Gridbox 3. Evolution without Revolution

No updates. No news. No social media posts, no new video tutorials. Just silence. Complete, absolute, endless silence. But why? What’s hidden behind it? Is this the calm before the storm? Or is the storm already raging inside while everything seems peaceful outside? It’s time to lay our cards on the table and reveal what’s happening behind closed doors.

The second half of 2024 was driven by one idea — to create a truly powerful and user-friendly Mailer for Joomla email marketing. We dove headfirst into development, put in colossal effort, and achieved outstanding results. And we have already created an incredible email editor for our new Joomla email marketing extension.

But despite the impressive progress, we made a difficult decision — to put Mailer development on hold.

The reason? Gridbox.

There’s one simple truth: Gridbox is the cornerstone of our company. It might surprise some but even Balbooa Joomla Forms were created from our early experiments and developments for Gridbox. Our entire community has grown around Gridbox, watching the product evolve.

Joomla website builder Gridbox is massive. It’s an entire ecosystem. Without exaggeration, there is no other CMS extension that combines so much functionality. Such a powerful and comprehensive analog simply does not exist. But with each update, Gridbox becomes technically more complex. Every release demands more time for testing, bug fixing, and maintaining stability. And each time, this process becomes an even greater challenge.

We realized that to move forward, something had to change. So we made a difficult but necessary decision: to stop Mailer development and immediately begin a fundamental upgrade of Gridbox.

Because Gridbox is not just a Joomla extension. It’s the essence of our team and the heart of the Balbooa Community. It’s what unites us, inspires us, and gives our work meaning.

Since December 2024, under the cover of silence, without any loud announcements, we have been working on a massive update — Gridbox 3.0. This upcoming version is not just an update. It’s a fundamental reconstruction to make Gridbox even more powerful, faster, and user-friendly. We have focused on three key areas: 

1. Code refactoring – improving product stability

2. UI & UX optimization – enhancing ease of use

3. Compliance with modern web development standards

We don't destroy the old to build the new. We are evolving, making Gridbox stronger, better, and more reliable.

Code Refactoring

Refactoring isn’t just about cleaning up the code, it’s an excellent way to make Gridbox lighter, more stable, and faster. Optimized code simplifies maintenance, boosts performance, and minimizes potential errors. 

A simple yet impressive example:

• In version 2.18.2, the ba-admin.css file contained 17 437 lines
• In Gridbox 3.0, the same file now includes only 3 036 lines of code

Through deep optimization of classes and code structure, the CSS file for the admin panel has been reduced by six times! Let that sink in. Impressive, right?! Honestly, even in our boldest expectations, we didn’t anticipate such results.

But that’s not all. In software, each update usually increases the installation file size. Gridbox 3.0 breaks this tendency. Thanks to optimization, its installation file will be smaller, making it lighter, faster, and more efficient. So refactoring is not just about working on the code — it’s about shaping the future of Gridbox.

UI & UX Optimization

Changes in Gridbox’s code structure inevitably affect the interface. We fully understand that UI & UX are delicate matters where even the slightest tweaks can impact your productivity.

Let’s be clear: we are not radically changing the Gridbox interface. We are optimizing it to make your work faster, smoother, and more intuitive. We are not chasing flashy effects and animations, our priority is real comfort and efficiency in website creation.

We'll show more details about the new UI version in future blog posts about Gridbox 3.0. What we can already tell is that the interface will remain visually familiar but will be simpler, more logical, and more user-friendly. The Gridbox interface isn’t changing — it’s evolving.

Compliance with Modern Standards

In Gridbox 3.0, we're doing a global revision of the default styles for everything from buttons to basic theme settings and apps.

But it’s not just about styles. All Page Blocks will be completely redesigned to meet modern web design standards, helping you create websites that look fresh and professional.

Additionally, we are revising the functional side of tools. Every available option will be reviewed. Integrations like Hypercomments and Gravatar will be removed due to their irrelevance in 2025. We are also completely abandoning font icons in favor of a more modern and efficient solution — SVG icons.

Now all the cards are on the table — you know what we're working on and what awaits you in the future.

But the big question remains: when? We can’t give a clear answer. This is not just an update or an additional feature. It's a fundamental reconstruction of the entire platform. We are not chasing deadlines because code refactoring is a delicate process where every detail matters. We need time to ensure the stability and safety of the update.

However, there is good news: the admin panel is almost ready! In the next blog post about Gridbox 3.0, we will give you a detailed look at the updated interface. 

Stay tuned because the most exciting part is just around the corner 😉

Leave a comment