[amanzi]

I agree, unfortunately. For me, it's been on a decline since wordpress.com came along and from then it's felt more and more like Automattic is driving development to suit their business model. I still run a large-ish blogging network that uses WordPress Multisite, but I would love to migrate away from the platform if there was a suitable alternative.

[dazc]

I think there is a sizeable market for a basic 'none blocks' wordpress clone with a limited range of options for themes and plug-ins.

Anyone who needs to install a plugin to add a table or to do a redirect is already well catered for.

[amanzi]

I have discovered ClassicPress - https://www.classicpress.net/

They have forked from WordPress 4.9. I'm not sure yet about their long term feasibility.