For the past two months, we've been focusing our technical webinars, podcasts, and blog posts on all the shiny new things available in version 8.5 to help developers understand the significance and scope of what's changed in the latest release, and developer feedback has been extremely positive.

If you've missed the webinars, or are just starting to work with 8.5, I recommend blocking off some time to go through all the resources below before getting v8.5 installed. There's a lot in v8.5 to get your arms around and you'll find these resources extremely invaluable.

The highlights of Ektron 8.5 include:

• A redesigned Workarea providing a refreshed, modern user experience
• New Framework API improving developer productivity through a highly consistent and discoverable set of APIs
• A 3-tier architecture offering new scalability, availability, security, and performance capabilities for enterprise WCM deployments
• New Search Architecture, based on the Microsoft Search Server, offering new features including faceted navigation, dynamic search relevancy tuning, federated search and automated query suggestions
• Enterprise Dashboard, a diagnostic utility to generate a real-time map of an eSync network and self-service diagnostic panel

Here's a recap of the "What's New in v8.5" webinars we've held over the past two months.

General Overview on v8.5 - http://ektron.com/Resources/Webinars/Developer-Ektron-85/ - If you are pressed for time, this webinar provides a high level overview of what's new in v8.5 of interest to developers. 

What's New in 8.5? The Framework API - http://ektron.com/billcavablog/3-ways-to-learn-about-the-framework-api/ - There's no question this feature ranks among the most important aspects of v8.5 for developers. The new Framework API focuses on the guiding principles of Discoverability, Consistency, and Simplicity to provide an intuitive API for building your websites. This is link takes you to a blog post that provides three resources for learning about it.

What's New in 8.5? The Search Architecture - http://ektron.com/Resources-And-Tools/Webinars/Screencasts/Ektron-8-5-and-the-Search-Framework-API/ - The new Search Architecture of v8.5 provides an entirely new way for developers to deliver content managed in Ektron. In this webinar, I focus on key elements of the Search Architecture and Search API.

What's New in 8.5? The 3-Tier Architecture - http://ektron.com/Resources-And-Tools/Webinars/Screencasts/Technical/The-3-Tier-Architecture/ - discusses how Developers can deliver complex, dynamic websites that perform at scale using the 3-tier architecture.

What's New in 8.5? The Caching Framework - http://ektron.com/Resources-And-Tools/Webinars/Screencasts/Optimize-Site-Performance-through-Caching/ - This webinar covers best practices for improving site performance through caching. This webinar covers general caching best practices, but also includes a discussion of the new v8.5 caching framework.

What's New in 8.5? Localization - http://ektron.com/Resources/Webinars/Interview-With-Scott-Kearney/ - Bill Cava speaks with Scott Kearney, Localization Product Manager, about the significant enhancements made to localization capabilities in Ektron 8.5.