December 7, 2018 – WordPress has released a major new update (version 5.0) and it is rolling out throughout the world. As it turns out, we are finding that some sites may not be compatible with the new update and this is causing some site owners to see the “white screen of death” when accessing their web page. This white page indicates a fatal error on the site and steps will need to be taken to modify the site so that it will again be functional.
Although we do monitor server functionality, we are unable to check each website and each page on the sites to verify they still function when an update like this occurs. This is very similar to the issue we are currently working where the server operating systems themselves must be upgraded – also resulting in some older, unmaintained sites producing issues. Our staff is going through sites today to try to locate any which are not functioning normally, but as a site owner, if you see issues, please contact us at support@internetpro.net to report it. We will do our best to get your site online, although it may be possible that your website developer may need to be enlisted to restore full functionality.
One of the main highlights of this new WordPress release is a new editor which completely changes the page editing experience. A WordPress-produced plugin is available called “Classic Editor” which will restore the old look/feel to your editor. However, this plugin is only going to be maintained until 2021, so it will be necessary to migrate to the new editor eventually.