Only 2 days after the release of the first beta, WordPress 4.9.8 Beta 2 was released yesterday for the general public to test. The most important update here is the newly included “Try Gutenberg” callout.
Since the software is still in development mode, it’s best that you don’t run it on a production site. Consider setting up a test site just to play with the new version. To test WordPress 4.9.8, try the WordPress Beta Tester plugin (you’ll want “point release nightlies”).
WordPress 4.9.8 Beta 2 release has included one blessed task, three bug fixes, and three enhancements since the first beta release. Now that the second beta has been released with several improvements, the total number of bug fixes in 4.9.8 has reached 25, enhancements have reached 11 and blessed tasks have reached 3.
As mentioned earlier, the most notable change that WordPress 4.9.8 Beta 2 has brought is the “Try Gutenberg” callout. The callout will appear in user dashboards after the official release rolls out at the end of this month.
The callout focuses on getting more eyes on the Gutenberg editor and try the new Gutenberg editing experience before the official release. After discussing the designs and wording for the callout, the WordPress contributors have finally rolled out the outlook that you’d see in 4.9.8 Beta 2. Below is the preview that you’re likely to see on your dashboard.
The ‘Try Gutenberg’ callout also informs the users that the new editor will be enabled by default in the next major release of WordPress even if they don’t get involved in Gutenberg testing. The callout has included a link to the Gutenberg information page in order to help users learn more about the Gutenberg editor.
Below are the bug fixes and enhancements included in WordPress 4.9.8 Beta 2 release.
Blessed Tasks
A full list of blessed tasks in 4.9.8 Beta 2 can be found on Trac.
The tickets listed below are only those committed since Beta 1 was released.
Editor
- #41316– Introduce “Try Gutenberg” callout
Bug Fixes
A full list of bugs fixed in 4.9.8 Beta 2 can be found on Trac.
The tickets listed below are only those committed since Beta 1 was released.
I18N
- #44574– Saratov and other cities missing from translations
Privacy
- #44192– Title of Privacy Policy Page not used on login page
- #44130– Mixed Case of Privacy Policy on Privacy Settings page
Enhancements
A full list of enhancements in 4.9.8 Beta 2 can be found on Trac.
The tickets listed below are only those committed since Beta 1 was released.
Options, Meta APIs
- #38323– Reconsider $object_subtype handling in `register_meta()`
Privacy
- #43967– Admin emails after email confirmation don’t work for data privacy requests
- #44612– Grammar – Missing ‘a’ in ‘select new Privacy Policy page’
The Release Candidate has been scheduled for July 24, 2018, and the official WordPress 4.9.8 release has been scheduled for July 31, 2018.
If you think you’ve found a bug, you can post to the Alpha/Beta area in the support forums. If you’re comfortable writing a reproducible bug report, file one on WordPress Trac, where you can also find a list of known bugs.