February 18, 2010 Update: to include the new menu system, we are pushing back all dates by 2 weeks, per updated schedule below.

Per recent development chats, we’ve worked out a project schedule for 3.0. The plan:

January 7, 2010
  • Identify major features slotted for 3.0
  • Begin merging MU files into trunk
  • Begin development of new default theme
  • Begin development of custom post types feature
  • Begin development of menu management feature
  • Patch bugs
  • Work on patches for small enhancements
January 18, 2010
  • MU file merge should be complete
  • Cutting edge types can start banging on the new MU integration
  • Continue alpha development
February 15 March 1, 2010 Feature freeze
**From this point forward, there will be no more commits for enhancements or feature requests in this release cycle, only bug fixes.**
March 22 April 2, 2010 Begin public beta
March 29 April 16? May 1, 21, 25, 2010? Begin RC
April 13 May 1, 15? June 17, 2010 Launch WordPress 3.0

So: if you have made a 2010 new year’s resolution to get involved in WordPress core development, now’s the time to head on over to Trac and pick a ticket (that sounds kind of like a carnival game, doesn’t it?). Get your patches done and submitted as soon as possible, then drum up people to test the patches and leave feedback on the ticket. As stated above, no patches for enhancements or feature requests will be committed after freeze, so that we can all focus on squashing bugs and hopefully deliver the most bug-free WordPress to date. Wish us luck!