The first beta of WordPress 2.7 was released on Saturday according to a post on the WordPress Development Blog. The most significant change in 2.7 is a redesigned administrative interface, which according to the posting is almost in its final form in the first beta. The new version will also include automatic updating, comment threading, and other new features. More information about 2.7 is available at the WordPress.org Codex. The final 2.7 was previously scheduled to be released on November 10, but according to the posting it is two weeks behind schedule. Instead, on the 10th a release candidate will be made available that is “intended to be a high-quality, almost-finished release that we are comfortable recommending for broad use.” A new release date will be set as the development moves further along.