Title: Proposed WordPress 5.0 Scope and Schedule Author: Gary Pendergast Published: October 3, 2018 Last modified: October 10, 2018 --- [ ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/pento/) [Gary Pendergast](https://profiles.wordpress.org/pento/) 8:34 pm _on_ October 3, 2018 Tags: [5.0 ( 36 )](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/5-0/) # Proposed WordPress 5.0 Scope and Schedule WordPress 5.0 will be focussed on merging the GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. [https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/](https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/) pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress. org Plugin Directory [https://wordpress.org/plugins/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/) or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. into trunktrunk A directory in Subversion containing the latest development code in preparation for the next major release cycle. If you are running "trunk", then you are on the latest revision.. In addition, there are two related areas of new development: * Updating the default themes to work well with the blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. editor, and creating the new Twenty Nineteen theme. * Creating an upgrade experience to remove the Gutenberg plugin and offer the Classic Editor plugin. Given the scope of this change, there won’t be any extra feature focusses. In order to ensure that we can keep the release schedule, minor changes, and bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. fixes will only be included on a case-by-case basis. Here is the proposed release schedule for WordPress 5.0: **WordPress 5.0 Kickoff meeting**: October 3, 2018 (Today! Now!) **BetaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in- house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. 1**: October 19, 2018 **RCrelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see [alpha (beta)](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2018/10/03/proposed-wordpress-5-0-scope-and-schedule/?output_format=md#alpha-beta). 1**: October 30, 2018 **Release**: November 19, 2018 We know there is a chance that 5.0 will need additional time, so these dates can slip by up to 8 days if needed. If additional time beyond that is required, we will instead aim for the following dates: **Secondary RC 1**: January 8, 2019 **Secondary Release**: January 22, 2019 Should we need to switch to the secondary dates, this will be communicated as soon as we’re aware. It’s also important to note that we have some updates for PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 7.4 or higher 7.3 compatibility that must be released in 2018 regardless, and we would have a short 4.9.9 release cycle for them if needed. I expect the WordPress 5.1 release will be available around March 2019, allowing features outside of the block editor to be launched then. [#5-0](https://make.wordpress.org/core/tag/5-0/) ### Share this: * [ Threads ](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2018/10/03/proposed-wordpress-5-0-scope-and-schedule/?share=threads) * [ Mastodon ](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2018/10/03/proposed-wordpress-5-0-scope-and-schedule/?share=mastodon) * [ Bluesky ](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2018/10/03/proposed-wordpress-5-0-scope-and-schedule/?share=bluesky) * [ X ](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2018/10/03/proposed-wordpress-5-0-scope-and-schedule/?share=x) * [ Facebook ](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2018/10/03/proposed-wordpress-5-0-scope-and-schedule/?share=facebook) * [ LinkedIn ](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2018/10/03/proposed-wordpress-5-0-scope-and-schedule/?share=linkedin) 1. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/eb8304a2f2a2560b6e404cd343dbcd73ec3ebd3ec44d8538bbedf6cc5a8f8572? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 2. [Luciano Croce](https://profiles.wordpress.org/luciano-croce/) 8:49 pm _on_ October 3, 2018 3. Yeah! 4. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/3c47f25cb051a0ae3c8929aeb4af45f1c2ccbdb62b42115569424b3924bd989d? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 5. [Rachel Cherry](https://profiles.wordpress.org/bamadesigner/) 8:55 pm _on_ October 3, 2018 6. Please consider that these November dates are bumping right into a chain of major US and global holidays: Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not to mention that a large amount of the WordPress community will be amping up for, and spending time at, WordCampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. [Learn more](https://central.wordcamp.org/about/). US in early December. 7. With a change this large, there will no doubt be a vast amount of support and work required upon release. Please consider aiming for the January release as to not risk the chance of throwing a huge wrench in everyone’s end of year vacation and family time. 8. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6845456dbc9056f20a4cd50a6b95db78f2ae31df5c0601c613ee5b8939c41a82? