new functionality and easier to use features.
The main features of this release are:
- Revamped Revisions. When looking at page or post revisions it is now easier to compare side by side the versions, making it easier to select the right one if you need to step back to an earlier version. I would add that the revisions are still displayed in HTML, which while is technically a precise way of comparison, we look forward to the day that we also have the choice of visually rendering the revisions.
- Augmented Auto save and Post Locking. Not many of our members will see a benefit here, as this mainly applies to sites that have multiple people working on the same content, but it is nice to know that the risk of losing edits in this situation has been dramatically reduced.
- Built in HTML media player. This means that you can now upload and preview Audio and Video on the Media edit screens (normal upload file size limits apply) and easily add and Audio player or Video Player into your pages or posts. For videos, we still recommend you use YouTube, as there are definitely traffic advantages to that, but now you have the option to upload small Videos.
- The navigation menu editor has now been made easier to understand and use.
And over 700 technical improvements in the background.
WordPress 3.6 was rolled out to the appropriate Locally websites on 13th August 2013.