Is WordPress 5.0 coming this week!?
According to the post from WordPress Core blog, we will have a new core version of the WordPress this week! WordPress’s founder Matt Mullenweg announced that the 5.0 version got a new target date. It’s December 6th. Although, we had many delays for this release so far, and we can’t be 100% sure about this date. Okay, it won’t be the end of the world, we had many major releases in the past so far, folks. Not a big deal, huh? Well, let’s say like this then: Gutenberg is coming very soon!
What is Gutenberg?
Gutenberg is a revolution in WP’s world. It is a new Editor that will replace the one we all know for years. Gutenberg comes at the time when 30% world’s websites are powered in WordPress. The classic WP’s editor hasn’t changed a lot since it’s the first release. A few years ago, the WordPress community was informed that WordPress could be left behind its competitors if the things remain just like this. Page builders are everywhere, it’s easier than ever to build a website without technical knowledge. There are more and more services that offer site building via just drag and drop tools. Actually, there are many popular page builder plugins for WordPress as VisualComposer, Elementor, and others.
However, it’s time for WordPress to have its own page builder by default – the Gutenberg! Yeah, the default editor! It won’t be a plugin, it will be a core feature, while the Classic WP’s Editor will be there just as a plugin.
In Gutenberg, everything is a block
Until now, all content was like one big HTML file placed in Classic Editor. Non-tech people could really find some confusing things there. Also, there is a possibility to mess up a website completely if some important HTML code is there. That’s often the case, although that practice is really dangerous and the devs should avoid this! That’s for some other topic and discussion. Let’s see what Gutenberg brings to us. Many Drag & Drop blocks that help us create content! That’s not a kinda new concept. Actually, the whole web development is moving toward logical reusable components. Just look at JavaScript frameworks as ReactJS, AngularJS, Vue, and others. In Gutenberg, there are blocks for, among other things:
- Paragraphs
- Lists
- Buttons
- Quotes
- Headings
- Code
- Images
- Galleries
So, as I said In Gutenberg – everything is a block. Every block you make has its own layout and settings. And you can save these as new reusable blocks! Also, WordPress developers will be able to code their own blocks. 100% reusable on other projects. That seems very developer-friendly! Unfortunately, there is a catch. Millions of websites use Classic Editor, and existing websites are not ready for Gutenberg!
Is this the right time to switch to Gutenberg?
As I told you above, the Classic Editor will be a plugin soon, not a built-in feature as it is now. It is supported by WordPress until 2022, so there is enough time for web developers to make this switch. You should always update WordPress to the latest version. It’s a security matter, after all. However, if you just do that, your website will crash for sure, because it’s built for Classic Editor we still love the most. I advise you to install the Classic Editor plugin as soon as you update to WordPress 5.0. Furthermore, consider playing with Gutenberg for a while if you haven’t done that already.
If you are a freelance web developer, your aim must be developing new websites for Gutenberg, regardless if you’re a fan of it or not. Get some working experience in Gutenberg and create some library of reusable blocks/components. When you feel ready, start redeveloping all your sites to be Gutenberg friendly.
WordPress world will never be the same
Whether you like the idea of introducing the brand new WordPress editor or no – one thing is sure. We shouldn’t be shy. Let’s be honest and say loudly – this is the biggest WordPress update ever! The one is sure, the most popular CMS will never be the same after this update! A total failure or success? We will wait and see. Community voiced a lot against Gutenberg, which is a little unfair. It seems like many developers fear to learn new things. Should that be the reason to blame Gutenberg’s project? On the other hand, this project was delayed so many times due to a number of bugs. I can’t say it’s 100% ready for production. There are some serious concerns about the accessibility as well. Perhaps, Gutenberg release will be a problem for those who own hundreds of websites for sure.
What do you think about Gutenberg? Have you tried it already?