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [Jon Brown](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jb510/) 9:07 pm _on_ October 3, 2018 * this… * I really do wish you all good luck with releasing before WCUS… but… * Planning from the outset to have an extended 5.0 betaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. and extended 5.0 RCrelease candidate One of the final stages in the version release cycle, this version signals the potential to be a final release to the public. Also see [alpha (beta)](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2018/10/03/proposed-wordpress-5-0-scope-and-schedule/?output_format=md#alpha-beta). period that spanned Nov > Jan across WCUS I think would make a lot more sense than trying to push it out before WCUS… not to mention I’m pretty sure it would alleviate a lot of the abject FEAR people have of 5.0 at this point. * Insert Thelma and Louise git here…. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/53ab95580196d9e76a69d95588d59f2105e2a48ab7982e75b07dc804682e0103? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [Brian Jackson](https://profiles.wordpress.org/brianleejackson/) 9:08 pm _on_ October 3, 2018 * This ☝. - ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/843d6bdf2ce104d96b205e682c4ecaab8567b2571caa7056a7f55a1d4d9b5521? s=32&d=mm&r=g) - [Neil Murray](https://profiles.wordpress.org/buzztone/) 9:19 pm _on_ October 3, 2018 - I’m planning my holidays around a January 22, 2019 (or later) release for 5.0 – a November release has less than 0.01% chance of success IMO. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/49ce6f509c945b9c9009f75cae274d4d827e26b25616141df82e4fbdfaa207c8? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [Josh Pollock](https://profiles.wordpress.org/shelob9/) 9:37 pm _on_ October 3, 2018 * I strongly agree with Rachel. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/52019179cd40be9c6cf04ced522c373207654a0d912d391c168e1329a46ba44a? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [ramseyp](https://profiles.wordpress.org/ramseyp/) 9:49 pm _on_ October 3, 2018 * Very well said, Rachel. Putting myself into clients’ shoes, I would certainly avoid a major releasemajor release A release, identified by the first two numbers( 3.6), which is the focus of a full release cycle and feature development. WordPress uses decimaling count for major release versions, so 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, and 3.1 are sequential and comparable in scope. upgrade 4 days prior to Black Friday and the holiday e-commerce season. Given the percentage of annual sales during the November & December months, I would push off the upgrade till January. * Managed hosting providers have policies around how they handle major WordPress releases. A November 19 release date certainly makes it possible automatic updates to 5 will fall within Q4. Yes, that’s not within the CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. team’s purview, but it will be something to consider on this end of things. * I’m excited to see a release date become more solid! I’ve always anticipated a three to six month adoption cycle for the projects I work with. Now I can overlay that with real dates. I see issues in the first 6 weeks where we’ll need to definitely defer updating. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e522019adbe7cb4145f9e01c344c036baaa8bf76cd5d76e6b737b60be9af88cc? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [Gary Pendergast](https://profiles.wordpress.org/pento/) 10:01 pm _on_ October 3, 2018 * Unfortunately, any release date we choose will inevitably coincide with a major holiday somewhere around the world. For example, a late January release will risk running into Chinese New Year. * There are a couple of options available to you, depending on your particular requirements. * If you control your sites or client sites, you can choose to not upgrade to WordPress 5.0 until you’re ready. It won’t be an auto update, and if there are subsequent 5.0.x security releases, these fixes will be backported to 4.9, as we always do. * If you have concerns about clients upgrading sites themselves before they’re ready, you can test how it’ll work now, by installing the GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. [https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/](https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/) and Classic Editor plugins on WordPress 4.9.8: if the site continues to work as expected, then you should install the Classic Editor pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress. org Plugin Directory [https://wordpress.org/plugins/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/) or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. on their site now, and any subsequent upgrade to 5.0 will cause the Classic Editor to remain the default.( If the site doesn’t work as expected, please file a bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. report, so we can get that fixed up.) 