Blaze Miskulin

@jdembowski

I missed this in my first read-through

If it’s the new editor then there are plugins that can address that. The Classic Editor is just one and there are others. Problem solved.

Gutenberg is not just a new editor. It’s the basis for an entirely new approach to WordPress. This has been explicitly stated.

Those plugins you recommend are a band-aid for this issue. Problem is not “solved”; it is–at most–delayed.

But really, please without a 900 word essay comment, what is exactly the problem you have with WordPress 5.0.2?

Concise version: Gutenberg has a 72% disapproval rating. It alienates most of the current userbase, is broken as a page-builder, requires significantly more time and effort to achieve the same result, and offers zero value in return.

Is that “exact” enough? If you want me to be more exact, I’ll have to exceed your 900-word limit.

Long Version: Oh dear… You’re asking a writer to be “brief”.

1) I don’t have a problem with WP 5.x

2) I have many issues and concerns with Gutenberg.

Gutenberg (as an editor/page-builder–I have no clue what future iterations will involve) assumes that all users a) are capable of using and b) want a “page editor”.

I’ve worked with a lot of clients over the past 10 years. They were charities, sub-culture communities, small businesses, and even a couple (small) international corporations.

For every one of them, the appeal of WordPress (as I have explained it to them) is the simplicity. My standard pitch has been “If you can write an e-mail, you can build a website”.

With a 1-hour class, I could teach anyone how to create pages and write posts. For advanced clients, I’ve begun to recommend the Elementor page-builder.

Gutenberg is going to alienate anyone who isn’t a “power user”. Ironically, it’s also going to alienate many who are “power users” because the builders have no clue as to the workflow of their users.

Authors don’t “create a heading | write content for that heading | create new heading | write content for that heading | rinse, repeat.”

We write a big block of text. Sometimes we add headings as we go, sometimes we add them in later. But we see an article as “one thing”–not a “series of distinct blocks”.

The Gutenberg editing tool was created by people who don’t write content–and have no clue about those that do. And seeing as how “Gutenberg” is being embraced as the new philosophy for WP, I can only assume that this approach of “frack the users, we have a vision” will continue.

Ironically, Johannes Gutenberg created a tool to bring the printed word to the masses. WP’s “Gutenberg” is making it more difficult to do so.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by Blaze Miskulin. Reason: grammar

@ budrwo

I guess that you will enjoy Drupal crap

I don’t know if you’re a WP shill, a “true believer”, or just someone who enjoys stirring up the pot. But..

There are plenty of alternatives.

Most important is the one that isn’t listed there:ClassicPress.

This change is so significant that it has actually created a fork.

Gutenberg isn’t just a tweak or an update. It’s a complete paradigm shift.

You can continue to “change one line of code”. But let’s talk two years from now when that “one line of code” is “one thousand lines of code and a shift to an entirely different back-end”. And let’s talk about how that will affect businesses that maintain dozens–if not hundreds–of installs.

WordPress brags that they power 25% of the internet. And now they’re insisting that 25% of the internet make a major change and do what WP tells them to–when 72% of the “power users” are opposed to the change.

I’m looking at ClassicPress. I’m betting that a lot of others are doing the same.

#budrwo

Why people are so sick about Gutemberg when we can simply disable it ?!

Because of this:

“Gutenberg is more than an editor. While the editor is the focus right now, the project will ultimately impact the entire publishing experience including customization (the next focus area).”

Gutenberg is more than just a page-builder or editor. It’s an entirely new approach to WordPress–one which is, many feel, in direct opposition to the ideals that have built WordPress into the industry leader that it is. And we won’t be able to “just turn it off”. Moving forward, Gutenberg will be WordPress.

I first installed WordPress v1 about 15 years ago (back when everything, including the DB, had to be setup by hand). I’ve seen a lot of changes in WP over the years. Some I liked, some I didn’t. But they were always supported by–and responsive to–the opinions of the userbase.

It’s not “drama” to speak up about such a major shift. It’s called “feedback”, and it’s what a FOSS community should want.

@ Joy

Good luck finding another CMS. It’s not easy.

Softaculous lists 16 (not including WP). And that does not include Drupal or Joomla or any cloud options. That also doesn’t take into consideration how the person/company is using the CMS.

I have clients that would do just fine with a static HTML site. Others would do well to move to an e-commerce solution.

Finding another CMS is very easy.

There was a lot of hate for the Customizer when it came out also.

Customizer can be used or ignored. It’s not a critical aspect of how people interact with the software.

Gutenberg, on the other hand, assumes that every user has advanced knowledge and skills regarding content creation and layout. Gutenberg is requiring that every user be a “page designer”. WordPress got where it is by being simple to use. And it’s ignoring that userbase.

The developers of GB have listened to a lot of feedback

That’s coming from the “power users”–the ones that even know that forums like this exist. Has WP done actual market research? Or are they relying on forum comments?

And, if you look at the ratings of Gutenberg within the WP community (based on rankings for the plugin), it’s 23% positive (4-5 stars), 4% neutral (3 stars), and 72% negative (1-2 stars)

Even the power-users don’t want it. With this change, WP’s market share is going to drop. Severely.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by Blaze Miskulin.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by Steven Stern (sterndata). Reason: fixed formatting

The CSS you originally suggested to me did not work. However, the last one you suggested to Livakee *did* work.

