We now know why Matt Mullenweg and Matías Ventura, Lead Architect of the Gutenberg project, did not share much about the future of WordPress at WordCamp Asia last February. This leak confirms that Gutenberg is dead and that the Block Editor is going to be replaced by a completely new approach: The Ball Editor.
We were lucky enough to get hold of some screenshots, as well as feedback from the project leadership.
What is the Ball Editor and why is it replacing the Block Editor?
When asked about this on Make WordPress Slack, Matt Mullenweg explained that they got the paradigm wrong:
When we first started thinking about a better way to create with WordPress, we just assumed the publishing industry was right to embrace the orthogonality that has characterized it since the invention of the printing press. But just because pages are square doesn’t mean that everything should be. We were shape-deficient in our thinking, and after a lot of research, meditation, and reflection, we realized that, well, balls are better than boxes. Have you ever seen a car with square wheels? No? I thought so.”
Matías Ventura, who had previously justified the philosophical and design system choices behind Gutenberg at various keynotes, explained the U-turn in more detail:
Last year at Burning Man, I spent hours looking up at the stars and the cosmos to try and understand why we exist, and it struck me that everything is balls. Big balls, like stars and the expanding universe, and small balls, like atoms and molecules. There must be a reason why everything is made up of balls, and I couldn’t think of any reason why the WordPress Editor shouldn’t be too. It was an eye-opening experience. And, funnily enough, eyes are balls too—hence the term ‘eyeballs’!
Work on the new UI is underway and and WordPress 7.0, which will be named after famed jazz trumpeter Kenny Ball, will feature an MVP version of “Gutenball.”
WP BizDev was able to obtain some screenshots of the initial iterations of Project Gutenball.
The WordPress Admin Menu is now a hovering WPAdminBall
The ball paradigm hasn’t spared WordPress’ admin navigation, with the left-hand admin column replaced by a hovering ball-shaped menu.
Matt Mullenweg is a big fan of the new menu:
The WPAdminBall represents a whole new level of efficiency. It’s going to be always there, giving users access to what they need, when they need it, opening up layers of menu until you get to the link you need. We spent a lot of time looking at how flowers do this with their petals, and Swiss Army knives too. It looks a bit like a coin too, which is cool. We’re working on the AI part so that it will follow your cursor but always keep out of the way, and when detecting high levels of User Frustration, it will recommend a game of pong.
Matt Mullenweg was unable to confirm if the hovering WPAdminBall will make any sounds or produce haptic feedback.
First look of the Ball Editor
While still quite a rudimentary UI, the leaked screenshot shows us how the ball-first will work for content authors.
Notice how the WPAdminBall has been moved to a more central position closer to where all the editing action is.
When asked about the UI’s vibe, Matías Ventura noted:
We’re really excited that the visual language somewhat reminds us of postmarks on letters. This was accidental but, yeah, it’s cool man.
Folks are going to have to learn to juggle a bit, but that’s fun, and easier than React.
The project team is working on a number of animations for the various ball-shaped elements.
A 27-year project
The tentative date for the release of WordPress 7.0 is October 2029, but Matt Mullenweg clarified that the full version of Gutenball will not be completed before 2052.
Some controversy too
In a now deleted Reddit post, Matt Mullenweg seemed to reference the current dispute and animosity with WP Engine: “Imma gonna show ’em who’s got the bigger Gutenballs!”