🙂 * If you have different requirements, please tell us about them! - ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/52019179cd40be9c6cf04ced522c373207654a0d912d391c168e1329a46ba44a? s=32&d=mm&r=g) - [ramseyp](https://profiles.wordpress.org/ramseyp/) 10:07 pm _on_ October 3, 2018 - Yep. That’s already factored in on our end. Working w/global teams I totally get trying to find a time that’s best for all. - ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/80c838b93c23e1188834951292bef5eabd69d9f171f22841d643b94cc7970430? s=32&d=mm&r=g) - [Dave Loodts](https://profiles.wordpress.org/davelo/) 6:46 am _on_ October 4, 2018 - I strongly agree with Rachel, lift the release over the holiday’s like Black Friday, etc. Looks like you guys can’t imagine that a lot of people are still unaware of GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses‘ blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. [https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/](https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/). Remember: only a tiny fraction is a member of the WP-community and aware. Or have created their e-commerce site on their own without a pro-webdesigner telling him/her that Gutenberg can brake their sites. - If the release is coming (whenever) it would be a good option to have a explicit and clear call-out that sites can break, and mention a link to some documentation how people can test their site local, for example a tool like Flywheel (even handy for non-coders) - ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/22dfceb0d0f231dabeae1c6959218b57f9943ff418526688ae258c10a3092d64? s=32&d=mm&r=g) - [Joe Casabona](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jcasabona/) 3:48 pm _on_ October 4, 2018 - This is a fair point, but if we’re looking to reduce the impact, according to .org’s very own stats, almost half of WordPress locales are US English, vs. Chinese which combined makes up just over 1%. [https://wordpress.org/about/stats/](https://wordpress.org/about/stats/) - I don’t think it’s far-fetched to say that a mid-late Nov launch doesn’t just negatively impact the US market for holidays. It’s perhaps the worst time in general for a large majority of WordPress users. - ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/fa1675858df18178ecaee955ff16f29142492a5d2973b6461c11d4675f6db69f? s=32&d=mm&r=g) - [Morten Rand-Hendriksen](https://profiles.wordpress.org/mor10/) 5:24 pm _on_ October 4, 2018 - I disagree with your assessment Gary. The “it’s the responsibility of each site owner to know when to update” reads like an abdication of duty of care to its users from WordPress coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.. A significant portion of WordPress users are not aware of GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. [https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/](https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/) and will remain unaware until 5.0 comes out. For many of these users, their first experience will come when their hosting provider updates them which is something more and more hosts now do unless explicitly told not to. For others, the update will be done out of an abundance of caution and adherence to our own best practice marketing which explicitly tells people to update to stay secure. - While Thanksgiving only happens in the US in November, the US has a significant number of WordPress sites and users who will be directly affected by this update. it will impact their businesses, their organizations, their lives. - Moving the release by a week to allow it to happen _after_ Thanksgiving would alleviate some of the immediate impact. - We are the WordPress 1%. The people we build WordPress for are not in these conversations, nor are they aware of what is happening. They trust WordPress to “do the right thing”. In this case, from my perspective, that is to at least avoid a major releasemajor release A release, identified by the first two numbers (3.6), which is the focus of a full release cycle and feature development. WordPress uses decimaling count for major release versions, so 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, and 3.1 are sequential and comparable in scope. a few days before a major holiday. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/159809dfab0a85f45676bc7f19fccac51238504c6b549520c985901b429371b6? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [Val Lynn](https://profiles.wordpress.org/vlbooth/) 7:48 pm _on_ October 4, 2018 * > We are the WordPress 1%. * Thank you. I am anxiously awaiting the release but will not impose it on any existing WordPress site. I’ll build from scratch first because Im in the 99%! (But very excited for GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. [https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/](https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/)!) * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d71a5f156e5e183a240722d6a7909f819a06fc1f69b19259ac128d1b1dfa7a2a? