After 20 months of hard-work, WordPress is finally overhauled. The technology rebuilt to introduce new WordPress interface from ground was codenamed Calypso and made way for JavaScript instead of PHP. Capturing 25% of the market share, WordPress improvement not only impresses bloggers, it also changes how developers view of technology!
After twelve years, WordPress finally went under the scalpel to get a revamp. Apart from noticeable code reworks, the decade old PHP framework of this hosting platform for blogs and websites made it grow from strength to strength. However in the world of technology what makes you grow can also dampen your advancement; WordPress was no exception. In lieu to keep up with the fast pace web world, rather than fixing the countless bugs and numerous edge cases, Matt Mullenweg and the team at Automattic decided it was time for a thorough overhaul. Codenamed Calypso (the new admin interface of WordPress) ditched PHP and formed an alliance with JavaScript using libraries like Node and React for the technical advancement.
A Glimpse of the Past
Beginning as early as 2003, WordPress has held its ground for more than a decade now. Preferred by millions of online users because of its free tools, plugging and themes, WordPress has been able to capture the web CMS market with ease. Based on b2/cafelog software, this hosting platform soon became the most popular PHP framework for websites capturing one-fourth of the web market.
A Look into the Future
In one go, the new version comes with an all new desktop application, refines the experience of a blogger, and gives the developers a run for their skill. Now the question comes how?
> New WordPress.com (an admin interface) is now going to be treated like a third party interface by Word Press core.
> Using JS and API calls in place of PHP and MY SQL, the server will be able to distribute a functional WordPress client that runs smoothly within the browser.
> The REST API is going to perform functions like fetching blog posts, publishing new ones along with media uploads.
> Developed as a Single Page Application, the loading screen time is reduced as well as a fully responsive experience across devices is achieved.
> The platform becomes open source on GitHub offering the flexibility to users to develop customized interfaces, plugins and themes management on Jetpack sites.
> A new Mac desktop application is developed allowing publishers to insert content to the WordPress site from MAC OS. Windows and Linux versions are expected soon.
Twitter is awashed with the news that this revamp in WordPress after years of stagnation is spurred by recent advancement introduced in Medium. The team at Automattic declines these assertions stating the wheels to revamp WordPress were put in motion much before the changes introduced in Medium came into picture. Whether true or not, this Gen-next version of WordPress is definitely going to be the game changer in the world of technology!