Why WordPress made Calypso with JavaScript? Is PHP going away?

The time was right. The old platform, which still handles data storage via a REST API is still working hard behind the scenes with MySQL and PHP.

WordPress accumulated a large number of features and it’s all being built on a foundation that dates back to the early 2000’s. This is no longer something considered ideal. The old backend is still in action behind and you can login to the old WP-admin over ad wordpress.com: https://wordpress.com/wp-login.php

The move to Open Source does not come out of pure goodwill, but the fact that competing services like Medium and Contentful are now offering a similar API — but what they miss is an open source back office interface.

Regardless or not whether reports of the demise of PHP and MySQL are overstated, it’s for sure that Automattic handing over it’s new key asset is an advantage to the web.

What it means for the company behind WordPress remains to be seen.