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [Thomas Audunhus](https://profiles.wordpress.org/audunhus/) 4:31 pm _on_ October 20, 2018 * > While Thanksgiving only happens in the US in November, the US has a > significant number of WordPress sites and users who will be directly > affected by this update. it will impact their businesses, their organizations, > their lives. * One should not forget that WordPress powers WooCommerce, which is the eCommerce platform with the most number of sites ([https://trends.builtwith.com/shop](https://trends.builtwith.com/shop)). And in eCommerce the Thanksgiving weekend does not only happen in the US. Black Friday and Cyber Monday is growing to be a global happening in commerce. For many, these days help turning red numbers into black numbers. We can, of course, still say “WordPress is just a blogblog ( versus network, site) tool”, but the reality is quite different. * To release a major update like this, just a few days before this global happening in commerce, is in my mind a **very bad idea**. As you point out, * > The people we build WordPress for are not in these conversations, nor > are they aware of what is happening. They trust WordPress to “do the > right thing”. * and * > A significant portion of WordPress users are not aware of GutenbergGutenberg > The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The > editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, > making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness > rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. > [https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/](https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/) > and will remain unaware until 5.0 comes out. - ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/49ce6f509c945b9c9009f75cae274d4d827e26b25616141df82e4fbdfaa207c8? s=32&d=mm&r=g) - [Josh Pollock](https://profiles.wordpress.org/shelob9/) 6:04 pm _on_ October 4, 2018 - Gary, yes there is always a holiday. - Releasing the biggest and least backwards compatible update to the most popular CMS right before the weekend where we can safely assume web traffic is going to double, seems like an unessacary risk. - [https://www.freshrelevance.com/blog/web-traffic-figures-for-black-friday-2017](https://www.freshrelevance.com/blog/web-traffic-figures-for-black-friday-2017) - ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/27180c82524020e7339e2b30818b6d8ab004c54f730f12b1434b1e365be0e175? s=32&d=mm&r=g) - [Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)](https://profiles.wordpress.org/ipstenu/) 7:11 pm _on_ October 4, 2018 - My concern remains twofold. - 1) It’s right before the biggest sales splurge of the year, internationally. There’s a high risk of negative impact on ecommerce sites. - 2) It’s right before WCUS when the experts who should be available to deal with fall out will have had _no_ downtime/break, and thus have to juggle updates + wordcampWordCamp WordCamps are casual, locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. They're one of the places where the WordPress community comes together to teach one another what they’ve learned throughout the year and share the joy. [Learn more](https://central.wordcamp.org/about/).. There’s a high risk of burnout. - The second one is difficult to enumerate, but I feel like this plan is ignorant of the reality that the brunt of the work of an update is felt in the two to three weeks **following** a major releasemajor release A release, identified by the first two numbers (3.6), which is the focus of a full release cycle and feature development. WordPress uses decimaling count for major release versions, so 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, and 3.1 are sequential and comparable in scope.. That’s when customers update, and when people need help. - The 19th is the Monday before US Thanksgiving. People are already on vacation. Those are the same people who are likely to be at WCUS. This schedule will force many of them to have to work on vacation. - There won’t be a perfect time to release, but there certainly are times we can look at and go “This is probably bad…” I think this is a case of the latter. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/8013a62d7397c006bae48b96d6832a573ea71a7d5d3597fe584210567b508c05? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [Justin Tadlock](https://profiles.wordpress.org/greenshady/) 1:32 pm _on_ October 4, 2018 * I strongly agree with this. Shooting for a major releasemajor release A release, identified by the first two numbers (3.6), which is the focus of a full release cycle and feature development. WordPress uses decimaling count for major release versions, so 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, and 3.1 are sequential and comparable in scope. in 1.5 months, right when the biggest U.S. holiday season of the year begins is not ideal. * Some of us would like to spend Thanksgiving week with our family and friends and not handling support requests for the users who unwittingly upgrade to 5.0 without knowing how big of a change it is. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/33210c33c23f17cee287bd150ae811bfdf0f163fd2ef93072e8b8d725035cef0? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * Anonymous User 2:42 pm _on_ October 26, 2018 * If WordPress wants to be known as a stable e-commerce platform, it should wait until January. Please look past the end of your nose. 9. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/b5ca564d8bf80a3c1849c46b9afd3d3ed6d497aaab66d4d22ccda277cf6dcf66? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 10. [Russell Jamieson](https://profiles.wordpress.org/powerblogservice/) 9:35 pm _on_ October 3, 2018 11. Excellent news. Bring it on! 12. However, anyone doing e-commerce will want to stick with a stable WordPress 4.9. x through Black Friday and Christmas before updating to WordPress 5.0. 