The wrong direction

According to an external source which tracks what technology websites are “built with”, WordPress usage in the top 1 million sites in the world is now in decline for the first time, ever.

The entire community is not just upset but they’re getting angry now because you’ve closed your eyes and ears to the feedback and ignored (or spat in the face of) the same philosophy that got you this far. I wouldn’t be surprized if a non Guternberg fork occurred.

Philosophy states: “Design for the Majority” – it used to be the majority of web developers but now it’s design for the majority of non-web developers. What do you think that’s going to do to the quality of websites produced? Just because you make something technically possible for the masses doesn’t mean they’re quipped to make good design descisions.

Philosophy states: “Clean, Lean, and Mean” – “It’s designed to be lean and fast and will always stay that way” – Wait did someone miss that part in the Gutenberg design meetings? Gutenberg barely runs, it’s janky, sluggish and cluttered. It’s not clean nor fast but I guess it is mean: to everyone who doesn’t know how to turn it off.

Philosophy states: “The rule of thumb is that the core should provide features that 80% or more of end users will actually appreciate and use. If the next version of WordPress comes with a feature that the majority of users immediately want to turn off, or think they’ll never use, then we’ve blown it. If we stick to the 80% principle then this should never happen.”

Well put your money where your mouth is – 80% of users do not appreciate and use this “feature” so turn it off.

Philosophy states: “Striving for Simplicity”
Well I understand that striving isn’t the same as achieving and that it’s more exploratory, learning from mistakes and improving through trial and error. It does only work if you learn though.

Philosophy states: “The Vocal Minority
When making decisions on how to move forward with future versions of WordPress, we look to engage more of those users who are not so vocal online. We do this by meeting and talking to users at WordCamps across the globe, this gives us a better balance of understanding and ultimately allows us to make better decisions for everyone moving forward.”

Wait what? You don’t trust the people who make content online (like website developers) but you do trust people who visit convention centers.

So sorry, it’s not for me.

I have a question though.
What will it take to have the decision “to make clunky blocks the default” reversed?

• This topic was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by Steven Stern (sterndata).
• This topic was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by Jan Dembowski. Reason: Removed links
• This topic was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by andyg2.