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One of my favorite interview questions whenever we hire for our team is: "If we decided to stop using WordPress for university websites, what would you look for in a replacement?"
Really interesting to see @studio24 grapple with this question for @w3c. https://twitter.com/dimensionmedia/status/1309819118355394560
Really interesting to see @studio24 grapple with this question for @w3c. https://twitter.com/dimensionmedia/status/1309819118355394560
It's a useful question for a lot of reasons, and I've gotten some great answers that take the go in a lot of different directions:
- pros and cons of WP versus other tools
- web in higher ed and what's required by that use case
- what they personally find valuable about WP
- pros and cons of WP versus other tools
- web in higher ed and what's required by that use case
- what they personally find valuable about WP
But it's also a useful question because... what if we DID stop using WordPress? What would that look like? What are our options?
I think about that a lot.
I think about that a lot.
That's not an easy thing to do. We have thousands of websites at NC State that are powered by WordPress. We have thousands of users who have learned to build content in WP. We have dozens of web developers who have invested a lot of time in learning how to code for WP.
So we're not changing course any time soon, and it's not something we'd do without a lot of discussion.
At the same time, it's a scary thing to feel locked into a platform whose leadership makes... extremely questionable decisions.
At the same time, it's a scary thing to feel locked into a platform whose leadership makes... extremely questionable decisions.
Accessibility is a big part of this. The community, especially the WP-in-higher-ed community, made enough noise to get real improvements in the block editor.
It's not perfect, but it's better -- and some really amazing people volunteer a lot of time to continue making progress.
It's not perfect, but it's better -- and some really amazing people volunteer a lot of time to continue making progress.
But it takes ongoing activism to get the G'berg dev team to take accessibility seriously (and wade through some really problematic ableism along the way).
That kind of effort is hard to sustain.
That kind of effort is hard to sustain.
I felt completely burned out after helping to organize the WPCampus accessibility audit -- and that was just a small part of all of this. If you watch Joe Dolson's update on Gutenberg accessibility, there's lots of one-step-forward-two-steps-back. https://2020.wpcampus.org/schedule/update-on-gutenberg-accessibility-audit/
There are dedicated people who prioritize accessibility and do so much to make WordPress better. Then there's project leadership that clearly does not have the same priorities at heart.
And that has me thinking a lot about the limits of Free and Open Source Software.
And that has me thinking a lot about the limits of Free and Open Source Software.
The WPTavern article on the W3C not using WordPress is a really good read and raises some great points. What does it say about the future of the web for the W3C to use a proprietary CMS? https://wptavern.com/w3c-drops-wordpress-from-consideration-for-redesign-narrows-cms-shortlist-to-statamic-and-craft
FOSS has never been the consensus approach to software development.
But it's been such a driving force for so many ideas. It's hard to see that movement struggle -- and to see the W3C's commitment to FOSS erode.
But it's been such a driving force for so many ideas. It's hard to see that movement struggle -- and to see the W3C's commitment to FOSS erode.
And I'd wager that on average, proprietary products are significantly worse for accessibility. *gestures wildly at email marketing tools*
Even proprietary tools that are good for accessibility aren't perfect. And in many cases they don't have the community pressure to improve.
Even proprietary tools that are good for accessibility aren't perfect. And in many cases they don't have the community pressure to improve.
Matias alludes to this in a comment on the WPTavern post. Craft CMS (which Studio 24/W3C decided to move forward with) has calendar date-picker that isn't keyboard accessible. WordPress worked on that problem thanks to community pressure and involvement. https://wptavern.com/w3c-drops-wordpress-from-consideration-for-redesign-narrows-cms-shortlist-to-statamic-and-craft#comment-345758
But even just thinking about accessibility, Studio 24 isn't saying Craft CMS *is better than WordPress*. They're saying it *will be better than WordPress* -- because they're going to be working with them to make that true. https://w3c.studio24.net/docs/cms-selection-report#getting-cmses-up-to-accessibility-standards
Studio 24 ultimately determined that working with a CMS to make it better was more possible with a smaller, proprietary vendor than with a large open-source project. Project leadership would be more receptive, and the smaller community means changes can be made more quickly.
That should prompt a lot of soul-searching for... well, everyone. What does that say about the future of open source?
WordPress is free and open source software, and it's one of the most successful open source projects: lots of contributors around the world helped make it grow into the world's most popular CMS.
But it's also a project dominated by one company (blurring the line between the project and its monetized brand) as it responds to very particular market forces.
That influences the course and priorities of the project in a big way. We felt that with the Gutenberg audit.
That influences the course and priorities of the project in a big way. We felt that with the Gutenberg audit.
One thing that's powerful about the open source movement is that projects respond to outside ideas and concerns with a path for change.
Here's the W3C saying they think they'll have better luck doing that with a proprietary vendor. And I don't think they're wrong.
Here's the W3C saying they think they'll have better luck doing that with a proprietary vendor. And I don't think they're wrong.
I don't know. I know the world is falling apart in a thousand different ways right now, but this should make us nervous.