13. A January release would be just fine and give us pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory [https://wordpress.org/plugins/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/) or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. developers the holiday period to ensure our offerings are fully GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. [https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/](https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/) compatible. 14. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7e5bf1cbf3148e21540130578a93027f636b03b9f378352dfa9f7810f31a8dc9? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 15. [Quang](https://profiles.wordpress.org/quangpro1610/) 4:03 am _on_ October 4, 2018 16. Có vẻ ngon đấy 😀 17. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/06e0e70fc0dd798b381ac4621056853416dc0df03f6298ce34bca1931e750fd2? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 18. [Fahim Murshed](https://profiles.wordpress.org/fahimmurshed/) 7:10 am _on_ October 4, 2018 19. Waiting… 20. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/806814895466fbffe3a788a45451b3afa695570f8c2a6f6913db6aa5e2cb3178? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 21. [Mikel King](https://profiles.wordpress.org/vizkr/) 1:12 pm _on_ October 4, 2018 22. [@pento](https://profiles.wordpress.org/pento/) is right no matter when the release happens there’s always a chance of colliding with some other major holiday cycle or another. 23. In addition while this is a major releasemajor release A release, identified by the first two numbers (3.6), which is the focus of a full release cycle and feature development. WordPress uses decimaling count for major release versions, so 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, and 3.1 are sequential and comparable in scope. of WordPress, there is nothing forcing you to upgrade until you are ready to upgrade. It is not a security release thus only the fear of missing out on that new WordPress/GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. [https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/](https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/) smell is all that would make you want to upgrade, then don’t. 24. Until you are ready in January. 25. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/6ae5aac9c9f6b33d57fb70c593808445da3aefe9cc3a250641073a199810414c? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [Paul Gilzow](https://profiles.wordpress.org/gilzow/) 5:29 pm _on_ October 4, 2018 * That’s great… unless you have institutional policies that require you to be on a _supported_ version of an application. And while the coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. team has _historically_ supported older versions, according to [WordPress’ own stated policy](https://codex.wordpress.org/Supported_Versions): * > The only current officially supported version is WordPress 4.9.8. Previous > major releases before this may or may not get security updates as serious > exploits are discovered. * As I’ve not seen anything stated to the contrary, I’m assuming that will change to “5.0.0” once 5 is released. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/52019179cd40be9c6cf04ced522c373207654a0d912d391c168e1329a46ba44a? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [ramseyp](https://profiles.wordpress.org/ramseyp/) 7:37 pm _on_ October 4, 2018 * I think the “holiday cycle” discussion point should be less about Thanksgiving/ Christmas and more about the busiest online shopping time of year. WordPress is how much of the Web? WooCommerce is how much of the eCommerce space? * A Q4 release date runs counter to the practice of locking things down on production so you don’t risk interrupting your online sales. 26. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a677fc8ada394d7bed5cd7f1afb03f6abc65f6945e5e2d5af65da615a0c97c5f? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 27. [Frank Warwick](https://profiles.wordpress.org/wackonerd/) 1:31 am _on_ October 5, 2018 28. Believe it or not, the US is not the center of the world or of the WordPress community. 29. World populations: Europe 330 million South America 420 million Indo-Asia is 600 million India 1.35 billion China 1.42 billion 30. It sort of makes the 300 million population of the US a minor area in the big scheme of things. 31. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/791ded069605f3b6694ee222fc44e409a191c4393988a21330cdc2dfbfbbe10f? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [johndnixon](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jnixon/) 4:54 pm _on_ October 11, 2018 * I understand what you’re saying but please go back and look at these numbers from a WordPress usage standpoint and not just general population numbers. 32. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/04bb7c15364787ebe4390e3c9a19c0934de5e336c035402bfbd63e6b0ba819a2? