Yesterday the WordPress development team released WordPress 3.2 (RC1) into the wild. Over 350 support tickets were closed in support of this release so there are a lot of fixes as well as the host of point-release improvements!

With tens of millions of installations, a myriad number of server configurations, and thousands of plugins, A release candidate (which is what comes after the Alpha and Beta releases) is the time for plugin authors, theme designers, and webmasters to test and report any issues before the final release. If you have a complex website, you can install it on a backup copy of your website and make sure everything works before you commit to upgrading.

Some of the new features to expect in this release include:

• It’s faster! In their words, “Performance improvements like you wouldn’t believe.”
• Distraction-Free Writing. The newly designed visual editor allows you to focus on what matters most — your content.
• Admin UI Refresh. Now that WordPress has turned 8, it’s time for a “facelift”.
• A New Default Theme called Twenty Eleven, based on the popular Duster theme, is due to replace the 2010 theme. 2011 supports rotating header images, post format support, and more.
• Using an older, non-compatible browser? Browse Happy. WordPress will  let you know there’s a newer version of your browser available if you are using an older, incompatible browser.
• Improved Admin Bar. More links make the admin bar even more useful.

This move into the future also involves some unshackling of the past:

• Your web server must be running a minimum of PHP 5.2.4 and MySQL 5.0.
• Internet Explorer 6 will no longer be supported. (If Microsoft doesn’t even support it, why should we?)

A big “attaboy” (and girl) to all the awesome developers helping make WordPress better and better every year!