All WordPress users are advised to immediately update their sites to the new version. As long as you have version 2.7 or higher, updating now only takes seconds as it can easily be done within the WordPress dashboard.

The new version doesn’t appear to bring any new features, only security related changes. The release article states that:

The headline changes in this release are:

• A fix for the Trackback Denial-of-Service attack that is currently being seen.
• Removal of areas within the code where php code in variables was evaluated.
• Switched the file upload functionality to be whitelisted for all users including Admins.
• Retiring of the two importers of Tag data from old plugins.

Here is the link to the full release article:

http://wordpress.org/development/2009/10/wordpress-2-8-5-hardening-release/

The list of enhancements to the WordPress 2.7 admin interface is quite comprehensive. Here are just a few that certainly make upgrading worthwhile.

• Drag and drop “dashboard”. You can now move things around the dashboard making it flow the way you prefer.
• Easier upgrading. WordPress 2.7 now uses a built in easy upgrade feature.
• Sticky Posts. Need a post to stay at the top of the page, now you can easily make it “stick” there.

The WordPress Team have made an introductory video available to coincide with the release of WordPress 2.7.

Head on over to the WordPress blog to see what all the fuss is about. http://wordpress.org/development/

Then head over to wordpress.org to download WordPress 2.7.

Since August 2004 when SP2 was released, Microsoft has released hundreds of updates for Windows XP. Windows XP SP3 is a combination of all these previously released updates. Microsoft states that, “It also provides a limited number of new and enhanced functionalities, although it does not significantly change the Windows XP experience or bring most Windows Vista functionality to Windows XP.”

Microsoft goes on the say, “The release of Windows XP SP3 are designed to, provide a new baseline for customers still deploying Windows XP, to help them avoid the inconvenience of applying individual updates.” And to, “Fill gaps in the updates users might have missed by declining individual updates when using Automatic Updates, and to deliver updates not made available through Windows Update.”

You can download the Overview of Windows XP Service Pack 3 document from the Microsoft website.

Why not head over to the WordPress Blog to see what all the hype is about are and how easy it is to upgrade your version.

Windows Live Writer is a free desktop software application from Microsoft which allows you to create posts at anytime, even when you aren’t connected to the internet, and then easily upload them to your blog.

"Why not just use the default WordPress dashboard to create posts?" I hear you ask. Well, if your circumstances mean that you aren’t connected to the web, you can’t be logged in to the WordPress dashboard. That’s where Windows Live Writer comes in.

For example, if you’re travelling by plane, car, train or some other form of transport you have plenty of time to sit and type your posts, but you typically aren’t connected to the web. What if you only have web access at the office, but prefer to write your posts when in the quiet surroundings of your home. The answer, Windows Live Writer.

When you install Windows Live Writer for the first time, it will ask you if you already have a blog. For this article we will assume you do. So you go ahead and select that you already have a blog. You are then prompted for your blogs web address, username and password. Once you have filled in those items, Windows Live Writer connects to your blog, and voila, you are ready to write.

The editing window is a breeze to use with all the usual handy formatting options and the ability to insert hyperlinks, pictures, tables, videos, etc. If you can use the default WordPress dashboard, you will find this very simple.

You then save the posts locally to your computer, ready for upload when you connect to the web.

Publishing your posts couldn’t be easier. You only need to click one button.

It’s aimed at the WordPress community but gives great advice for anyone blogging using any blogging platform.

The guide covers topics like “why a wordpress blog?,” promoting your blog, SEO plugins, etc.

Click here to take a look for yourself.

Matt’s recent post said. “Our hope is that much in the same way Gmail transformed the way people think about email, we’ll give people the freedom to blog rich media without having to worry about how many kilobytes are left in their upload space”

I’m sure bloggers who use wordpress.com will greatly appreciate this new feature.

Jon has written an ISAPI filter for IIS that makes your WordPress links easily readable by us humans.

Installation is straightforward and full instructions are included in the download file. It took me about 10 minutes to download, install and configure Jon’s filter, along with the required Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable.