Gutenberg News: WordPress 4.9.8 Beta 2 Released

Try the New Editor!

July 27, 2018

Last Thursday, the WordPress 4.9.8 Beta 2 was released along with the new “Try Gutenberg” prompt that we have been expecting to see pop up in our dashboards at any moment.

This prompt was one of the planned features for July in the Gutenberg Roadmap that Mullenweg shared with us in his WordCamp Europe speech. Now, we can go ahead and check off one more item on the list.

Let’s take a look at the updated Roadmap and where we currently stand in the release process:

June

• Freeze New features into Gutenberg
• Hosts, agencies, and teachers invited to opt in sites they have influence over
• Opt in for wp admin users on WP.com
• Mobile App support in the Aztec editor across iOS and Android.

July

• 4.9.x release with strong invitation to install either Gutenberg or Classic Editor Plugin
• An opt-out option for wp-admin users on WP.com
  
• Heavy triage and bug gardening, getting blocks to zero
  
• Consider expanding Gutenberg functionality beyond post editing and implementing it into site customization.

August & Beyond

• All critical issues resolved.
• Integration with Calypso, offering opt-in users.
• 100k+ sites having made 250k+ posts using Gutenberg.
• Core merge, beginning the 5.0 release cycle.
• 5.0 beta releases and translations completed.
• Mobile version of Gutenberg by the end of the year. 
  

As you can see, we’re getting dangerously close to the full release by now, as we’re almost at the end of July and starting to approach August.

So, what does this prompt actually look like when we log in to the user dashboard of our website? Well, if you have the 4.9.8 Beta 2 installed, you’ll see something like this:

This prompt invites you to either install Gutenberg or continue using the traditional, classic editor until you are ready to make the move. Which, upon clicking that button, will be a permanent one.

According to WordPress, the community had a lot of input in the process of creating the invitation, so it shouldn’t seem too overbearing or pushy–despite being a mandatory rollout when the official version releases.

Still Avoiding Gutenberg?

If you decide that you want to hold back on using the new editor, you won’t have much time left until it becomes something that you’ll have to learn. In our opinion, it’s better to just take a deep breath and click that ‘Install Gutenberg’ button.

However, if you’re afraid that the Classic Editor will be gone forever, we have some good news for you; the Classic Editor Add-on turns the old editor into a Gutenberg Block that you can still use!

While a definite compromise, it is nice to see WordPress respecting the wishes of the community and helping user to transition smoothly to their new way of life.

Stay tuned to UltraBlocks for more news on the upcoming Gutenberg Editor and please be sure to read our Comprehensive Guide; we’re updating the Guide with brand new articles and tutorials every week!