Itching to try out WordPress 2.5, but don’t want to use Subversion or the nightly builds? Well, the team has finally pushed out the first release candidate, bringing us one step closer to a final version of WordPress 2.5.

Matt has written up a nice post going over what you can expect from the new version on the WordPress development blog.

A customizable dashboard, multi-file upload, built-in galleries, one-click plugin upgrades, tag management, built-in Gravatars, full text feeds, and faster load times sound interesting? Then WordPress 2.5 might be the release for you. It’s been in the oven for a while, and we’re finally ready to open the doors a bit to give you a taste.

For the past few months, we’ve been working with our friends at Happy Cog — Jeffrey Zeldman, Jason Santa Maria, and Liz Danzico — to redesign WordPress from the ground-up. The result is a new way of interacting with WordPress that will remain familiar to seasoned users while improving the experience for everyone. This isn’t just a fresh coat of paint — we’ve re-thought the look of WordPress, as well as how it’s organized so that you can forget about the software and focus on your own creative pursuits.

The post includes some great screenshots of the new version, highlighting the features effectively. Check out the bottom of the post for the download link. Also, a quick reminder, this isn’t the final version of WordPress 2.5, and despite people saying it is “ready”, I wouldn’t suggest upgrading your production blog to this release candidate.

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