Some of the features annouced so far include (quoted from the post linked above):

• Database abstraction – with support for PostgreSQL and SQLite planned alongside that of MySQL.
• Automatic installation of packages into themes other than just the default.
• Email templates to simplify customization of forum emails.
• Moderation center including post, topic and attachment moderation – to allow approving of user content before it is made public.
• User warning system.
• Additional group functionally including group moderators and requestable/free assignable groups.
• WYSIWYG editor to provide an intuitive user interface to those users not familiar with BBC.
• Permission improvements such as group inheritance and permission profiles to further reduce the complexity of the permissions system.
• File based caching for a performance increase on all forums regardless of whether an accelerator is installed.
• Mail queuing system to stagger the sending of emails to improve performance on large forums.
• Advanced signature settings to allow the administrator of a forum to more tightly control the contents of users signatures.
• Personal messaging improvements including ability to automatically sort incoming messages and a variety of display options.
• Improved upgrade script with better timeout protection and simpler user interface.
• Custom profile fields to enable administrators to add additional member fields from the administration center.

This release is going to be awesome. I’ve been trying out a few alpha versions of it, and it looks amazing. Note that it will still be a while before a public beta, as there’s still some bugs to work out.

Keep up the great work, guys!