WordPress 3.3 code name “Sonny” final stable version has been released and is available for download as well as update either from Dashboard or through FTP clients. It took 5 months for WordPress to release this new version as the last version 3.2.1 was released on July, 12. WordPress is an open source CMS where lot many people contribute towards the development and bug fixes. The development cycle of WordPress 3.3 was having total 584 open tickets and was closed by more than 150 developers around the world.
So what’s is new in WordPress 3.3 as compared to the previous version. Here is the list of new features,
New Features in WordPress 3.3
- Drag and Drop Media Uploader
- Admin bar and admin header combined as single toolbar
- Flyout Menus
- Dashboard Welcome Area for each upgrade or new installation
- New Features Pointers
- Better co-editing with co-authors as there will not be any time lag in edit operation by different authors. This will reduce or chances of invalid locking
- Thumblr Importer to import content from Thumblr
- Don’t loose the widget settings even after switching back to old themes
- jQuery 1.7.1 and jQuery UI 1.8.16
- Improved Editor API
- Improved performance for permalink structure with category as slug
- Better support for iPad and other tablets with responsive screen
- Find the complete changelog here.
Welcome Screen of WordPress 3.3
Apart from the above enhancements and new features, WordPress 3.3 is also having security fix related to the comments feed. And it is also having lot many bug fixes. That’s why it recommended to upgrade to WordPress 3.3 to have new features as well as to implement these fixes.
Note – Code name “Sonny” is given in honor of the great jazz saxophonist Sonny Stitt.

I spend most of my time around WordPress and related plugins. It is almost impossible to resist myself from sharing good tips, tutorials and updates related to the platform. After all, I am a blogger by passion.