WordPress 2.9 is currently in betaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. and is expected to be ready in several weeks.

Major new features for developers:

• comments metaMeta Meta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress. table
• improved support for custom post types
• register_theme_directory() for additional theme locations
• back-ported JSONJSON JSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, is a minimal, readable format for structuring data. It is used primarily to transmit data between a server and web application, as an alternative to XML. encode/decode for both PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 7.4 or higher and JavaScriptJavaScript JavaScript or JS is an object-oriented computer programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers. WordPress makes extensive use of JS for a better user experience. While PHP is executed on the server, JS executes within a user’s browser. https://www.javascript.com

and for users:

• oEmbed support
• “TrashTrash Trash in WordPress is like the Recycle Bin on your PC or Trash in your Macintosh computer. Users with the proper permission level (administrators and editors) have the ability to delete a post, page, and/or comments. When you delete the item, it is moved to the trash folder where it will remain for 30 days.” for posts, pages and comments
• post thumbnails support
• basic image editor

More details are available in the Codex https://codex.wordpress.org/Version_2.9 and on tracTrac An open source project by Edgewall Software that serves as a bug tracker and project management tool for WordPress..

New feature in the pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. repository: logged in users can enter compatibility information about all plugins – works / doesn’t work for several recent versions of WordPress. It is still in beta and in data collection mode. When it’s released, the collected information will be available from the wordpress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ APIAPI An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways..

As with every release there are hundreds of improvements and bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. fixes. 410 tickets have been closed so far for the 2.9 milestone.

One significant change is the new “trash” status for posts and comments. It works by changing the post_status or the comment_approved field to ‘trash’. If the post or the comment is restored from the trash that field is set back to it’s previous value. By default items in the trash are deleted after 30 days.

If you use direct SQL queries you may need to exclude posts and comments that are currently in the trash. Simple example: https://core.trac.wordpress.org/changeset/12254

Please ensure that your plugin(s) or theme(s) work as expected in WordPress 2.9-beta-2. If you have questions or comments please post them on the wp-hackers mailing list or in the Alpha/Beta forum on wordpress.org.

• How do we handle security releases in the adminadmin (and super admin) – Matt Martz
• Create a post on the wp.org dev feed that highlights what breaks to pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. devs – Denis de Bernardy (we’ve started the WordPress Developer News email announcements as discussed here couple of months ago that cover this)
• Shall we remove Gears support now or in 3.0
• Minimum intervals between first betaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. and final release and between first RCrelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see alpha (beta). and final – demetris