I have been using the Genesis Framework by StudioPress for a little over two years now. Throughout that time I have seen Genesis grow, evolve, and improve. I always look forward to the new releases and improvements. Genesis is a fantastic product. But this time it’s different. This time I’m excited. Let me tell you why.
The Goods
Every new release of Genesis is like opening that special holiday gift. The anticipation of something good is there, and this release doesn’t disappoint.
Genesis 2.0 Highlights:
- HTML5 – This is the latest and greatest standard for HTML, which is the programming language that describes and creates your website. HTML5 is the way of the future, and Genesis will now support it.
- CSS3 – This is the latest and greatest standard for CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), which is what makes your website look pretty. CSS3 has many new features that the previous version of CSS does not. Using CSS3 will ensure that your website can be displayed to it’s fullest potential.
- Microdata – This is all about search engines. Microdata is additional data that is included in a web page to better identify it to a search engine. Based upon the microdata in your site, a search engine can return more accurate and appropriate results to the search. If your site sells office equipment for instance, microdata can be placed within your site to improve your sites chance of being found by a search engine (when compared to a comparable site without microdata). This is HUGE, and Genesis 2.0+ will support it.
[R]evolution
Sure, it’s labeled as a “2.0” release. So we should expect fantastic things, right? Well yes, but it’s not all about new features and bells and whistles.
For me, this release of Genesis was exciting. Why am I excited about a pile of code? Well let me tell you why – community.
As an observer, I saw something happen in this release of Genesis that had not happened before (at least not to this extent). Developers got involved. I mean really involved. There were several that I know of that contributed significant time to the 2.0 release. And let me tell you, these are some uber-talented people.
People like Gary Jones, who meticulously reviewed the code, wrote many patches, and took the lead in tracking the changes as they were made. The legendary Bill Erickson, who’s skill level and talent seems to be from another planet. Jared Atchison, the developer that is moving so fast we really can’t see him (how many projects does he do a year, I wonder?). Travis Smith, the wonder coder that helps everyone (so kind to help people) understand the twists and turns of Genesis, WordPress, and PHP. I know that there are others that contributed to Genesis 2.0, but I apologize for not knowing who they are. This is definitely not a complete list.
Community Boost
Genesis is already the best WordPress framework out there from a functionality standpoint and developers point of view. But when you add in the community – it is phenomenal. The level of developer contribution exhibited on 2.0 will accelerate the improvement of future releases. Great move on Brian Gardner’s part getting these developers involved!
I am looking forward to the 2.1 version release, and I’m sure that I will be even more excited then…
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