ClassicPress strikes 2

I have always regarded the move by Automattic to embed blocks in the back-end of WordPress (the so-called Gutenberg revolution) as an attempt to solve a problem that they thought they had. I have never seen it as having anything to do with solving a problem that they thought I might have.

The problem they thought they need to solve: Wix and the growing number of similar drag and drop site builders. These threatened the dominance of WordPress.com by offering an easier way in to publishing a simple website.

The whole block ethos posed a problem for me insofar as I did not publish that kind of site. Blocks might seem fine for one-page sites, or sites where every “page” needs to have its own look and fee. Sites where we can fairly describe the content as simple and the design as relatively complex; where the design provides the excitement and the distinguishing features.

I would describe my sites, on the other hand, whether anyone likes them or not, not as design-heavy but as content-heavy. They contain writing and images which simply need a consistent framework within which they hang. The design of the site rests in the hand-crafted theme, and has no need of blocks whatsoever.

I therefore switched to ClassicPress, a fork of WordPress 4.9 (the last version before blocks became compulsory), as soon as I discovered it. I knew it might not last but I went along for the ride.

Happily ClassicPress 2 has just emerged. This “is a re-fork, based on WordPress 6.2.3”. I have installed it on two sites with no more than two minutes of hassle on each.

Support ClassicPress now!