An essay about my dives into creating systems that help build and control sites from a global vantage point. My aim is not to empower users with freedom and choice, but to liberate them from such false freedom and choices.
The missing piece is a shared understanding of what a WordPress theme's role and responsibility are, as I see them. Throughout the WordPress community, people either hold iron-clad opinions about what a theme should or should not do (focusing on the latter), or they gently toss this whole thing to the side since it doesn't matter in the end — a nuisance best left to people with too much time on their hands. Needless to say, I find both camps lacking.
Should we call it quits and forget about it? Should we focus on more "visible" endeavors that would satisfy more immediate needs? Should we just ignore all this complexity, and push right ahead hopeful of some epiphany?
Join me in an exploration of the forces, trends, and future developments of the WordPress open-source ecosystem. I aim at helping myself and you get a clearer picture about the reality of the WordPress world, however fair or unfair things may seem. We each need as much clarity as possible if we are to help progress WordPress, and the web at large, in a meaningful way.
Far too long developers have been playing with this world like it’s a video game. Little matters they are part of the same world. They can always hit “Reset”. Or just put on a pair of headphones and a hoodie, and call it a good day’s work.
It will take a lot of small steps in the right direction. It will take a lot of honest people and businesses to jump in and lend a hand. But if we genuinely care about the future of WordPress and that of the open web, do we really have a choice? From what I see, the alternative would be to let the repository drift away and become obsolete. Some will profit from this, but definitely not WordPress(.org) and end users.
I think people write for many reasons. None good, none bad. Just valid reasons to pick up a pen or a keyboard and dump whatever goes on in one's head into words. […] I write because it liberates my mind, because it feeds my love of stories, and, ultimately, helps me think better. I enjoy crafting words despite the hard work and the mysterious paths they take (me) at times.
Recently, in a documentary, I've heard something that really reverberated in me as it provided the key to making sense of a lot of conflicting thoughts and ideas: the origin of the word amateur as opposed to professional. It helped me relate with the 40 hours work week.
Ever since I've deep-dived head-first into this adventure of co-founding Pixelgrade my life has changed, in unexpected ways. Little did I know I would be taking the ride of my life, fulfilled and energized beyond my wildest dreams, but also stretched and challenged to breaking point and beyond. One thing is definitely sure: many hats landed on my head. This is my story wearing them.
Those pesky three little words have been nagging me for the past nine months and each time I sat down to write this story something didn't make sense, some fundamental insight was eluding me. How could I reconcile “Up or Out” with my deep belief that people are inherently good, that given the right context each can reach new, unexpected heights?