Blocks, Boards & Fishing Reels - How Gutenberg has Divided WordPress

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  Paul Lacey  |  Friday, 12 Nov 2021  |  Reading time:  34 mins  | Read online Listen to the episode

This is content was sponsored by Connekt. They create handcrafted digital products, like WordPress plugins and themes. This was part of the WP Minute content bounty program where today’s author earned $200 to write and record this post. Thanks to Connekt for helping us create content like this.

Today’s episode is bittersweet.

It’s one man’s take on how Gutenberg has impacted the WordPress community deeply — down to the core. How the weight of control shifting in our space has shuttered him. The constant tug-of-war feeling that splits our community. And with all that, making this his final act for WordPress…for now.

This man is former WP Minute Managing Editor, Paul Lacey. I’ve known Paul for a while, he’s a great person and genuinely cares about the people around him.

He and I both hoped that the WP Minute project was different enough to re-energize his love for the space, but it only masked it temporarily. Ironically, it was through today’s essay/podcast, that reassured that stepping away from WordPress is the best thing for him.

I wish him all the best, and I hope you do too.

By the way, the content bounty program that Connekt supported, Paul wants me to donate the $200 to Big Orange Heart.

Enjoy today’s episode, with Paul.

Change

In the 2015 State of the Word, Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic gave the community a homework assignment – “Learn Javascript, deeply”, “because it’s what’s going to allow WordPress to thrive for the next 13 years”. It was a clear signal that something was coming, something new, and something big.  And that something, was change. 

Change in industry can be a great thing, in fact with change more often than not comes great opportunities for those willing and eager to embrace. 

But then there are others that don’t really have a great deal of control over their place within the system, they are forced to adapt and accept.  For those people, change can be bad. 

Fishing Reels, 50 Pence Wedding Rings & The Printing Press

Growing up in a working class family in the 80s, we weren’t poor, but money was tight, and work was always hard.  My Dad was a toolmaker in a precision engineering factory.  He and hundreds of his workmates worked long and hard hours – paid by the hour.  But something kept them together, with a sense of place – the community.  The individuals within the company’s community formed groups – fishing clubs, chess clubs, table tennis and football (soccer) tournaments, reading clubs, dance nights, live music, street parties for the whole families of the workers – all run by volunteers, and self funded by the community itself.  

My Dad specifically was involved in the fishing clubs and competitions, he used his skills to make fishing spools and reels which he would sell to his friends at cost.  He even made his own wedding ring out of a melted down Fifty pence coin with the likeness of Her Majesty The Queen’s distorted image wrapped around his finger on the inside.

Industrial progress, growth and maturity ultimately led to change.  The company was bought out by an American investor and was broken up. New teams from the States were brought in to modernise and capture new business opportunities.  

The precision engineering part of the company was closed to be replaced by a printing press business.  After over 20 years, my Dad lost his job, as did all of his friends. The community broke up, fractured, people lost touch.  You can replace the jobs, but you can’t replace the community, once it’s gone, it’s gone.  

This sense of community is something I’ve had within me for my whole life too.  I’ve always sought out a tribe of like minded people. I was always playing bands in local music scenes, and traveling the UK skateboarding – meeting new people and gaining new insights and experiences.  

Photo by shawn henry on Unsplash

Matt’s Memorial

Around the time I finished University I broke my ankle. Slowly, I hobbled away from Skateboarding. But the feel of that community is always with me.  When one of my best friends from those days, Matt, died a few years ago I attended his funeral and over a hundred old friends from the Skateboarding communit...