To say that WordPress has recently been going through some minor hiccups would be an understatement. From various users experiencing bugs and glitches, to hackers exploiting certain bits of code to steal data off of valuable sites, it has been a bumpy road for WordPress this past year. That said, WordPress 5.0 is here to fix all of those problems and many more.
Why the Update
While it is true that every software gets a software update occasionally to get rid of bugs and glitches while also tweaking the software to benefit both the company, the reason for this update is very different.
WordPress uses certain GDPR privileges on their website in order to keep their website as well as client’s websites safe. However, various hackers and cyber thieves have been able to exploit these privileges and have been getting their hands on sensitive information.
Called the WP GDPR Compliance Plug-in, this software ensures that any software complies with Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation. It does so by giving visitors the right to ask for data that is relevant to them from the site, and for the site to ask for information that will be relevant to them.
The bug allows any unauthorized personnel to update the software as they please and extract any information they want. The WordPress Plug-in Directory Team discovered this bug on November 6th and released a patch the very next day.
What’s New
WordPress 5.0 is less of an update and more of a complete rework of the website. Due to the bug that the website experienced on the WP GDPR Plug-in, the creative team behind WordPress decided to rework the entire website and make massive changes to the overall system.
They have gone through each of the compliances and other plug-ins to ensure there are no more bugs or glitches that hackers can exploit.
WordPress 5.0 will also feature a slew of improvements in the form of creating the content for your page. For example adding headers as well as content blocks will all be managed by Gutenberg, which is the new WordPress editor. Gutenberg tends to make the process of creating your website as lot less tedious and much more fun and engaging, which can lead to people making more competitive websites with a lot more ease.
Be Careful
With the WordPress getting a complete overhaul, it is important for you to also understand that many of your different plug-ins might not work at all, which can prove to be very hectic. So in order for you to keep all of your plugins and save you frustration, simply install the Gutenberg plug in and test it. WordPress has released Gutenberg for some time now, which also means that you can simply download and install the plugin and get to grips with whether your other plug-ins will work or not.
In conclusion, thanks to the efforts of the WordPress creative team, what seemed to be a very serious issue is now behind them as they are giving the site a very much needed update.