Set to be released in May 2018, the new WordPress update is being hailed as an oncoming storm – with many concerned over the scale of the changes it is threatening to bring.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is one of the most popular and widely used web editors, with both experts and amateurs relying on the platform for day to day editing and visuals for their site. However, the upcoming ‘Gutenberg’ update, which is set to be replacing the Tiny Editor MCE, will completely revisualise the back-end developer. The layout has barely changed for the past decade, with many plugins and other development tools built around the recognised format.
Why Gutenberg?
The new layout will incorporate block building. The basic premise is that designers want to give users a chance to incorporate more ‘rich’ content, and create more interesting layouts. Currently, unless you are able to write HTML and CSS, you are limited to the slightly more basic text editing of the WordPress editor. It is the intention of Gutenberg to change this.
Taking a step towards ‘full site customisation’, Gutenberg allows users to create different blocks of rich content which they can drag, drop and edit. The intention is that they will take over from the various different plugins and widgets, currently utilised to build a more interactive site experience.
Why not Gutenberg?
Gutenberg is not popular. At the time of writing, 50{3eb5e81dc2dbd5243766a445dfd7203b99614852f30724c0fcd7c1e47478fab9} of users had given it a 1* review. Not promising. The rush to incorporate Gutenberg into the WordPress core also means that it is going in largely untested. Users have commented on the difficult learning curve and the incompatibility with many current plugins, meaning a redesign of their site and extra work adapting to the new format.
What can I do?
Don’t panic – if you aren’t a fan then there will still be the option to download an additional plugin that effectively disables the update. It is a pain, as it means you won’t receive any of the beneficial update elements, but it does give you some time to avoid Gutenberg should you wish to wait till it has ‘bedded in’!
If you want to test drive Gutenberg BEFORE upgrading to WordPress 5.0, it is currently available as a plugin. This should give you an idea of whether it will suit you, as upgrading to 5.0 is irreversible.
Want some WordPress advice? Need to know if Gutenberg is Gut for you? Drop us a message!