Version 2.8 Beta 1 announced for testing by WordPress.com

WordPress.com has announced that its version 2.8 Beta 1 is now available for downloading and testing.

The enhancement and bug-fix release for bloggers has an improved database performance and adds support for blocking all outbound HTTP requests.

Users can also enjoy viewing more than one picture gallery on the same page and will no longer need to confirm their identity when marking a comment as spam.

Bloggers can check for the latest version when visiting Administration>Tools>Upgrade to ensure they make the most of their free blog solution from WordPress Hosting.

"The WordPress team notes that database performance has been improved - this is a good thing as I've found my server usage double since moving from Drupal to WordPress," said CenterNetwork's Allen Stern on Information Week.

Users of WordPress.com can now post images and texts to their blogs via email, the blogging platform recently announced.

Videos can be uploaded to online journals via email by WordPress.com users who also subscribe to VideoPress.

Written by Tim Dunton