Updated:
Read about the unexpected WordPress 5.0 release announcement here.
WordPress 5.0 was tentatively scheduled for release on November 27th. But that date’s been pushed back with no release date scheduled. WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg opened direct channels for feedback and concerns. Will WordPress be released in 2019?
Where is WordPress 5.0?
Release Candidate 2 is set to be made available on Friday November 30th. A release candidate is a software version that’s good enough to be tested. They are typically released for the purposes of identifying overlooked issues.
On Tuesday November 27th WordPress announced that a new version of JetPack compatible with the new Gutenberg WordPress editor. This is JetPack 6.8. The new version of JetPack has features that are only available to those who have activated the Gutenberg editor:
“The new WordPress editor, Gutenberg, will be available to you as soon as WordPress 5.0 becomes available. If you’d like to try the editor today, you can install the Gutenberg plugin on your site. Once you’ve done so you’ll have access to all the blocks mentioned below.”
Why is WordPress Delayed?
There are several reasons why WordPress 5.0 is delayed. Chief among them is quality control and possibly the imminent release of a new version of PHP, version 7.3.
WordPress 5.0 Development
At this moment there are still many bugs and issues that are yet to be resolved. According to the latest November 29th update on WP 5.0, these are the current issues:
Open issues in 5.0.0: 15 (=)
Open issues in 5.0.1: 52 (-1)
Open issues in 5.0.x (fast follow): 105 (-1)
Current beta: RC 1, released November 23.
Current plugin: 4.5.1, released November 21.
Next release: RC 2, November 30.
PHP 7.3 and WordPress
Further complicating the progress of WordPress 5.0 is that it coincides with the imminent release of an important new version of PHP. WordPress is built on PHP so it will naturally at some point have to conform with the newest version of PHP. But that version of PHP, version 7.3.0 is currently planned to be released on December 6th.
On November 23, 2019, a WordPress Translation Contributor (Krzysztof Radzikowski) speculated on a possible WordPress 4.9 release in December 2019 that will update the current version of WordPress for PHP 7.3 and a WordPress 5.0 release in January 2019.
“Probably 4.9.9 release with php 7.3 release before 10 december and then 5.0 next year. Gutenberg is nowhere close to be stable for production…”
WordPress Founder Matt Mullenweg
On Wednesday November 28th, WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg opened a calendar for accepting feedback and concerns about the upcoming 5.0 release of WordPress.
“A number of folks have requested an opportunity to connect more directly on where we’re at in the 5.0 process, or share their point of view on where we’re going. In the spirit of getting as many inputs as possible, I’ve opened up 24 office hours slots Thursday through Sunday. You can sign up using this link:
https://calendly.com/mmullenweg/officehourswithmatt
The sessions will be 15 minutes (even though it says 20 on the calendar) so I get a chance to connect with as many people as possible. I’m looking forward to it!”
Will WordPress 5.0 be Released in 2018?
It’s possible that WordPress 5.0 could be released this year. However it might make more sense to wait until after the holidays in order to not inconvenience users and to give additional time for quality control testing. Thus, a 2019 release date is not inconceivable.
In addition to being a game, Limbo is also defined as a moment of uncertainty as to the time something will be resolved or decided.WordPress 5.0 Release Date?
The definition of limbo is: “…an uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution.”
There’s still another month left in 2018 and almost anything can happen between now and then. But at the time of this writing, WordPress 5.0’s release date could most certainly be described as being in limbo.
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Screenshots by Author, Modified by Author
