Yes, a Block-Based Version of the Kubrick WordPress Theme Exists – WP Tavern
It’s actually the one factor that nobody was asking for, however we are able to all collectively agree it’s sort of cool. A block-based version of the old-school Kubrick WordPress theme exists.
Gutenberg lead Matías Ventura tweeted a fast video of it in motion yesterday. Fellow Automattic engineer Riad Benguella had put the theme collectively.
I’m at all times looking out for these nostalgic plugins and themes that harken again to my early days on the internet, the early-to-mid 2000s, the golden age of running a blog. And, there’s nothing that embodies that greater than Kubrick, WordPress’s second default theme. It was actually named “Default” and represented the platform for over half a decade.
Even at the moment, Kubrick/Default nonetheless has over 10,000 energetic installs. I wonder if it’s operating on now-defunct websites or if the quantity represents still-active bloggers.
The theme was the face of WordPress throughout its rise to dominance as a CMS. Theme authors owe extra credit score to it than any others. It was copied, forked, repackaged, and redistributed extra occasions than most of us will doubtless ever know.
Kubrick 2, as it’s named within the GitHub repository, remains to be a piece in progress. There are nonetheless a number of kinks, comparable to single posts displaying the excerpt as an alternative of the total content material. Nevertheless, it’s a working theme.
The stunning factor about it’s how little code it took to recreate Kubrick with the block system. The unique theme, final up to date in 2020 and now at model 1.7.2, falls in need of 11 kb of CSS. I can’t bear in mind the final time I noticed a traditional WordPress theme with so little code. The block-based model at the moment makes use of a handful of theme.json settings and has no CSS.
In fact, it didn’t take me lengthy to dive into the location editor and begin customizing. Essentially the most recognizable design facet of Kubrick was its gradient-blue header. It was additionally one of many items that customers from across the running a blog world would customise to make their web site really feel like their very own. They might beautify it with customized colours, gradients, and even photos.
At the moment, with the block editor, that’s far less complicated than a decade and a half in the past. Plus, there are extra choices.
With such energy in my arms again in 2005, I’m not positive if I might have pursued theme growth in any respect. I in all probability may have achieved every little thing I wanted to do inside the WordPress admin. Kubrick was one in every of my first introductions to theme design, and I owe an unpayable debt to it. It’s good to know that its legacy continues to reside on.
For outdated time’s sake, I spent a couple of minutes making modifications through the location editor — ever so barely modernizing it. Nevertheless, I didn’t wish to lose the flavour of the unique work.
I’m as comfy as anybody may be within the editor. I do know most of its ache factors, however this by some means felt extra pure than traditional. Perhaps it was the simplicity of a theme from a bygone period. Maybe the location editor and I have been simply seeing eye to eye at the moment. Or, it would merely have been within the playing cards. I had loads of enjoyable venturing down reminiscence lane.
I doubt Kubrick 2 sees loads of motion in the actual world. Perhaps a number of of us who’re as nostalgic as I’m will set up it when it’s prepared for manufacturing.
Very like Ian Stewart did with Kirby in 2010, perhaps some adventurous theme writer will take it upon him or herself to construct a modern-day successor to Kubrick. One which each leans into the block system and has readable typography. I get older and blinder. A 13px font measurement just isn’t as straightforward on the eyes today.
