Going into WordCamp Chicago this weekend, there were a large number of rumors that WordPress 2.8 was VERY close to an official release.   Well, the weekend has come and gone and unfortunately we got no official release, but it looks like we have gotten the first release candidate instead.

According to the official WordPress blog, WordPress 2.8 Release Candidate 1 was officially released about an hour ago.   Here is their release candidate 1 official announcement:

With Release Candidate 1, we think WordPress 2.8 is ready and complete.  Download it, test it, and tell us what you think.  If you don’t uncover any bad bugs, 2.8 will be released on Wednesday the 10th.

If you’re interested in what has changed since beta 2, consult the changelog.

You can download Release Candidate 1 here, and consult the changelog from Beta 2 here.   If you are wondering what all is new with WordPress 2.8, check out this post by TechnoSailor.

Looks like WordPress 2.7 isn’t quite ready yet for WordPress.org users, as the 2nd release candidate was released today.

If you’re ready to make the leap to WordPress 2.7, you can download the WordPress 2.7 Release Candidate 2 here.

The wait is almost over!   It looks like the WordPress.org team has announced that the first release candidate of WordPress 2.7 is now available for download.

Typically release candidates are pretty safe to begin using, so if you have been waiting to try out WordPress 2.7, now might be the time!

[Download WordPress 2.7 Release Candidate 1]