I usually start much earlier in the beta releases; and, I usually do this at BuyNowShop.com but I decided to step up to the current “nightly build” of WordPress here today as it generally only take a few moments to upgrade from the current stable release.
It’s a very simple process:
- Open the /wp-includes/version.php file in core to edit.*
- Change line 11 to:
$wp_version = '3.1-beta'; - Go to your Administration Panel of your WordPress installation.
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the “stay updated” link in the bottom-right corner. (Refresh the page if the link is not there.)
That’s it, your done! Congratulations, you are now beta testing!
*N.B.: This is one of the very few and extremely rare instances where I would ever suggest editing a core WordPress file. I do not recommend this for anyone that is not familiar with how to make a correct back-up of their installation; and, how to re-install WordPress if the world falls in on their heads.
There’s a plugin for that: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester
@Devin – Yes, and the plugin allows you to revert your installation to the current stable release, too, but I rarely go back once I update to the beta. Thanks for the link.