A platform that is not GPL would not appeal to the best and brightest. Those people recognize that the GPL has their best interests at heart by ensuring the technology remains open for all forms of learning, experimentation, customization and growth.
What is this mysterious 'platform X' that you mention? I'd love to see it's feature list and a comparison of how it stacks up.
Andrew Rickmann
· 10 months ago
Recent events would suggest otherwise.
Platform X is my own platform of choice for the comparison. It doesn't matter what it is so much as it matters that it exists.
inspirationbit
· 10 months ago
hmm, interesting. I recently attended a seminar called Future of Web Development, there was lots of talk about CMS and what/who they should cater to, etc. Wordpress definitely has its limitations, but then it hasn't been built as being a sophisticated CMS in the first place. I'm too curious to find out more about your mysterious 'platform X'. Which of the current platforms is closer to all the things you've mentioned in this post?
Andrew Rickmann
· 10 months ago
That's one of the key drawbacks of WordPress. It's history gives it flight but also drags it down. Something coded now that learns the lessons of WordPress can really improve things.
The important thing about X is whether, if all those features existed in one platform, you would switch?
inspirationbit
· 10 months ago
I would switch... but then I'm yet to see a perfect platform that does everything I need it to do. That's why we still have to chose what is the best tool to do the good job for the project we're working on. There's no such thing as a perfect CMS, depending on the project requirements I'm deciding on which CMS would be most suitable.
ringmaster
· 10 months ago
TBPTSNBN strikes again!
Andrew Rickmann
· 10 months ago
+1 to the monkey.
Matt
· 10 months ago
Database abstraction, template system, fully OO, MVC enforced, 100% modular -- you just described half a dozen platforms that got started about the same time as WordPress, and countless hundreds that have started since.
I don't know the exact reasons why WP has done as well as it has (though timing and luck is definitely part of it) but I think there's something to be said about accessibility vs "what's right" from a stereotypical Reddit/Slashdot/Digg coder's point of view. Worse is better.
Also many times bad code means bad scalability, but WP's simple approach has been shown to scale. We're currently tracking over 2 billion WP-powered pageviews per month, and that's just from people using the stats plugin.
Andrew Rickmann
· 10 months ago
That's true, I did just describe a lot. Very few of them are even close to being as usable as WordPress. All the fancy goodies in the world matter not a jot if the fundamentals aren't there.
For me the reason WordPress has done so well is because it is quite obvious how things work. It is easy to write plugins and themes for, doesn't require you to learn some excruciating template language; in short it is great for people to learn with. I learned my PHP by learning how to build on WordPress.
That really is the key to any platform that wants to compete. It must be similar enough to WordPress to be quite easy to use, it must take on those accessibility points, while doing all the other things as well. I would go so far as to say that right now, any platform that really wants to compete needs to use similar terminology and ideas to WordPress, for example, they must have hooks, and probably need to call them actions and filters.
A new platform must be WordPress with extras, without sacrificing a significant amount of simplicity, and that isn't an easy thing to do.
Ronald
· 10 months ago
Great post Andrew.
As you may have noticed, I have taken a break from most things WordPress (okay, all things). This would be the perfect time for me to jump to something new. However, WordPress is what I know best, and I'm hesitant to try new things until they are "forced" upon me.
Remkus
· 10 months ago
Shouldn't you by now Rebrand this blog to Habari-fun.co.uk? ;)
Andrew Rickmann
· 10 months ago
No, for two reasons.
1) Have you visited habari-fun.co.uk? 2) While this may seem like one big plug for Habari, I didn't mention the name because it was meant to be one more comment in the ongoing debate about the general philosophy of WordPress. Identifying what other platforms do better and where the losses will come allows use to ask the question, do we care if developers leave WordPress? If they like something else better is it our loss? Are we comfortable that this or that group of users will leave or are they no longer the core market etc. I don't think it would be relevant to write a self-congratulatory post about how Habari is going to steal all the WordPress users, but it is reasonable to point out that WordPress may start to lose some.
Having said all that: good point.
Remkus
· 10 months ago
Hehe.. hadn't actually bothered to take a look at habari-fun.co.uk until just now ;) so nr. 1 is a good reasen :) Concerning reason #2, I am noticing more and more developers starting to move away from Joomla! and Drupal to focus on WordPress and nothing that might indicate developers are turning away.
That said, it's a good point you make and one to be on the lookout for. I for one would care..
Hardeep Singh
· 9 months ago
Well I dont think I would switch - at least not easily. Especially not if the new platform is not GPL. I feel comfortable within Wordpress and the functionality that it offers today.
All Comments
What is this mysterious 'platform X' that you mention? I'd love to see it's feature list and a comparison of how it stacks up.
Platform X is my own platform of choice for the comparison. It doesn't matter what it is so much as it matters that it exists.
Wordpress definitely has its limitations, but then it hasn't been built as being a sophisticated CMS in the first place.
I'm too curious to find out more about your mysterious 'platform X'. Which of the current platforms is closer to all the things you've mentioned in this post?
The important thing about X is whether, if all those features existed in one platform, you would switch?
I don't know the exact reasons why WP has done as well as it has (though timing and luck is definitely part of it) but I think there's something to be said about accessibility vs "what's right" from a stereotypical Reddit/Slashdot/Digg coder's point of view. Worse is better.
Also many times bad code means bad scalability, but WP's simple approach has been shown to scale. We're currently tracking over 2 billion WP-powered pageviews per month, and that's just from people using the stats plugin.
For me the reason WordPress has done so well is because it is quite obvious how things work. It is easy to write plugins and themes for, doesn't require you to learn some excruciating template language; in short it is great for people to learn with. I learned my PHP by learning how to build on WordPress.
That really is the key to any platform that wants to compete. It must be similar enough to WordPress to be quite easy to use, it must take on those accessibility points, while doing all the other things as well. I would go so far as to say that right now, any platform that really wants to compete needs to use similar terminology and ideas to WordPress, for example, they must have hooks, and probably need to call them actions and filters.
A new platform must be WordPress with extras, without sacrificing a significant amount of simplicity, and that isn't an easy thing to do.
As you may have noticed, I have taken a break from most things WordPress (okay, all things). This would be the perfect time for me to jump to something new. However, WordPress is what I know best, and I'm hesitant to try new things until they are "forced" upon me.
1) Have you visited habari-fun.co.uk?
2) While this may seem like one big plug for Habari, I didn't mention the name because it was meant to be one more comment in the ongoing debate about the general philosophy of WordPress. Identifying what other platforms do better and where the losses will come allows use to ask the question, do we care if developers leave WordPress? If they like something else better is it our loss? Are we comfortable that this or that group of users will leave or are they no longer the core market etc. I don't think it would be relevant to write a self-congratulatory post about how Habari is going to steal all the WordPress users, but it is reasonable to point out that WordPress may start to lose some.
Having said all that: good point.
Concerning reason #2, I am noticing more and more developers starting to move away from Joomla! and Drupal to focus on WordPress and nothing that might indicate developers are turning away.
That said, it's a good point you make and one to be on the lookout for. I for one would care..