WordPress Tips

The “Try Gutenberg” prompt was released approximately three weeks ago in WordPress 4.9.8, and the plugin has over 200,000 active installations. This callout has increased awareness of the Gutenberg project and created much needed feedback for the developers and designers of the new editor.

Declining Star Rating

Before WordPess 4.9.8, Gutenberg reviews were a meager 2.7-star average on WordPress.org. With the release three weeks ago, the negative reviews increased, and now the average rating is a poor 2.3 stars. Users are stating the new editor is too complex and cumbersome, and that it provides a poor writing experience.

A few positive reviews have been posted, noting that it is a necessary step forward and suggesting that other users need to get past the learning curve. The majority of reviews indicate that the Gutenberg interface is not intuitive to use.

WordPress Reports on Gutenberg Team Response

According to WordPress, the Gutenberg team responses to the negative reviews seem to be improving since the initial responses seemed “canned.” The team seems to be focusing on reports of bugs with the existing interface. Unfortunately, WordPress also indicated that the team seems unwilling to recognize critical flaws that may be preventing the interface from being accepted.

Active installations of the classic editor plugin have reached over 200,000 since the “Try Gutenberg” release. This is approximately equal to the number of Gutenberg installations. The Gutenberg team does not use this as a measure of adoption or rejection of the plugin. Rather, they see the number as being a bridge for sites to keep up with the workflow while preparing for Gutenberg.

In response to the increase in classic editor installations, Matt Mullenweg said, “No plans to ever have direct vote determine strategic direction in WP, but we are having a bit of a referendum in the adoption of the Gutenberg and Classic Editor plugins, people are voting with their usage. The people are deciding.”

Support for Both Editing Experiences

As long as the classic editor is supported, users can opt to adopt Gutenberg or not. The classic editor plugin is an option that has now created two different admin experiences. The idea of a fork, while not necessarily being a serious threat to the project, makes it clear that some users will go to extra lengths to avoid Gutenberg.

Now with the increase in classic editor installations, WordPress is indeed moving towards a fractured admin experience. Some may see this as a healthy option during transition, but others do in fact see this as a negative that so many sites are operating on an alternative editing experience because site owners are apparently rejecting Gutenberg.

At some point, WordPress will need to integrate the editing experience, and this most likely will happen by either luring users over to Gutenberg or by discontinuing support for the classic editor. Right now, WordPress product developers will continue to provide support for both editing experiences. Some experts are seriously concerned that if Gutenberg fails to become more intuitive, it has the potential to damage the WordPress brand.

Update on WordPress 4.9.9

WordPress contributors met recently to review progress on WordPress 4.9.9.

“As of now there’s no specific timeline for 4.9.9,” Jeff Paul said. “That will get set once release leads are in place. However, I’d like to try and finalize leads in next week’s meeting or shortly thereafter so that we can begin 4.9.9 planning and coordination as we get into September.”

Jeff has requested contributor submit nominations for release leads prior to their upcoming meeting.

“Until we have a confirmed timeline and plan for 5.0, my assumption is that we’ll continue with our minor release cadence of ~6-8 weeks with specific focus on items needed in support of 5.0,” Paul said.

During WordCamp Europe in Belgrade, Matt Mullenweg indicated that WordPress 4.0 may come by August. Obviously, that did not happen and may be released closer to the end of 2018. This will give the developers more time to ensure their sites are compatible with Gutenberg.