Cwicly’s Path Forward: Considerations for Feature Freeze, LTS Versions, and Documentation Enhancement

[oppi]

tl;dr

• Appreciation for Cwicly’s development efforts and innovation.
• Concerns raised about feature creep, its impact on user experience, and the need for enhanced documentation.
• Suggestion for a temporary feature freeze to address bugs and enhance stability.
• Proposal for deploying different versions: beta for new features and LTS for stability, with comprehensive documentation for each.
• Idea to introduce a core plugin and a companion plugin for new features to foster modularization and create monetization opportunities.

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Dear Cwicly Team,

I want to express my appreciation for the hard work and innovation that goes into developing Cwicly. It’s clear that a lot of thought and effort is dedicated to enhancing the user experience and capabilities within WordPress, and that’s something I deeply value.

Observations and Impact

As a committed user of Cwicly, I’ve observed the recent integration of Tailwind CSS and the ongoing development efforts to introduce new features. While these advancements are exciting and demonstrate the team’s dedication to innovation, I’ve also noticed an increase in bugs and inconsistencies, particularly around the Cwicly block styling and the shift towards a mobile-first approach. These issues have impacted my workflow and the reliability of the platform for my projects.

Addressing Feature Creep and Documentation Needs

Understanding that software development is complex and multifaceted, I kindly want to raise a concern regarding feature creep, its potential effects on the user experience, and the critical importance of keeping the documentation up-to-date. The introduction of new features, while beneficial, also seems to bring challenges that could detract from the core stability and reliability of Cwicly. Additionally, as new features are introduced, especially with the potential deployment of beta and LTS versions, ensuring that the documentation is current and comprehensive becomes paramount for enabling users to make the most of Cwicly’s capabilities.

Proposals for Stability and Documentation Enhancement

With this in mind, I humbly suggest considering a temporary feature freeze to prioritize ironing out existing bugs, enhancing the current functionalities, and updating the documentation to reflect the latest version of Cwicly and any potential beta companion plugins. This approach could help solidify the foundation of Cwicly, ensuring a more stable, reliable, and user-friendly platform for all users.

Furthermore, the deployment of different versions, such as beta for new features and a long-term support (LTS) version focusing on stability, might offer a balanced pathway forward. Accompanying this with detailed, version-specific documentation would significantly enhance user experience, providing clear guidance on utilizing new features and ensuring compatibility.

Enhancing Modularity and Monetization with Comprehensive Documentation

One way to achieve this balance could be to introduce a core plugin complemented by an additional plugin that rolls out new features. This approach not only facilitates modular development but also opens up avenues for monetization, benefiting both the Cwicly team and its user community by enabling the extension of Cwicly’s capabilities through plugins. Ensuring that each plugin, whether main or companion, comes with up-to-date documentation will be crucial for user adoption and satisfaction.

I understand that strategic decisions such as these are complex and involve many factors. My intention in providing this feedback is to share my perspective as an end-user who values the stability and reliability of Cwicly as much as its innovative features and documentation. I believe that a focus on enhancing the current offering, coupled with a commitment to comprehensive documentation, could greatly benefit the user community and strengthen the platform’s position as a leading WordPress creation tool.

Thank you for considering my feedback. I’m looking forward to the continued evolution of Cwicly and am excited to be a part of its journey. Your dedication to improving the web design and development process and supporting it with thorough documentation is truly appreciated.

Jan

[Louis]

@oppi

As a committed user of Cwicly, I’ve observed the recent integration of Tailwind CSS and the ongoing development efforts to introduce new features. While these advancements are exciting and demonstrate the team’s dedication to innovation, I’ve also noticed an increase in bugs and inconsistencies, particularly around the Cwicly block styling and the shift towards a mobile-first approach. These issues have impacted my workflow and the reliability of the platform for my projects.

Hello @oppi,

Would you mind giving a few more details about this?

Thanks.

[oppi]

Absolutely, I’m glad to elaborate. A recent issue I reported regarding the navigation block’s Tailwind CSS integration illustrates my point:

Nav Block: Style Presets and Tailwind classes not working

The current Nav-Block presets don’t work, have styling issues and it’s impossible to add TW classes to it. Styling Issues Open the Post Editor/Site Editor Make sure to reset to Tailwind mobile first breakpoints Add a vanilla Nav-Block, select with preset SM breakpoint has no styling, because it’s starting at 768px Style selection breaks 1.Select Primary → Styles → Preset (Esprit i.e.) 2. Nothing happens, due to JS error: react-dom.min.js?ver=18.2.0:10 Uncaught ReferenceError: newkey is no…

This bug, potentially arising from the (new?) mobile-first CSS approach, highlights challenges in feature compatibility and testing. While I’m not familiar with your QA processes, it suggests a need for careful integration of new features to maintain platform reliability.

increase in bugs and inconsistencies…

… that are are in the realm of the recent Tailwind integration.
That’s absolutely to be expected and no biggie because bugs just happen.

These issues have impacted my workflow and the reliability of the platform for my projects .

Well, I started fresh with Cwicly in December preparing an extensive WordPress environment. I used the default desktop first breakpoints and was under the impression to get up and running in no time with Cwiclys help. And it really fits!

Then the Tailwind integration was launched and everything literally flipped upside down. When a new feature in a beloved software appears, it’s all natural to me to try that out and probably stick with it. And hell, that HTML importer feature alone is a game changer! It’s quite a nice fit, too, because there are tons and tons of free/paid templates to copy paste from.

But for me, and my WP environment I’d like to sell further down the line, it means to start all over again. And I really tried it with TW the last couple of days. Then I encountered the issues with the Nav Block and was disheartened by the fact that this block was not ported and prepared for the TW integration.

And that, to be honest, makes me wonder if things will be handled in the same way in the future.

I appreciate your openness to feedback and eagerly anticipate the continued evolution and refinement of Cwicly. Your commitment to improvement makes a significant difference, and I look forward to how the platform will develop further.