Tumblr moving open source, Wordpress getting cool
2024-09-04 09:50:00 +07:00 by Mark Smith
Wordpress acquired Tumblr in 2019. It seemed like a pretty good fit at the time, both companies have a very web vibe about them, yet a different approach. Like Coke and Pepsi, both are pretty great, except for Wordpress and Tumblr it’s not main stream greatness, it’s more like a two different styles of underground greatness, like a merging of internet cool with open source cool.
So the companies have been operating seperately until now, but Tumblr is loosing money and so the decision has been made to move Tumblr to work on Wordpress backend. I think it’s likely there are probably quite a lot of people worried about the move. After all there are many users on both platforms.
Migration projects are always pretty interesting. You learn a lot about a website when moving it to work on different technologies. But this is extra interesting because not only is it a migration of an entire platform, it’s a platform that is internet scale. The cool thing is that since Wordpress is also used by regular small scale websites there‘s likely going to be lots of improvements for everyone later down the line, as long as they remember they are about the small scale too.
If we end up with a Tumblr built on open source software, and a Wordpress that can be used to build websites as cool as Tumblr, then I think it’s a win for everyone.
I really hope they document as they make the journey. This could be one of the best web development stories of all time. It will likely be difficult in places though, the tricky part will no doubt be how to integrate the development teams. Maybe as part of the process each developer should run a personal blog using the opposite platform, and all write and/or create media of various varieties about it. Also go to meetups of the opposite community and create based on those experiences too. Just an idea.
Also who’s going to pay for it all. Experimentation is great and everything but ultimately bills have got to be paid too. But there might be creative solutions in this aspect too, after all both platforms are used by people to run businesses. Turn it into some web version of a reality TV project, with merch and all that stuff. Just need to make sure not to have a negative impact on the development work.
That’s likely way too complicated as a first approach though.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to reading about how this all plays out.