The beta of WordPress 2.8 is out, and the Codex page for the official release still states a due date of some time in May ’09.

What features can theme developers and general WordPress users expect to see, and which will affect them?

I have made a brief list here of the ones I am looking forward to the most, and you can always view the features list here.

WordPress 2.8 Features

• Add CodePress syntax highlighting to Theme and Plugin editors
• Add Documentation(function) lookup to Theme and Plugin editors
• Improved Widget user interface
• Add description field for tags
• Improved database performance
• Use SimplePie for widget and dashboard feeds
• TinyMCE 3.2.3
• Allow other taxonomies (e.g. post categories) to be used with wp_tag_cloud (Changeset 10554)
• Autosave post/page when pressing Control/Command+S
• Refactor filters to avoid potential XSS attacks
• Add wp_trim_excerpt() filter
• Add a function to output a generic widget anywhere in a template
• Let plugins use screen layout columns
• Consolidate plugin/theme/core upgrade/install functions

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