WordPress 2.5 has been out for a few weeks now (2.5.1 now out), and I’m finally ready to give my thoughts on the “upgrade.” There are certainly some aspects of 2.5 that I’m a big fan of, but there are a few that I’m not real happy about.

Layout

The first thing you’ll notice when you move to WordPress 2.5 is the new layout. Different colors, buttons in different locations and just a new overall look and feel. While it took a few days to get used to the changes, I now have.

I like the color scheme and the basic layout of how things look, but the rearrangement still doesn’t work for me. I miss the WordPress blog postings and news updates the way they were on the Dashboard pre-2.5. Now, while they still show up in smaller numbers, I have to search for the information that used to be handed to me. Since most of the things I found on the old Dashboard weren’t that important to me, I rarely look for them anymore, and when I do, I feel like I’m a week behind.

The other changes to the layout are simple location changes for the Dashboard, Settings, Users and Plugin buttons. This still throws me off, but I’m gradually getting used to it.

Write Post Page

Some of the biggest changes came to the Write Post page, including both layout and technically. I like the updated HTML editor and the fact that it doesn’t mess with your code when you switch to the Visual editor. I can’t tell you how many times I would have a post with lots of code that would get ruined the second I tried to use the spell check in the Visual editor. Now, I no longer have to save separate text only versions of my page with the code in it, I can just use the built-in editor.

What I don’t like on the Write Post page is the drastic changes to the layout. No longer are important features like the Categories box on the side bar. Now I have to scroll down the page to choose my categories, and I don’t like that. Also, the text box to type in constantly resets itself to the default size, which is unusable if you’re writing posts of a decent length.

I find my posts are easier to write with the updated editor, but every other aspect of the Write Post page was better with the previous layout.

Other Stuff

Maybe it’s because I use the Opera browser, which still isn’t 100 percent compatible with every bit of software, but I have problems with the Spell Check feature every time I use it. I will click on the spell check and about five seconds later, done or not, it turns itself off. It usually works right the second time, but it’s annoying and frustrating.

Also, if you use custom fields, 2.5 has a tendency to save multiple drafts of your post when you add fields. There is a workaround, being to save the post before adding custom fields, but there shouldn’t have to be a workaround. This should work the first time, no questions asked.

Another thing that 2.5 added was automatic Plugin updates. If there is a new version available of a plugin you use, it well tell you, and you can download and install the upgraded version directly from the Plugin page. The problem is, about half the time it doesn’t work. Great theory and feature, but it still needs some ironing out.

Overall

My overall feeling is that WordPress 2.5 made some needed improvements and has some great ideas. But like any new piece of software, there are problems. Perhaps with each new version things will be better, but as it is now, it needs work.

I like the direction that WordPress is going in. They seem to be on the path to more user-friendliness, which I’m always a fan of.

At the end of the day, once you get the hang of the basic differences, WordPress can still get the job done. I understand that it’s a work in progress, and clearly, some work still needs to be done.