DotNetNuke has released  DotNetNuke 6 CTP3. It was been several weeks since CTP2 release and it shows great progress. Included are a few new features, but the main focus appears to have been on cleaning up the User Interface (UI).

One of the main new features is the Admin Menu. It is now using the DDR Menu along with a special mega-menu template so that now you can access the menus directly from the control panel. I tested it in all major browsers and it loads quickly and works well. One minor issue is that the Control Panel sometimes drops down as well when accessing the Admin or Host menus. I'm certain this will be addressed in the future.

Speaking of the Control Panel, it is also sporting anew look and feel. If your familiar with Oliver Hine Advanced Control Panel, you'll see some similarities. Personally I'd love to see the Oliver Hine version rolled into the core, but I'm told that the Advanced Control Panel is not OpenSource. One adopted item is the "new" HTML editor provider, DNN opted to go with the Open Source RADEditor Provider from Philipp Becker of dnnWerks rather than Teleriks provider. This is a good move for the most part, but I'll comment on that next.

Here are my thoughts on the RADEditor Provider. I have used it exclusively as  a third party provider since August of last year and I really it. It is the most flexible and powerful provider by far. And I love the fact that it integrates with my favorite document solution, Document Exchange. That said, I'm not certain how the final implementation is going to work out.

I foresee a few issues. The main issue in my mind is the configuration settings in large multi-portal DNN installs. The provider requires the Host make all configuration changes for folder upload and usage. Also  toolbar adjustments such as adding, moving or removing toolbar buttons/items must also be done at the Host level. This could become a burden at best on the Host. It's my opinion that some of the configuration setting will need to be moved to the Admin level giving the site operator control over those functions.

It's only been a day since the CTP's release, but so far for an Alpha, it has great promise. On Joe Brinkman's DNN Blog, he mentions a few items that are know issues or require refinement, and I'm sure the list will be growing, but give it try and send feedback. Any NDD Clients are welcome to contact us and well, set you up a portal to "kick the tires."