Thank you.

I’m having the same issue. I inserted the code above into the “Custom CSS” area, and I’m still getting a white background. I checked in a “guest” account through Chrome, as well as a completely different browser, to make sure it wasn’t an issue with the cache.

https://studio142.org/photography/fitness

I’m using the Avant theme.

Any help is appreciated.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 8 months ago by Blaze Miskulin.

I see that things are fixed in the last update. Thanks!

@nicholas

Thanks.

@ yhxxll

I’m glad to know it’s not just a case of me breaking things. (I break lots of things). ??

Thanks!

I figured there would be a way to do it, I just didn’t know what to look for.

The Disable Google Fonts plugin didn’t work (I’m not sure why).

However, I stumbled upon a plugin called Useso Take Over Google. It works like a proxy, and refers all Google references to a mirror which is accessible both inside and outside of China.

It seems to be working well.

@ Rocco

It’s disappointing to hear that there is no way to turn off Google Fonts.

The plug-in does not seem to be working–though that may be a result of the cache on the CDN. Working from within China is… “interesting”.

Thank you!

@ Jan

Let’s stop that right there. Automattic is not WordPress. They do not run these forums, they do not moderate this forums…

Nor did I say they are, do, or do.

…they do not drive WordPress development.

To say that WordPress.com–and the company which runs it–does not drive the development of WP is somewhat disingenuous. They may not own the product, but they are certainly a (if not the) major contributor. If I could find a list of primary contributors to WordPress (the CMS) how many of them would be employed by or associated with Automattic? Automattic, itself, talks about how they are very active contributors to the platform.

All the moderators here are unpaid volunteers. Making comments about their PR and CSR skills or making the mistake that this is Automattic doesn’t help solve anything.

a) I did not “mistake that this is Automattic”. I said that they should be monitoring these forums (to gather feedback, suggestions, etc.)

b) A significant aspect of feedback forums is knowing how to handle complaints[1]. Those are PR and CSR skills. Volunteers are just as capable of learning and utilizing those skills as professionals are. Sometimes, more so.

This thread is a very good example of why those skills are important. With the exception of Samuel’s replies admitting that putting the “open in a new tab” check box in the inline editor, the moderator responses have primarily pushed the conversation into a more confrontational tone.

Let’s stop that right there. […] Please refrain from that OK?

Perfect example. Those statements comes across as arrogant, insulting, condescending, and controlling. That may not have been your intent, but that’s how they will be interpreted in a thread filled with angry people.

A better response would be:

While Automattic does make a very significant contribution to WordPress, the project extends far beyond them. We welcome and encourage anyone who uses WordPress to become involved in the decision-making process. If you’d like to get involved–even in a small way–come join us at {link}

I have over 30 years of experience in customer relations, about 15 in public relations, and about 5 in cross-cultural communication. If the moderators of these forums are interested, I will volunteer to offer a 4-hour online workshop (via Skype, etc.) and written handbook of “best practices” for public relations and customer service.

—
[1] In personal forums, I have no problem getting arrogant and aggressive in my statements. But those are personal. In professional settings–volunteer or paid–I hold myself to a different standard.

{Note: Please read this post as being written in a calm and relaxed tone. I tend towards blunt phrasing, but I assure you there is no animosity or anger behind it}

@ Andrew

The decision for the feature didn’t happen in this thread or in a vacuum, please consider getting involved with these discussions while they are happening:

I don’t mean to sound impolite, but… that’s become a cliche for many of us.

I run 99.44% FOSS (including my OS). The remainder is Google services and a 20-year-old copy of PaintShop Pro I run under Wine. I, like most serious FOSS users, must pick and choose the projects we get involved with at the beta or alpha level. There just aren’t enough hours in the day to be a proactive contributor to all the projects we follow and all the software we use.

@ WordPress

There have been (let’s be honest) “pissy” reactions from both sides of this discussion. Some of us, however, are simply doing what this sub-forum has been created for: Offering feedback on items which have already been implemented.

As with any situation like this, it should be noted that proactive participants in FOSS tend to be a group which self-selects for certain characteristics which are not necessarily reflected in the general user-base. One of those characteristics is “desire for change”. Proactive participants tend to show a high positive for that characteristic, while average users tend to show a moderate to high negative.

WordPress has (rightfully) taken great pride in the fact that it is the single most popular CMS in use. It has 74% of the FOSS CMS market, and (according to WordPress itself) 26% of all websites. Compare that against the number of people who provide input on any particular proposed feature.

Threads such as this one–and the few others I have seen–should be considered with comparable weight to the pre-implementation opinions. Both are highly biased, but they offer a view of the boundaries. The best answer lies somewhere in the middle. While I think that those who are saying they’re going to leave WordPress over this are over reacting, the fact that such a simple and common part of the interface is causing such reactions should raise some red flags. Remember that these forums represent a microcosm of the tens of millions of daily users. Every person who rants here may represent thousands of silent people who feel the same, but don’t vocalize it. And tens of thousands for whom this is another nudge away from enjoying your product.

If Automattic, Inc. doesn’t have at least 5 people with extensive PR and CSR skills and experience moderating this forum, they are remiss in their duties and neglecting a valuable resource for gauging the extent of user dissatisfaction.