WordPress 2.8 “Baker” has been released and is available for immediate download. This release, named after trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker, consists of primarily bug fixes and back-end improvements, but does contain a few new items you may have been waiting for.

WP 2.8 has streamlined widget management, making it much easier to add/change/delete widgets in the various widget areas. If you’ve been frustrated with the widget management in the past, you will love the new 2.8 interface.

This version also allows multiple instances of widgets on the same page. In the past it was tricky to get two different galleries on the same page. Now it’s no problem. This will give all developers much more flexibility in our designs.

Themes are now managed almost as easily as plugins in 2.8. The new theme tool helps you search, preview and test themes quickly and painlessly. If you like changing themes regularly, this will be a great benefit. (For most of us with premium or custom themes it will not be a particularly useful.)

Over 790 bugs were also fixed in this release. We won’t detail them here. But you can find a full list of new features and bug fixes here if you are waiting for a particular fix.

Overall, 2.8 seems to be a great release for the WordPress family. Not too many sexy new features, but for those of us who use it every day, the bug fixes and streamlined interfaces are very beneficial. It makes a very solid platform even better.

As always, we are here to help if you need assistance with upgrades or advice on whether or not to upgrade now.