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 33. [cactusview](https://profiles.wordpress.org/tcvault/) 3:06 am _on_ October 5, 2018 34. Adding my voice to the “Please wait for this update until January” plea. 35. My woocommerce site is on managed wordpress hosting, and while I am allowed to defer major updates such as 5.0, should there be a minor security update after that the update would then be forced on my site. 36. With a major update like this, I’m expecting a minor security update to coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. to be released rather quickly, so the idea that we have a choice in applying these updates or not is simply not true. 37. I’ve been in ecommerce for 15 years. Around the world, the Christmas season is the highest for ecommerce sales, no matter where you are from. 38. Even if you don’t have an ecommerce site, people are looking for recipes, product reviews from wordpress bloggers, sites running affiliate links, and much more. It makes sooo much more sense to wait until January. 39. Oh and by the way, the only reason I know about this is because I built my own site. If I had a designer or developer work on it, I’d have no idea. 40. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/58a9b106407fc4c8a63b8e8999e61f08ac1b77755351340a140ec75205fb2076? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 41. [vwondra](https://profiles.wordpress.org/vwondra/) 9:11 pm _on_ October 10, 2018 42. For the love of God… and everyone who does e-commerce though a WP powered shop( WooCommerce, etc) do NOT release it before the holiday shopping season. Black Friday/Cyber Monday and the holiday shopping season are coming. The last thing a shop owner needs is to upgrade WP and have their site break during the biggest sales period. Too many shop owners don’t have dev teams and don’t know a thing about how to prepare. Please wait until 2019 43. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/791ded069605f3b6694ee222fc44e409a191c4393988a21330cdc2dfbfbbe10f? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 44. [johndnixon](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jnixon/) 4:53 pm _on_ October 11, 2018 45. I understand that WordPress has a worldwide to consider, but three days before a major US holiday? 46. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d2e788d2112295b1b4e5a294844c74ca4ce5ecdfd97cc8e9f4d0fc24abd4adf4? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 47. [rizqifahma](https://profiles.wordpress.org/rizqifahma/) 6:36 am _on_ October 14, 2018 48. I thought it would come next year. 😀 49. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/f328dd6e636ab07e344bf0583eda9c8069777933bdfa5bc95e0eb71fc7f11616? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 50. [Saiful Islam](https://profiles.wordpress.org/codersaiful/) 6:58 pm _on_ October 19, 2018 51. Wow, Just waiting 52. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/48dfbbb93968b51f704fced11884840df8bc8721f18cc77d9760f167ad99054c? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 53. [Huguette Inc](https://profiles.wordpress.org/huguetteinc/) 2:15 pm _on_ October 21, 2018 54. Any suggestions on the best way to test plugins against 5.0? Is adding the gutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. [https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/](https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/) pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory [https://wordpress.org/plugins/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/) or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. sufficient? Or will a full 5.0 installation be necessary? I’m concerned about bumping into betaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. issues. 55. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/40272cf3280e4ead4721b71a71fdbdbe245ebb68cb6960dc8b328ce7a59e3cfb? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [Streamline](https://profiles.wordpress.org/streamlinestar/) 5:12 pm _on_ October 21, 2018 * +1 for this. I’m also looking for an option to test 5.0 a bit earlier to check the plugins are fine. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/311792844cac728aa54e055b8fdb92943e1e5c8bc206bfb99b0f3aaf3ea54c77? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [smashballoon](https://profiles.wordpress.org/smashballoon/) 9:52 pm _on_ October 22, 2018 * +1 also. We received the email prompting us to check compatibility with WordPress 5.0 before it’s released but it didn’t include any information on how to do so. Is testing 5.0 as simple as just testing the GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. [https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/](https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/) pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory [https://wordpress.org/plugins/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/) or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party.? * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1431d7491142e61c46785dbe9f1a6a95ebd33347d5cdbacd196ca27bedfaa1c4? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [linux4me2](https://profiles.wordpress.org/linux4me2/) 9:25 pm _on_ November 1, 2018 * The best way I’ve found is to set up a testing installation of WordPress, preferably on the same server where you run your production siteProduction Site A production site is a live site online meant to be viewed by your visitors, as opposed to a site that is staged for development or testing.