Confusing name for your plugin, but…

Hi Bruce, thanks for the question.

I think calling your plugin “Classic Editor Add-on” sounds like it is an add on to the already-popular plugin called Classic Editor.

Not only does it sound like it is an Addon to the Classic Editor plugin, it IS an Addon to it.

I slowly figured out that your plugin is a competing plugin

No, it is not a competing plugin, the Classic Editor Addon in fact auto-installs the Classic Editor plugin, because it depends on that plugin to function. Why re-invent the wheel?

As we have tried to explain in the readme file:
“[…] because in the beginning the “Classic Editor” plugin did not what it said on the label.”

In the earliest versions the Classic Editor plugin did not automatically switch back to the Classic Editor (talk about confusing). The plugin still has a settings page and throughout the content it is possible for the user to switch (back) to the new block editor.

We are of the opinion that it is pretty clear what people who install the Classic Editor plugin want: they want to use the Classic Editor and not the Block Editor.

The Classic Editor Addon plugin removes the settings and it saves two calls on the frontend of each and every page-load, a third one even on sites running WooCommerce!

By installing the Classic Editor Addon plugin you don’t get rid of the Classic Editor, you’re simply optimising your site and removing the redundant settings.

Are you the same developers as the people who created Classic Editor plugin?

Are you the same developers as the people who created Classic Editor plugin?

No, we are not and it can actually be checked by simply looking at the headers (of the plugin page here on WP) of the resp. plugins.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by Pieter Bos. Reason: clarification which headers

I see. Do you coordinate with the developers who created Classic Editor plugin?

Bruce, I think you’re very curious ??

Can I mark your issue as resolved?

Marking as resolved due to no further response, feel free to open a new thread if deemed necessary.

Pieter, sorry I didn’t see your reply. I am “curious” because I am trying to figure out the future of the Classic Editor (and your plugin, too, which is tied to that).

I am strongly resisting Gutenberg, but I’m worried that the Classic Editor plugin may be temporary, and your add-on is dependent on that plugin, so your plugin’s future may be temporary. (You said you’re not the same developer, and apparently you don’t coordinate with those folks either.)

So as a person who is strongly hoping that Classic Editor plugin (and Classic Editor Addon) have a long future, I am trying to find clues on that.

I can imagine that WordPress doesn’t like either of your plugins, because they undercut the Gutenberg concept. And yet, I think most WP users do NOT like Gutenberg.

So where does that leave us? Your thoughts on it?

I can imagine that WordPress doesn’t like either of your plugins

Actually the Classic Editor plugin has been developed by the WP Core team, something which you can easily see and I already previously pointed that out…

When the Classic Editor plugin was introduced the “lifetime” was set to something like end of 2021. In the Q&A of the most recent US Wordcamp Mullenweg mentioned that this is not set in stone, which basically means that you don’t have to worry as you still have a couple of years at the very least.

Last but not least if you’re really worried, then it can be an idea to either remain on WP 4.9.x which will receive security updates for many years to come (it’s on 4.9.12 already) or move to the more secure ClassicPress which is a fork of WP 4.9 before Gutenberg.

Or as a very last resort you can move to a different CMS entirely, there are plenty of flavours out there!

Hope that takes away your worries.