The WordPress Philosophy: What Is It and Why Should You Care?

Have you ever installed a plugin into your WordPress website and notion, “Ummm… that’s distinctive”? Something about it just stood out as now not quite proper. The settings felt ordinary, or there have been too many settings, or maybe it changed parts of your web page in approaches you didn’t assume.

This experience often entails a plugin or a subject that doesn’t do things “The WordPress Way.” If you’ve ever heard that word, it probably sounded mysterious. That’s because while “The WordPress Way” has a definition, it’s nonetheless a chunk fuzzy; it’s not easy to boil it down to a sentence. It’s not merely about the settings interface or the position of the menus — it’s a whole philosophy of know-how user experience, development, or even freedom itself.

This series is ready for the WordPress Philosophy. Yes, WordPress has a real philosophy! This simple document will keep loads of sway over the whole thing you interact with for your WordPress admin.

By the end of this collection, you’ll have a more potent grasp of WordPress Philosophy. You’ll be empowered to make more knowledgeable and discerning choices with your plugins and subject matters to your internet site. For you developers reading alongside, you’ll know how you construct your next characteristic set, plugin, or subject.

Why Does Software Have a Philosophy at All?

Before we discuss the primary point of the philosophy, let’s ask, “Why?” Why does the WordPress Philosophy exist, and why does it count?

Philosophy approaches “the love of knowledge.” In this case, the WordPress Philosophy is technically no longer a philosophy at all; however, it is a hard and fast list of recommendations and concepts. The philosophy is a listing of beliefs that instruct and inform builders and designers on how to implement new WordPress features.

Virtually, each fundamental software developer has a fixed set of guiding standards. While Microsoft is focused on structure or “architecture,” Apple is driven by design, and Google is pushed by personal experience. If you’re familiar with the goods of those corporations (and who isn’t!?), This sounds obvious to you; whereas Microsoft excels with records systems, Apple entices you with beauty, and Google needs you to look with one click. Their ideas tell the products we use, and WordPress is not exclusive.

How Does WordPress Benefit from Having a Philosophy?
WordPress is designed with its philosophy at the front and center.

Did you know that after WordPress launched, it did now not have the potential to install plugins? Instead, it had “hacks” — a file in which code is changed and pasted so one can extend WordPress. According to Ryan Boren within the open supply WordPress History Book:

…the plugin machine enabled middle builders to implement the eighty/20 [philosophy]: ‘Is this useful to 80% of our users? If no longer, try it in a plugin.’

For a year after its release, WordPress had no plugins at all. The desire arose from the guiding precept that now, not each characteristic belonged inside the middle product. This is the “Clean, Lean, and Mean” precept. It’s truthful to say that WordPress has its 29% market share of the net in large part because of its plugin system, which was born out of the WordPress Philosophy.

Why Does This Matter for Me As a WordPress User?

I’m the kind of character who thinks that records and philosophy continually rely on, so this has to be clearly interesting. But in this example, I accept as true that there are very realistic motives you, as a business proprietor, internet site admin, blogger, or employer-owner, must be interested in the WordPress Philosophy.

It facilitates a better understanding of your internet site. Here are 3:

The WordPress Philosophy is embedded into your WordPress admin location’s layout, layout, and preferred usability. It’s why you do not have a “links” menu. However, you do have a “Custom CSS” place now. It’s the force behind the whole thing, approximately Gutenberg. It’s why you don’t need your subject to also be a page builder, and your admin may be swapped with a click into dozens of different languages.

Understanding WordPresphilosophyhy helps you know your website.

It informs how you construct your internet site to your traffic.
The WordPress Philosophy provides valuable guidance for the rest of your website outside of the admin displays. Will 80% of your site visitors use that Google Map you embed on your touch page? When you build out your content material calendar, do you just create dates for yourself individually or ensure your “closing dates aren’t arbitrary”? WordPress Philosophy will help you become a better website builder.

It publications your choice of themes and plugins.
Of all the approaches wherein the WordPress Philosophy affects your internet site, that is the principal motive I am writing this collection. As a plugin creator and subject writer, I see too many WordPress customers loading up the website with plugins that damage their admin and bloat the gadget set. Choosing plugins is hard, and difficult plugins are frequently tough to hit upon. Still, understanding “The WordPress Way” will assist you in growing to be a more knowledgeable subject and plugin consumer, which will benefit your entire website.

What’s Next?

Starting next month, you’ll see a brand new article from me on this situation as soon as a month. We’ll use an item through the WordPress Philosophy in phrases of what it says and approaches, explore exquisite and terrible examples of it in plugins and themes, and, ultimately, perceive why you ought to care and what you have to do about it.

Next month, we’ll begin with the ultimate object inside the philosophy: Our Bill of Rights. This phase is foundational because it’s embedded in every single WordPress website, plugin, and topic in the world.