[wp-hackers] Removing edit theme files features

[Shasta Willson]

I use the built-in editor for small tweaks on sites fairly often. I'd
see it as significant backwards progress to lose this, and I'm a
"Serious" developer with several years of Wordpress work and a decade
of Java before that.

It's a useful tool.

But I absolutely will not use it unless/until I have FTP access to the
files, for the reasons cited.  I've refused to take jobs where the
client demanded I do so with no reversion option. The suggestion to
have a toggle in the wp-config to turn ON the editor would help insure
that this access existed prior to potentially destroying one's site.

But better yet would be a "preview" mode, not unlike the one you get
when you change a monitor's settings.  If you don't click on the "Keep
this" option it reverts after a set amount of time. This could address
a broader swath of potential errors than a PHP syntax check (though
that would be a HUGE improvement) and at the same time be painful
enough to encourage folks who want to learn PHP hacking to also take
the five minutes to download something like FileZilla and learn to use
it.

Because really, if you're going to take up a new hobby, say
motorcycling, you should be encouraged to learn about and use safety
gear.

- Shasta