Gutenberg: The Future Of WordPress?

When WordPress 5.0 Releases, it will include the result of Project Gutenberg, which seems to be a re-imagining of the way we work with content in WordPress. There has been a tremendous amount of trepidation behind this update, with many WordPress users running around as if the sky is falling. Just check out all the 1-Star Reviews already: https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/gutenberg/reviews/?filter=1

The development of this update has been open and transparent, including allowing anyone to try it via a Plug-In version, which is how I am drafting this post. I appreciate how open this process has been, and how easy it is to get a glimpse of the future of WordPress. 

Is this the Future?

So what is Gutenberg? Initially, I thought it was just a re-tool of the standard WordPress text editor, TinyMCE, which has been the standard for Web text boxes for many years. It turns out I was only partially correct. What Gutenberg really is, is a whole new way to interact with your WordPress content. It’s a simple and fluid way to build content in WordPress. Right now I am using it for a post, but I can see it being used to build pages just as well.   

At this point, the editor is pretty basic, but it does the trick. It’s miles better than the text box it replaces for building Posts, with awesome elements to really make your blog posts stand out. There are already some extensions for the new interface on the Plug-in Repository that look very interesting. 
Check out this interview with the Design Lead on the WPBuilds PodCast, which is full of great information about the thought process, which really got me excited about this new WordPress element. https://wpbuilds.com/2018/06/14/episode-80-gutenbergs-design-lead-
tammie-lister-explains-what-its-all-about/ 

As you can see above, they have not added the ability to add custom text to a URL link, which shows they still have a ways to go. This Quote Block is really awesome though!

James Barratt

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I am super impressed by Gutenberg. It just makes sense, and it feels fast, smooth and modern. While the team clearly has some work to do get it ready for prime time, the foundations are solid. This is definitely going improve WordPress for the better!