ShuttleX

When I read that Gnome 2.24 had been released, I just had to test it. The fastest way to do that was to install Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Alpha6) on my MacBook Pro. So I headed over and downloaded the AMD64 ISO, deleted that and downloaded the Intel version instead - since I thought that would play more nicely with an Intel based Mac… Note to self: read before clicking…

And since I just installed Thunderbird 3.0b1Pre on OS X, I did the same on the Ubuntu Install - and what the heck I installed the latest Opera 9.6 beta as well. You may wonder why I don’t use Apple’s Mail.app? Well, it just starts quitting on me, and since I like reading my mail, I thought that was an excellent idea. I do have to say that for a (pre)Beta release Thunderbird (aka Shredder) works quite well.

I feel I’m on a roll here - so I’m writing this post on WordPress 2.7 and that’s working out just fine to. I had no problem upgrading from 2.6.2 to 2.7, and the admin interface looks nice. Unfamiliar but nice.  The database upgrade process went well, and the blog is still showing - I hope… It does for me at least :-)

This must be one of the first time I’ve been able to install that much pre release software - and it’s all working!

Ubuntu 8.10 was the best surprise. I’ve done some testing of Ubuntu on my Mac before, not always with the best results. This time however everything was up and running with the first attempt. The sound part is still somewhat buggy, but that is the case on Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy) as well. I’m also not happy with the way the trackpad works, no easy way to get right/secondary mouse button functionality, also the same as on Hardy.

On the upside with Intrepid - it’s fast and stable. At least it’s fast an stable for me. I’m not trying to get everyone jumping on the alpha/beta/pre release wagon here, I just felt the need to express my (pleasant) surprise of the stability and quality of all of these pre release applications.

So here I am - living my (software)life on the edge!

Technology, WordPress Alpha, Beta, Pre release, Thunderbird, Ubuntu, WordPress

I’m using WordPress 2.7 (hemorrhage) on my local test server, and it’s looking GOOD! I really like the new back-end interface, although it’s quite a change from 2.6.x. It somehow reminds me of Fluency Admin from Dean, but I can’t say which of them I like the best :-)

The new back-end seems more natural with WordPress than Fluency Admin does, but there are some bugs in this new interface. When I’m using Safari on my Mac, you can’t get to the bottom of pages, so there is no “Save” button when you change or update your settings. This works fine when I’m using FireFox 3.0.1, so it’s most likely a Safari’ish bug - although I hope this issue will be fixed before it hits beta/release.

What I do like is the default image options you can set. You get the option to set the default size for thumbnails, medium and large pictures. There is also options for default size, default alignment and default linking.

There is also a lot of changes in the write area, and many of the options previously found below the write area, are now moved to the right hand side of the screen. Thus making it easier to insert your tags and categories. There is also a new “Media added to this post” and this just have to be a good thing!

All in all it looks like a good step forward in the evolution of WordPress. I’m sure there’ll be some users or developers that don’t like the direction WordPress are moving with the design. I’ll agree that two major design changes in a short period of time can be frustrating, but as far as I’m concerned this is all for the best.

I would not recommend anyone to use this on a “live” blog, but to have it on a test server to play with is just plain (geek)fun. If you’re a theme or plugin developer, you should check this out in your development/test environment.

Blog, WordPress 2.7, Alpha, WordPress, WordPress 2.7