WordPress 5.0 “Bebo” was released on December 6, 2018, and it has brought significant changes to WordPress and the way we blog. The most talked-about change is Gutenberg – Automattic’s own block-based editing creation. It has been rolled into WordPress.org as well and touted as the future of WordPress. The editor offers users a handful of blocks to insert, edit and click & drag to reorder. These cover most of the features in the previous TinyMCE (with a few new options thrown in), but as visual “blocks.”
In theory, users can take advantage of Gutenberg’s options to create stunning and unique posts/pages. However, for those running a straightforward blog, the new block editor can slow you down a bit. If you want to build truly awesome pages, you should be using a more established page builder – not a content editor. Gutenberg’s modest offering of core modules simply can’t compare to a robust page builder like Elementor.
Designed to work with Gutenberg, the Twenty Nineteen theme is a minimal black and white styled theme using system fonts. There’s a left-aligned logo and navigation menu, with one widget area in the footer. The only two unique features appear to be a social icons menu (added to the header) and a main accent color (which can be changed in the customizer) used for links, hover effects, and image filters. Other than that, Twenty Nineteen is a blank canvas. It literally is what you make of it.
For developers, there are a handful of changes (you should really read the 5.0 dev notes to get the full picture) but many are Gutenberg related. WordPress 5.0 barely made it into 2018, but it’s here and regardless of your feelings about Gutenberg, it’s a good idea to update (just remember to backup WordPress first in case you run into any plugin or theme incompatibilities).
WordPress 5.0 is a significant update that brings with it some big changes to WordPress and the way we’ll be blogging. Gutenberg is the most talked-about change, and it offers users a handful of blocks to insert, edit and click & drag to reorder. However, for those running a straightforward blog, the new block editor can slow you down a bit. The Twenty Nineteen theme is designed to work with Gutenberg, and it’s a minimal black and white styled theme using system fonts. For developers, there are a handful of changes, but many are Gutenberg related. It’s a good idea to update to WordPress 5.0, but remember to backup WordPress first in case you run into any plugin or theme incompatibilities.