(s) in order to rule out issues with the environment’s configuration, and then use the pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory [https://wordpress.org/plugins/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/) or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party. [WordPress Beta Tester](https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-beta-tester/) to install the betaBeta A pre-release of software that is given out to a large group of users to trial under real conditions. Beta versions have gone through alpha testing in-house and are generally fairly close in look, feel and function to the final product; however, design changes often occur as part of the process. version of WordPress on the test site. Once you have that set up, it’s easy to test your plugins. - ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7508077bd64e88d58e851fcd8c346beab46a70f8343986491d5df62ba8bc1ca7? s=32&d=mm&r=g) - [lvillarino](https://profiles.wordpress.org/lvillarino/) 7:34 pm _on_ November 22, 2018 - Please wait until 2019 56. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/7508077bd64e88d58e851fcd8c346beab46a70f8343986491d5df62ba8bc1ca7? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 57. [lvillarino](https://profiles.wordpress.org/lvillarino/) 7:34 pm _on_ November 22, 2018 58. Please wait until 2019 59. ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ee22c484af1b767a163f63ea415427649ecb6a60f9cd2dd5c9dfdd77f50be409? s=32&d=mm&r=g) 60. [lloan](https://profiles.wordpress.org/lloan/) 6:56 pm _on_ November 29, 2018 61. I don’t see what the big deal is. The update will be available, not automatically applied to all sites, right? The update can come with a BIG BANNER that stipulates the potential issues that this update might cause and suggest that users test prior to updating. People who are not developers will have to reach out to their developers. Developers will have to create a testing environment and test there. The traditional editor will also still be available as a pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory [https://wordpress.org/plugins/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/) or can be cost- based plugin from a third-party.. Again, all this information can be made available to ALL users BEFORE they update. Lets not forget that none of us are paying for WordPress, yet I see a lot of whining. I say let’s just get this out of the way already and move on. 62. * ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ab1e7042d3801d8e157015827fd95bb6b5b1584e352d03b560e13a4d06cb18e8? s=32&d=mm&r=g) * [keithagnew](https://profiles.wordpress.org/keithagnew/) 9:01 pm _on_ November 29, 2018 * Respectfully, this is a big deal. Many of our small business clients rely very much on us providing a working and stable platform. Over time we’ve come to rely heavily on the reputation of WordPress’ reliability and professionalism– thus putting our reputations on the line. I’m not weighing in on “when” they should release .. I’ll leave that to the pros .. and I feel confident they’ll release v5.0 when ready, but to suggest we’re just a bunch of whiners, when we, web professionals, are engaged in dialogue – looking out for what’s best for our clients – who’ve put their trust in us – and, as web professionals, are acting in accordance with the trust that has been bestowed on us. How can we be faulted for that? I don’t take my clients’ trust lightly, and it has taken many years to build this trust, so you’ll forgive us having a conversation on important matters – that to some may sound like whining. Additionally, the“ but it’s free so just release it” – um, again, respectfully, speaks to the the thinking here, and perhaps you could approach this with a broader perspective..(?). Wish you mich continued success, and I hope my comments are taken in the spirit for which they were intended – constructive dialogue. #peace - ![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/ee22c484af1b767a163f63ea415427649ecb6a60f9cd2dd5c9dfdd77f50be409? s=32&d=mm&r=g) - [lloan](https://profiles.wordpress.org/lloan/) 5:10 pm _on_ December 6, 2018 - What I was trying to say is the update isn’t forced on you. You still have as much time as you want to test it on a VM or whatever your approach is. I just can’t understand why people are complaining over something they don’t pay for, but that’s not even the worse part, its open sourceOpen Source Open Source denotes software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified. Open Source **must be** delivered via a licensing model, see GPL.. A lot of the people complaining ARE developers. If there is something we really don’t like, we can always contribute and make it better. Right? I mean, that’s just my opinion. With the release being today, I’m sure there will be 100x more complaints. At the end of the day, WP is just a framework for you to build sites off of as a developer, the rest is up to us. I really don’t see how blaming WP helps. - And no worries, I appreciate the constructive dialogue in the midst of this whole mess. Comments are closed. # Post navigation [← Dev Chat Agenda: October 3rd (5.0 Week 1)](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2018/10/03/dev-chat-agenda-october-3rd-5-0-week-1/) [Dev Chat Summary: October 3rd (5.0 Week 1) →](https://make.wordpress.org/core/2018/10/04/dev-chat-summary-october-3rd-5-0-week-1/)