After State of the Word, Matt Mullenweg fielded questions for about another hour after his talk. The tweets collected here only reflect the Gutenberg parts of the Q & A.
Full Q & A is, of course, available on WordPress.tv and starts at timestamp: 1:01:24
We're now taking questions! Line up at the mics please #WCUS #SOTW pic.twitter.com/PLHcXJwHPk
— WordCamp US (@WordCampUS) December 2, 2017
Q: Are we heading toward split admin? How can we quickly get through transition? Matt: still trying different things, but the hope and expectation is that plugins and themes will quickly adapt as they have in past. Develop for Gutenberg. #WCUS #SOTW
— WordCamp US (@WordCampUS) December 2, 2017
Our own @kevinwhoffman raises his concerns about #Gutenberg in the Q&A at WordCamp US with @photomatt #WCUS pic.twitter.com/x99alB6iYQ
— GiveWP (@GiveWP) December 2, 2017
Q: Do you have a vision for Gutenberg and the Customizer?
— Post Status (@post_status) December 2, 2017
A: Yes, @westonruter made a mock-up for that just yesterday. It often feels like Disney’s Aladdin… “GIANT COSMIC POWER! itty bitty living space” #WCUS
Q: “Do you think Gutenberg will negate the need for a Fields API?”
— Post Status (@post_status) December 2, 2017
A: “No, not entirely”#WCUS
Question: is Gutenberg discouraging other page-builder plugins from growing? Matt: they show there's a need, we want to bring it to everyone for free in core. Standardizing == opportunity. #WCUS #SOTW
— WordCamp US (@WordCampUS) December 2, 2017
Q: With Gutenberg, what happens with plugins that already change the editor?
— Post Status (@post_status) December 2, 2017
A: The fact that these plugins exist show there is a need for change. The goal is to bring the customization to everyone, not just those relatively few users #WCUS
Q: Do you have a vision for Gutenberg and the Customizer?
— Post Status (@post_status) December 2, 2017
A: Yes, @westonruter made a mock-up for that just yesterday. It often feels like Disney’s Aladdin… “GIANT COSMIC POWER! itty bitty living space” #WCUS
Q: how do you plan to navigate all of the noise that comes from all the opinions about Gutenberg?
— Post Status (@post_status) December 2, 2017
A: Even the harshest feedback has a nugget of truth. Please submit feedback, especially critical feedback, and the team will do their best to navigate everything. #WCUS
Q: Who will ultimately benefit the most from Gutenberg? Matt: we are building it for people brand new to publishing and WordPress. Needs to be powerful and intuitive. But developers (and their clients) will benefit a ton too. #WCUS #SOTW
— WordCamp US (@WordCampUS) December 2, 2017
Q: who is going to benefit the most from Gutenberg?
— Post Status (@post_status) December 2, 2017
A: Content producers will benefit the most as we try to make things more intuitive. Developers will benefit a lot as well with a lot more power and control over what the content area can do. #WCUS
Q: Where do you draw the line between things we need in Gutenberg/customizer and an unnecessary level of control?
— Post Status (@post_status) December 3, 2017
A: we’ll probably err on the side of providing too much control, even knowing someone can break their own design #wcus
Q: Can you talk more about the philosophy of foisting such a major change on the users of WordPress by introducing Gutenberg?
— Post Status (@post_status) December 3, 2017
A: We’re trying to make major changes slowly. A gradual, long-term ramp-up, usability testing, videos, etc. #WCUS
Q: I’m worried about React. Should we be concerned about the folks at Facebook pulling he plug?
— Post Status (@post_status) December 3, 2017
A: I was concerned about that too, and wrote the blog post about moving away from it. Now that a GPL version exists we will definitely fork it if bad changes are introduced. #WCUS
Q: Plan to keep non-Gutenberg/customization parts of WordPress from getting stale? Matt: partner with developer community, tackle cleanup and other low-hanging fruit, stay user-centric. #WCUS #SOTW
— WordCamp US (@WordCampUS) December 2, 2017