WordPress 3.0 is here! I updated today and as billed the admin interface is lighter. The new default Twenty Ten theme is nice looking, but I only activated it long enough to realize I didn’t like the default layout. I may play with it later when I have more free time. Other interesting features include custom post types, built in short link support and WordPress MU integration for single or multi-site solutions. In honor of the launch I removed the gradient background color from the “bogus” theme and that seemed to help the look. I’ll keep exploring the latest version of WordPress to see what new or interesting features I can find.

Update: Found a really good post on the new features in WordPress 3.0 so I thought I would share it here. It’s called 8 New Exciting WordPress 3.0 Features and it’s great because it has code samples along with the features that require custom code in the theme. Enjoy!

Only one day in and I could not help tweaking my new theme. I’m not sure if you can call it an improvement, but at least it’s different. I started playing around with the idea of a gradient background image. I decided to add one to the top of the site to add some pop and increase the contrast between the color scheme and the background. I found a number of articles on-line for doing this, but the one that I liked the best is here. I actually installed Gimp specifically to edit images for the new theme and I have to say it’s working out really well. If you have a strong opinion one way or another about the new background post a comment below and let me know.

I worry about color schemes. I know it’s nuts for a web developer, but I’m constantly reminded of the impact a good color scheme can have on the presentation quality of a web site. It’s horrible to put in a bunch of time and energy into the technology of your solution only to discover that your color scheme is driving your users away. Gasp! In my latest (desperate?) search on the web I found a post titled “Choosing Web Design Colors” by Donald Peterson. It’s typical of the types of articles I usually find, but I though the writing was direct, the style was comfortable and the site had a nice clean layout which told me Donald takes his color schemes and design work very seriously. If you are need of inspiration then give it a read.

I recently read an article on contrast in web site design that caught my attention. The author contends that designers must focus on contrast as much as color to accommodate people with various forms of color blindness. She suggests several tools on the web that can be used to view your web site in gray scale or rate your success in delivering effective contrast. The article can be found here. If you are interested in comprehensive web design then it is a quick and useful read. As for your humble authors blog, I thought it looked reasonable in gray scale (GrayBit), but CheckMyColours was as the article’s author predicted less than kind. My long postponed redesign may be getting closer.

In a recent article on the web magazine A List Apart author Lyle Mullican published an interesting discussion of password form fields on the web. The article entitled The Problem with Passwords discusses how passwords might evolve on the web to provide better usability while maintaining user confidence in the system. If you are interested in the evolution of token based computer security then this article is worth a read. It’s focus is on the user experience, but the questions it considers give you a peek into the mind set required to meld strong security with usability.