Popular blogging service WordPress have launched the 3.0 version of its software, its thirteenth major release so far. A total of 218 contributers helped put WordPress 3.0 out within a six month period.

Called “Thelonius”, the update is currently available for download, or through an upgrade from within the WordPress dashboard.

The major new features in Thelonius can best be explored through its new Twenty Ten default theme, wrote founder Matt Mullenweg in a blogpost.

Custom backgrounds, headers, shortlinks, menus and post types are some of the added features, along with 1,217 bug fixes and feature enhancements in the new WordPress.

Thelonius also features a lighter interface and for developers, the merging of MU and WordPress means multiple blogs can now be run from the same installation.

Instead of working on WordPress 3.1, the team will now “focus on all of the things around WordPress”, wrote Mullenweg.

“Over the next three months we’re going to split into ninja/pirate teams focussed on different areas of the around-WordPress experience, including the showcase, Codex, forums, profiles, update and compatibility APIs, theme directory, plugin directory, mailing lists, core plugins, wordcamp.org...the possibilities are endless,” he wrote.

Watch the video introducing these new features here:




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