With a pat on its own back, Automattic announced that it has built a desktop app for managing its WordPress platform. But there's a catch.
The new app follows the release of a Mac version and precedes the launch of a Linux port.
"You asked, and we answered — quickly! Just weeks after unveiling the all-new WordPress.com and desktop app for Mac, we're thrilled to introduce our new Windows app," said Automattic in a blog post.
With the new WordPress app, users can manage their blogs and sites from software that'll make related content available offline. Users also can respond to comments and make updates to their pages, all from the desktop app, and in-app notifications will alert them to any new messages and likes and followers.
Along with the My Sites dashboard and the WordPress.com editor, the new desktop app for Windows also includes the Insights and Stats section and Reader. The reader offers much of the functionality of the first WordPress app for Windows, which was more a tool for browsing WordPress sites and blogs and less a tool for improving and updating them. Insights and Stats will display stats on a blog or website's traffic and post count.
"This, of course, is just the beginning," WordPress said. "We're excited to have you try it out, and thanks for all your continued feedback and support."
The only downside here appears to be the fact that the new Windows app is Win32, meaning it won't support Windows Universal app or take full advantage of modern processors. Automattic explained to WinBeta it wanted to build the new app with Calypso, which is based on the 32-bit Electron.
"At the core of our new desktop apps is Calypso, the open-source code we built to power the new WordPress.com, which we just announced," said Automattic. "It marks a huge shift for us and the whole platform. Calypso is a Javascript application that uses our open API to control blogs on WordPress.com and self-hosted sites running the Jetpack plugin."
