A new version of WordPress was just released (version 3.7).   We are in the process of pushing out the updates to all of our managed WordPress sites.  If you have a WordPress site, we recommend checking the functionality to insure the update has not broken anything.   Below are the main changes to this version:

 

  • Updates while you sleep: With WordPress 3.7, you don’t have to lift a finger to apply maintenance and security updates. Most sites are now able to automatically apply these updates in the background. The update process also has been made even more reliable and secure, with dozens of new checks and safeguards.
  • Stronger password recommendations: Your password is your site’s first line of defense. It’s best to create passwords that are complex, long, and unique. To that end, our password meter has been updated in WordPress 3.7 to recognize common mistakes that can weaken your password: dates, names, keyboard patterns (123456789), and even pop culture references.
  • Better global support: Localized versions of WordPress will receive faster and more complete translations. WordPress 3.7 adds support for automatically installing the right language files and keeping them up to date, a boon for the many millions who use WordPress in a language other than English.

 

Of course, the “updates while you sleep” have been getting handled by Network Solutions, Inc. on our managed sites, but now the software is doing it for us.  We will still be applying updates to plugins and themes and, of course, pushing out the major WordPress updates which will not be automatic.
Update – Octover 30, 2013 – WordPress 3.7.1 was just released as a maintenance release fixing some bugs with the 3.7 rollout.  Here are the main updates:

  • Images with captions no longer appear broken in the visual editor.
  • Avoid fatal errors with certain plugins that were incorrectly calling some WordPress functions too early.
  • Fix hierarchical sorting in get_pages(), exclusions in wp_list_categories(), and in_category() when called with empty values.
  • Fix a warning that may occur in certain setups while performing a search, and a few other notices.