Johan Jobe has put together a 60 page User Manual in Dutch explaining how to install and user b2evolution 1.10.

Download here.

If you ever visit Chicago, chances are you're going to stop at Navy Pier... ;)

Here's 2.0 "Chicago" enhanced: Download 2.0.1 "Navy Pier"!

Basically, there's been no major show stopper bug in 2.0.0 but we have fixed a lot of little annoying things. If you're happy with 2.0.0, no urge to upgrade. But no real reason to hold back either ;)

• Fixed Movable Type importer.
• Display/CSS improvements.
• i18n preparation (fr & de included).
• Skin tag update: Item::feedback_link() now uses array params.
• Plenty of little fixes. Plenty!

Wow! b2evolution 2.0 has just released, and it's alpha and everything... yet Globat is already offering it as a 1-click install feature in their hosting packages.

Very nice! B)

If you're looking for a new host, you might want to check them out! ;)

(They offer both 1.10.2 and 2.0)

Ladies & Gentlemen,

The wait is over!

EdB has commanded an immediate release. Here it is! ;)

Feel free to download it now and give it a test drive. A lot has changed!!!

In case you've not been following along lately, here are a few posts detailing some of the new features:

• New admin interface
• Enhanced configuration options
• Skins 2.0
• User permissions 2.0
• And there's more... much more! Look at the changelog in the download! ;)

ALPHA software

This version is functional enough for us to run it on production on at least a dozen sites. However it has not been extensively tested in all different scenarios. You may run into obscure bugs and you're kindly invited to report them.

You should also be advised that the skinning API in this release is not final. That is the main reason why we call it an ALPHA release. So if you really don't like updating skins, you might want to wait a little. But if you like being on the edge, you definitely wanna check this out! (skin upgrade details here).

Other than that, let us know what you think!

At this stage we cannot add new features before issuing a stable release. We can however polish what we have in order to make it as user/blogger friendly as possible. Your feedback is welcome.

PS: Translators may wish to start localizing...

b2evolution 2.0 comes with a brand new backoffice design a.k.a admin skin, named "Chicago":

Though not completely polished yet, we hope it reflects how much effort we're putting into the new b2evolution 2.0.

Of course, if you're nostalgic (or if your IE chokes on CSS), you can still use the legacy or the evo admin skins.

By the way, you can now switch admin skins easily from the "evobar" at the top of the screen. In case you wonder: yes that bar is also displayed on top of the public blog page... if you're logged in!

Other than that, you can see on the screenshot that the backoffice now comes with a "dashboard" which gives you fast and easy access to the items you need the most like the comments awaiting moderation (with one click buttons) as well as your recent draft posts (am I the only one repeatedly forgetting to publish my drafts? ;))

b2evolution 2.0.0-alpha will be out in a few days now.

Ok, version 1.10 has been out for 3 months now and it's been super stable for 2 months.

Now, I can't stress this enough: if you haven't done so yet, for your own good, please upgrade any prior version to version 1.10 now!

If you're running 1.8 or 1.9, it is very easy too!
1) Download the latest stable 1.10
2) Optionally save your current /conf/_basic_config.php file if you don't want to reconfig later.
3) Upload all the new files over the old ones
4) Optionally, upload your previous /conf/_basic_config.php file back
5) Go to /install and run the installer which will take care of upgrading/fixing a few details in the database.

Your 1.8 and 1.9 skins will work on 1.10.

Again, please trust me: you want to do that upgrade and you want to do it now. Not tomorrow and certainly not next week.

Note for those who are waiting for 2.0: we will indeed release a 2.0-alpha as soon as I find a desk to work on (I'm in the US until the end of the month with a super heavy schedule... and unfortunate shady hotels in between :P).

But this will be an alpha. It will be months before 2.0 gets as stable as 1.10. Plus the upgrade to 1.10 is super easy while the upgrade to 2.0 will not be so easy.

Did I mention that now is better than tomorrow? Seriously.