New Target Date for WordPress 5.0
New Target Date for WordPress 5.0 (Gutenberg)
The WordPress core team have announced that WordPress 5.0, which incorporates the block editor, code named Gutenberg, is scheduled to be released on December 6th. This is based on the testing, stability and reports on the first two release candidates. A third release candidate is now available for download and testing.
A release candidate is a version of the software that, subject to testing, could be the actual release version. It's like saying "this is it, try and break it".
If new information indicates that the software is not stable enough then the target date will be adjusted. But December 6th is so close I can almost feel it.
What if?
What if you're not ready to update to WordPress 5.0 as soon as it's released? That's OK. You can choose to hold off until you're ready to tap the button.
Major updates such as going from version 4.x.x to 5.0 are never automatic. You'll have enough time to backup your website first.
Always create a backup before updating, you never know when you may need to restore your website to an earlier version.
Gutenberg or Classic Editor? You CAN Have Both
You also have the option to upgrade to 5.0 without using the block editor. Install the Classic Editor plugin now and the writing and editing experience will not appear to change when the upgrade happens. You'll still get the other bug fixes and improvements that are part of 5.0.
I've been using the Gutenberg plugin on my production site for some months now and I'm loving the experience. I've also been testing the release candidates on a development site. For a geek like me it's exciting stuff.
I can't wait for WordPress 5.0 to be released into the wild.
Have you been using the new block editor yet? Share your experiences and concerns in the comments below.
Recent Comments
46
I installed it about a month ago and I love it. I found it easy to adjust to the blocks from the classic editor and haven't run into any problems yet thanks to your pieces of training!
Kim
I don't have a nutshell big enough, Rudy. Type Gutenberg into the dark grey search box at the top of this page and you'll find blogs and training videos that I've done.
I only tried it for an hour or so and I'm the farthest thing from a geek but I really loved it. Iwill install the classic editor just in case but I am excited to try out the Gutenberg. I normally hate changes but this looks like a good one.
Thanks Marion!
The WordPress default themes are usually released in November of the year before. e.g. Twenty Seventeen was released in November 2016. As WordPress 5.0 has been on the drawing board for so long and was expected to be released in the first half of 2018 they didn't make a Twenty Eighteen theme.
The new theme is Twenty Nineteen and it's very plain and newbie friendly. Not something I would choose for my own websites. At the moment it's only available for sites running WordPress 5.0.
When I installed Gutenberg something changed in my dashboard and I was not acquainted with it. I thought my laptop has a problem so I went outside and rented a desktop but I see it was the same. My second thought was my site was in a mess because I find difficulty in some of the dashboard features.
I remember I installed Gutenberg so I uninstalled it then everything went back to the original features. So until now, I don't use Gutenberg.
Install the Classic Editor plugin and your writing and editing experience will seem to be the same as before the upgrade.
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Thanks for the update.