This is a pretty radical change
We’re probably misusing the term MVP when we try to frame what we would like to see make it into core. But the actual mode of working we use there is quite an achievement. We used to grind it out endlessly, where proposed changes could be discussed endlessly, with a high risk of not committing anything at all in the end. What we’re doing now is: agree up front that it’s a good idea to improve feature X or rework interface Y. And then focus on keeping the scope as small as possible.
Yes, I, J and K are also good ideas, but we’re trying to do X here and while these are all related ideas and together would like make for a nicer whole, we should really focus on shipping X, and X alone, before turning our attention to I, J and K. If at all, because while shiny, interface Y actually presents people with more problems, so maybe we should focus on that. Though it’s never that strongly a case of either/or, and we should definately not stop iterating after the initial commit.
This is a very new and different way of working. Deliberately lowering our standards for the goal of introducing change. This is uncomfortable at times, but even that is good, because it means we’re stretching ourselves, which means we’re doing and learning new things. I’m excited and proud to see this happen. More like this.
Doing it like this means that Drupal 8.2:
- Has content moderation tools (draft! review! publish! etc.)
- Provides a new way to add new elements (blocks) to the page you’re on, without having to go to some far away corner in the admin section
- Those elements (blocks! menus! logo & site name! etc.) can then also be configured in the context of the user facing page. A side tray will show up and expose the relevant settings.
Looking forward to learn how these additions will be received and how we can improve them. In the mean time, lets add more useful and usable things to 8.3 (sample content! media handling! better dates! etc).