The WordPress Gutenberg Block Editor drove humble me away from running my primary Blog at WordPress.com. ‘Following the launch of WordPress 5.0 in December 2018’, the WordPress Block Editor ‘was set as the default editor and replaced the classic editor’.
I started blogging on Blogger before Google purchased it in 2003. Heck, I even learned how to write my posts in HTML before leaving Blogger in May of 2004. Still, that Gutenberg Block Editor kicked my buttocks every time I tried it. Even setup a free WP blog site to just test the Block Editor.
Had even purchased a $300 WP Business plan to avoid using that durn Block Editor on my Linux Newbie – Since 1996 primary blog. Started looking for a Web Hosting service during that 1-year WP Business plan subscription—hey, I wasn’t about to pay $300 every year for a simple personal blog.
Jeez…what a pain that search was!!! Long story, but the short of it was I settled on a Hostinger 4-year Introductory plan for a onetime cost of $107.56 (about $2.25 a month). Renewal price will be a onetime cost of $335.52 – in 10/19/2026. Gotta check both the Introductory prices & the Renewal prices on any plan you check out!
4-years for the WP Business plan is $1,200. I’ll look for a coupon before renewing in late 2026 to see if that $335.52 can be lowered a tad, but that price breaks down to just $83.88 a year, which is still a bargain.
Sunday, September 24, 2023
I still maintain that free WP blog from 2004, but have stopped adding new posts to it—sometimes update a link that is broken & such. Have another free WP blog for testing, but it is kept as Private. Also, still have that Linux Newbie – Since 1996 free WP blog, that is Private right now.
Only complaint I ever had about WordPress.com was that Block Editor being forced onto me after all the years of blogging there. However, they provide a great product & service, and need to keep updated and modernized—humble HTML & Classic Editor codgers like me are certainly not to be prioritized in the ever expanding Technological World of today.
Today I came across a comment on this post – ‘Complaining About WordPress’:
I check out Renard’s World almost daily. After rereading that post, I noted the comment about the “Classic editor block” and went immediately to the ‘WP blog for testing’ mentioned above:
Ditto on the “WOW!!! 👍👌🙂👏” Yes, impressive. Quick tests, but close enough to the Classic Editor to be an excellent option!
I may not delete the old Linux Newbie – Since 1996 blog after all, but continue deleting outdated posts (398 so far), and maybe at least maintain it after that—since I’ve had requests to bring it back for reference at least.
When Did the WordPress Classic Block come out?
I can’t find anything on the actual date it was added to the editor. Was it in there from the beginning? Renard said on “20th of July, 2021” – which is when WordPress 5.8 came out, but my searches suggest that it came out earlier, i.e., judging by when the researched articles & one YouTube came out, but no actual date being stated. Example:
That’s at the bottom of the Classic Block page. I vaguely remember that Classic icon being somewhere on the Block Editor posting page, but it never worked right for me and/or kept ‘disappearing’ after I would try it. I don’t recall knowing that the ‘Block inserter icon to the right of an empty block’ & ‘Block inserter icon in between blocks’ had the Classic block in them, but do recall stumbling across the Classic Toolbar occasionally—then it seemed to ‘disappear’ after trying to insert a link (?!) or ‘such‘. 🤔
Conclusion
Yes, I am no expert on blogging, but sure have *LOTS* of fun doing it.
I might have kept my WP primary blog on WordPress.com, if that Classic block or whatever the Classic ‘Thang was back then, but too late now. KM&T is now my primary blog, and is here to stay.
I have all kinds of plugins now, a great professional Multipurpose Blog Pro & Multipurpose Blog Pro Child Theme – plus the Gallery Images Plugin & Title Banner Plugin that came with them, for a onetime discount price of $29.25. Finally got it customized! 😁
Have like 100 GBs of Data & Files space at Hostinger. Can do a full Backup of site once a day. I can edit and/or add Additional CSS, and all kinds of stuff I still don’t know about.
No regrets on my part, and no more complaints about the WordPress Block editor either! 👍👌🙂
The Classic block replicates an older editing experience while inside the WordPress block editor. This guide will show you how to use it on your site.
H/T to Renard’s World and thanks to Hugh at Hugh’s Views & News for the Tip!