A few months ago, we shared a project I was working on called Desktop Mode, which aimed to turn WordPress admin into more of a desktop-style environment.

Since then, the project has evolved far beyond what I originally had in mind.

It is now called OpenStation.

https://preview.redd.it/aqkwegpv3qmh1.jpg?width=4180&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2cf97987e3120caae45fc001a3e043a800cabf3

After spending a lot of time rethinking the architecture and optimizing performance, some parts of OpenStation are now actually faster to load than their equivalent WordPress admin screens.

But performance is only one part of the story. The project has grown into a much more complete environment, with things like:

• Multiple windows and desktops
• Drag and drop between applications
• A built-in open source image editor
• An extensible application system
• Games and other experiments
• A completely different way of navigating and working with WordPress

OpenStation is free and open source, and the code is available on GitHub.

I honestly didn't expect the project to evolve this much when I made the original post.

I'm not particularly comfortable putting myself or my work out there publicly, but I've been putting a huge amount of effort into making OpenStation something that is genuinely good, rather than just another WordPress admin skin.

I've also recently started a YouTube channel to document the project and share some of the things I'm building along the way.

You can find the project here:

Website: https://openstation.me
GitHub: https://github.com/WordPress/openstation

And here's a short video showing what the current version looks like:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8yIMWhGI3FE

I'm sharing it again because I'd genuinely like to hear what people think about the direction it has taken.

In particular, I'm interested in feedback from people who use WordPress admin regularly. What would make something like this genuinely useful to you?

PS: We are ACTIVELY working on improving it every single day!