What is the future for WordPress?
WordPress was first introduced in 2004 with its first version 0.70. Ever since then with every musician-named update features have been rolling thick and fast.
We’ve used WordPress for the last 5 years in creating bespoke websites for local and national businesses but the most recent update 4.7 has introduced a couple of new features. Namely the API and the movement into over 24% of the CMS being built in Javascript. But, what is the future for WordPress and what can it be used for?
Custom/Built for purpose Dashboards
At present, and as it has been for the length of WordPress’ life, there have been the common Dashboard widgets such as WordPress News, Quick Draft, etc. These widgets are almost never used and provide no instant insight into the websites functions or analytics.
With external plugins, such as NK Analytics or WP Statistics, or any membership/e-commerce plugin, you are given a couple of widgets for the dashboard but the future of WordPress lies in customising it further. Think Google Analytics crossed with a house style, themed and branded for the business that uses it, such as this idea for the customised dashboard for a music app:
Source: https://dribbble.com/shots/1631007-Muzak-Dashboard-Music-App/attachments/254361
This option for personalisation in presentation of data and functionality will be the next step to making WordPress feel less like it’s service counterpart and more like a standalone framework with built in CMS capabilities.
WordPress Based Mobile Apps
WordPress has always been a web based CMS and with the release of the newest version, Vaughan, there have been implementations for the new REST API. This allows for the use of common WordPress features via a set of API endpoints, such as post insights, user information and post/page creation.
The project has been available here (https://en-gb.WordPress.org/plugins/rest-api/) and is what is moving the WordPress CMS into a possible backbone for Mobile Applications. If WordPress is usable as the backend to an application, then the front end can be developed in any language to interact with the base using the API.
This will be a faster and more efficient alternative to the use of services such as AppPresser or Uppsite and will allow for cheaper development of Web Applications when WordPress is utilised as the baseplate.
API Based Development
As with Mobile Based Development WordPress’ API allows for front end development to go from limited to themes to unlimited potential. The use of unordinary coding languages will be made possible paving ways to new types of WordPress based websites whilst still using the same object syntax we’re used to.
This means that in very near future we’ll see an explosion WordPress-based Cloud Services with a fair number of these services feeding into Internet of Things devices, especially with the release of the new Raspberry Pi W.
Security and Usability Improvements
As with any new system that a user encounters there is a learning curve. Currently WordPress is a lot better than in its first few versions and its usability is great for computer literate users. The next step for WordPress is to decrease the learning curve for novice users to allow for the next generations of online explorers to use the CMS effectively.
We will also see several improvements in security with Matthew Mullenweg (WordPress Founder) confirming that WordPress.org will not recommend a hosting partner unless an SSL certificate is provided by default. He also mentioned that the use of PHP 7 will be recommended based on the security mechanisms it contains.
What are you most excited to see in future releases of WordPress?
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