Gutenberg on High-stakes Sites and Core Roadmaps with Fabian Kägy
Dec 4, 2024
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Fabian Kägy, the director of editorial engineering at 10up, shares his journey from a small agency owner in Germany to shaping large-scale WordPress projects. He dives into the evolution of the Gutenberg block editor and the balance between high-stakes client work and open-source contributions. The conversation highlights the challenges of block development, especially in navigation menus, and discusses the potential of the block bindings API. Fabian also expresses optimism for the future of WordPress and the continued progress of Gutenberg.
Fabian Kägy emphasizes the importance of balancing client-focused project management with contributions to the open-source WordPress community for enhanced quality.
The podcast discusses the excitement surrounding Gutenberg's capabilities, particularly in creating sophisticated site designs and improving navigation systems in WordPress.
Deep dives
Background and Career Journey
Fabian has significant experience in the WordPress ecosystem, beginning his journey just before the introduction of the block editor. He co-founded a small agency in Germany that focused on local businesses, where he worked for about five years before transitioning to a larger team at TenUp in 2020. At TenUp, he now serves as the director of editorial engineering, playing a crucial role in overseeing the implementation of the block editor in large-scale WordPress projects. His background blends entrepreneurship and front-end design, allowing him to bridge the gap between small site development and complex, high-stakes builds.
Role and Responsibilities
Fabian's role is a unique combination of client-focused project management and contributions to WordPress core. He dedicates half of his time to technical leadership on client projects, while the other half is split between advocating for agency needs in WordPress core and building internal training resources. This structure allows him to focus on enhancing project quality and also address ground-level issues developers face. By developing open-source solutions, he aims to ensure that the agency's workflow and resources continuously improve.
Challenges and Advances in Development
There is a notable tension between working on client projects and contributing to the open-source community, which Fabian acknowledges as both challenging and beneficial. Divergent priorities between client needs and core development can complicate the workflow, particularly when tools do not align with industry needs. Despite these challenges, he observes a growing enthusiasm among agency developers for not just using, but advancing the block editor for their projects. This excitement reflects a shift in perspective about WordPress as developers increasingly appreciate the block editor's capabilities for more sophisticated site development.
Future of WordPress and Block-Based Themes
Fabian expresses optimism about the evolution of WordPress, particularly regarding block-based themes and the integration of the block editor. He highlights the need for more refined navigation systems and emphasizes the importance of core improvements to meet agency standards. With the ongoing development of capabilities within Gutenberg, such as the block bindings API, he sees potential for a better separation of content and design elements. This shift could ultimately create a more robust framework that caters to both developers' and clients' needs while making site maintenance easier.
We discuss Fabian's journey in the WordPress ecosystem, his role at 10up, and the evolution of the Gutenberg block editor. We explore the balance between client work and open source contributions, the impact of the block editor on web development, and the challenges faced in block development. The discussion also touches on the future of navigation menus in WordPress and the optimism surrounding Gutenberg's progress.