Since the idea behind calmPress is to create and maintain an improved version of WordPress over time and not just to divorce WordPress here and now, we are (and will always be) dependent in some way on the release schedule of WordPress itself.
Now that there is an actual roadmap for versions 4.9.9 and 5.0 of WordPress, it is possible to at least get some ballpark dates for the release of versions 0.9.x and 1.0.x
0.9.9
This version is meant to provide a simple migration step from WordPress to calmPress. The most important feature of it is changing the software update mechanism from getting core updates from wordpress.org to getting them from calmPress.org.
There were some other changes, but they were mostly focused on branding related changes.
The current status of the version is that it is a beta quality software, all planned features were coded and no new features will be added.
The plan was to release it when WordPress 4.9.9 version will be released, but the recent changes to the WordPress roadmap due to the release of Gutenberg in version 5.0 “pulled the rag” from under the 4.9.9 planning and at this time it is not clear if and when such a version will be released (although it is needed if WordPress wants to support PHP 7.3 for the 4.9 branch).
As we have no idea about when WordPress will have such a release, we will just go ahead and release 0.9.9 on the the 2nd of November 2018.
1.0.0
The first release in which we will start to show our long term vision. It will have the following focuses
- Essential and easy implemented security improvements. They are going to be about removing XML-RPC, preventing external access to places to where there is no reason to have such access, and removing the exposure of user names.
- Introduction of a core plugins concept. Those plugins will be an answer to the situation where many people need a feature, but not enough to justify having it in core, and they will be maintained directly or indirectly by core.
- Deprecation of code and features that should have died long time ago. Starting with the generator tag, emojis, code editing from the admin, XML-RPC, RSS feeds, own oEmbed support, and more. Some of them will be moved to core plugins, some will be removed and most likely there will be no one that will shed a tear.
We will try to release this as a stable version by the 8th of February 2019.