Matt Mullenweg, the creator of WordPress, questioned why a revamp of the WordPress homepage and download web page took weeks to nearly end when the identical challenge would take one particular person solely hours to finish utilizing an internet site builder platform like Wix or Squarespace.
What occurred is {that a} group of WordPress contributors determined to revamp the WordPress dwelling and download pages utilizing the WordPress block editor as a showcase for what may very well be achieved with the brand new editor.
Everyone commenting on the proposal expressed that it was an important thought to make use of the WordPress block editor.
But a month later, Mullenweg questioned why it took a crew of WordPress builders weeks to create simply two pages.
He wrote that he had a tough time imagining one particular person taking longer than a day to complete the challenge with Software as a Service (SaaS) web site builder platforms like Wix or Squarespace.
Mullenweg wrote:
“…it’s such a basic layout, it’s hard to imagine it taking a single person more than a day on Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, or one of the WP page builders.”
The implication of his assertion is clear.
WordPress Block Editor
The block editor, also called the WordPress Gutenberg Editor, was launched in 2018. Still, it wasn’t till 2021 when a big function of full web site modifying, the template editor, was launched as a part of WordPress 5.8 and the template editor.
More elements of the whole web site modifying expertise adopted over the months.
The purpose of the block editor is to modernize WordPress and make it simple for anybody to put in and begin constructing an internet site quick.
The block editor is the way forward for WordPress, nevertheless it’s not fairly completed because it continues to be improved upon.
WordPress Home Page Revamp
On July eighth, 2022, a WordPress contributor (and worker of Automattic) introduced the kickoff of a redesign of the official WordPress.org homepage and download web page, with the proposal of doing it utilizing WordPress’ block editor.
The block editor is a part of the WordPress initiative to modernize it and make it simple to design web sites with out studying code.
The thought was to showcase the WordPress block editor.
The announcement was properly acquired.
One WordPress contributor commented:
“I’m very excited to see this challenge blossom for WordPress.
…Leveraging the homepage as a spot to showcase every part fashionable, progressive, and empowering, that WordPress will be, can be a beautiful goal.
In different phrases, with WordPress, you may mainly do something – construct something.
I’d like to see the design showcase the modernization of the location editor and structure capabilities – even going as far as to do issues many haven’t seen earlier than.”
Another posted:
“I’m super excited about this project!”
Someone else wrote that it was a good way to showcase the editor and the WordPress group:
“The greatest alternative I’m seeing, on the Homepage particularly, is a extra cohesive WordPress story.
Aside from the ability of the software program itself and what it could actually do, there’s the entire group of individuals which have been coming collectively frequently to share in a motion.”
All the feedback had been constructive and upbeat.
Then about eight days later, Mullenweg criticized how lengthy it not too long ago took to revamp the WordPress News web page and famous that this challenge shouldn’t take as lengthy to finish.
He posted:
“This ought to take per week or two to launch, not months, and essentially the most fascinating half would be the stats and suggestions after launch, and any subsequent iterations we make from there, not an extended course of earlier than.
The /information redesign took a criminally very long time.
We have quite a lot of .org to revamp, and quite a lot of amassed cruft for instance within the navigation proper now — we are able to’t take too lengthy on anyone half.”
One Month Later… Mullenweg Criticizes Pace of Project
A month glided by because the crew labored collectively creating the 2 pages, and on August 1st, they shared an replace in a publish titled, Developing the redesigned Home and Download Pages.
The publish is a cheerful replace on all of the progress that has been made on the nonetheless incomplete redesign.
Eight days later, Mullenweg kicks off the dialogue by criticizing the trouble, commenting:
“This is not a good use of time, nor does it further the actual goals of a new homepage or download page, and we have better places to spend our development time.”
The developer who is main the redesign defended the tempo of progress, writing:
“That’s less than three weeks from design to launch and I’m very proud of the collaborative work the team has been able to do. The new theme is great. The teams involved have built an outstanding theme in record time. I think people will love it.”
Others additionally posted help for the progress.
Mullenweg criticized the tempo of the redesign:
“33 days since project kickoff doesn’t feel quick to me, but I think it’s worth diving deeper into not trying to turn Figma designs into a theme quickly (again though, that should be hours not weeks)…”
He subsequent expressed his imaginative and prescient that this ought to be progressing sooner:
“You could imagine a world where instead of taking more than a month to launch a single design, which implies a maximum rate of under 12 of these we could do in a year, we made 20-30 designs up front, ideally with very different approaches and copy, and focused our development time on measuring the success metrics of each approach, then iterated from there.”
He then in contrast the slowness of growing on WordPress to how briskly it is on SaaS web site builder platforms:
“…On the ‘hours not weeks’ to implement — it’s such a basic layout, it’s hard to imagine it taking a single person more than a day on Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, or one of the WP page builders.”
Lastly, he steered utilizing the prevailing code method:
“So, if we’re simply doing a prettier model of the identical factor, make these adjustments in place with the prevailing code method shortly and transfer on to one thing larger worth.
If you are attempting to additional WP itself, you want a basically totally different method.”
Response To Criticism
The response on Twitter ranged from sarcastic digs at WordPress to help for the crew engaged on the redesign.
The proprietor of WordPress complaining (to his volunteers) {that a} block theme takes too lengthy and they need to simply replace the customized HTML of their present theme… Welcome to the final 5 years of block modifying @photomatt!https://t.co/mI4zKBnO6T
— Brian Coords (@briancoords) August 11, 2022
33 days from kickoff to launch is fast in any enterprise challenge.
— John Locke 🐝 (@Lockedown_) August 11, 2022
Wow. Did Matt simply nuke block themes on the whole? That was very regarding.
— Hendrik Luehrsen (@hluehrsen) August 11, 2022
But some supported Mullenweg:
I gotta say I’m with @photomatt right here. 33 days for a tender relaunch of two touchdown pages, web page builder or not, is … so much.
I too have used static php/html for load heavy pages. That being stated, devs working unfastened on their very own, it occurs in each challenge. No biggie, me thinks.
— Peter Carqueville (@PCarqueville) August 11, 2022
Is WordPress Inferior To SaaS Website Builders?
Mullenweg’s remark probably reiterated the WordPress imaginative and prescient that growth ought to be quick and straightforward.
From that perspective, 33 days to recreate an present design may very well be seen as lower than ideally suited.
Could it’s that SaaS web site builders like Wix, Duda, and Squarespace have already surpassed WordPress?
Featured picture by Shutterstock/Luis Molinero
