Best of WordPress — 2024

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Video
Fireship·2y
The WordPress ecosystem has lost its mind…
The post discusses escalating drama in the WordPress ecosystem involving Matt Mullenweg, Automattic, and WP Engine. Triggered by Automattic's demand for royalties from WP Engine, the conflict has led to legal battles, public controversies, and significant community backlash. The detailed timeline reveals conflicts over trademark usage, financial contributions to the WordPress community, and accusations of improper business practices, significantly impacting WordPress users and developers.
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Article
controversy.dev·2y
WordPress Drama: Automattic vs WP Engine
The WordPress ecosystem is experiencing a significant dispute between Automattic and WP Engine. This conflict could have notable implications for the community, given the prominent roles both companies play in the WordPress space.
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Article
Community Picks·2y
Why I Ditched WordPress for Astro.js
Struggling with WordPress due to plugin overload, security issues, and lack of customization, the author found Astro.js to be a superior alternative. Astro.js offers fast performance, high SEO scores, and the ability to easily create static websites with built-in i18n support and image optimization. Its flexibility allows integration with other frameworks like React and Svelte, making it a powerful tool for developers looking for a lightweight and efficient solution.
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Article
WordPress·1y
11 Website Layout Examples for Every Type of Page
Designing an effective website layout involves understanding various common types, such as Z-pattern, F-pattern, magazine, grid, and more. Each layout suits different types of websites depending on content and goals. Key factors include making a good first impression, leading user attention, and providing strong UX. Using tools to create wireframes can help map out and refine your layout. Ensure your layout is user-centered with a good visual hierarchy and enough white space.
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Article
WordPress·2y
Studio: Now Available for Windows
Studio, a free local WordPress development environment, is now available for Windows machines. It provides a fast and simple way to build WordPress sites locally. The Windows version of Studio allows users to access WP Admin, the Site Editor, global styles, and patterns with just one click. Users can also easily create and share demo sites.
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Article
David Heinemeier Hansson·2y
Automattic is doing open source dirty
Automattic is demanding 8% of WP Engine's revenues, which is seen as a violation of open source principles and the GPL license. This move has potential negative implications for the broader open source community. The GPL license usually includes provisions for no warranty and sometimes requires modifications to be open source, but it does not support arbitrary financial demands. The expectation of financial contributions without clear legal backing undermines the clarity and certainty of open source licenses.
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Video
YouTube·1y
Why My Websites Always Look Next Level
Web designs can stand out by using specific techniques like full-height video backgrounds that complement the rest of the design. This guide walks through creating a visually appealing web design using stock videos, with practical steps to incorporate them into a WordPress site. Key elements include adding content strategically and aligning elements to create a cohesive layout.
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Article
Christian Heilmann·1y
What’s your excuse for not using the web share API?
The Web Share API offers an easy way to enable sharing functionality on websites without relying on traditional 'share on' buttons that can have security concerns and may spy on users. The API allows users to choose their preferred sharing method, enhancing the user experience.
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Article
Hacker News·1y
So Long WordPress
After 14+ years of contributing to WordPress in various capacities, the author has decided to leave the project. Disillusioned by the community's dishonesty and abusive practices, they believe WordPress has become an ecosystem that often exploits its contributors. The author highlights severe issues within the community and expresses concerns about the current state and future of WordPress, emphasizing the need for proper governance. They have archived their projects and stepped away from WordPress-related activities, urging others to consider the consequences of their involvement.
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Article
The New Stack·2y
Why PHP Usage Has Declined by 40% in Just Over 2 Years
PHP usage has declined by 40% in just over 2 years, with WordPress moving away from PHP and into JavaScript being a major reason for the decline. The PHP Foundation has been formed to address PHP's public image and continue active development.
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Article
Watercooler·1y
Client (noun): The expert who knows your job better than you.
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Article
Hacker News·2y
WordPress Alternatives
Looking for alternatives to WordPress? This post highlights a variety of CMS options that can be downloaded and installed on a server, eliminating the need for API and git-based CMSs. Recommended alternatives include Ghost, Magic Pages, Kirby, Indiekit, Craft CMS, ClassicPress, and Statamic, with notes on their benefits and drawbacks. Additionally, there is an honorable mention of Anchor, a now-defunct PHP-based CMS.
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Article
Community Picks·2y
Give WordPress a try - it's not as bad as you think
WordPress is the most popular CMS with a dominant market share. It has evolved over the years, debunking common stereotypes. Despite its reputation, it is a flexible and secure CMS. Changes include the introduction of the Block Editor (Gutenberg), Full Site Editing, REST and GraphQL APIs, WP-CLI, WordPress Playground, 1-click and auto-updates, performance improvements, modern PHP options, templating engines, and the WordPress Performance Team. Building a WordPress website can be done with no-code/low-code, block themes, modern PHP, headless approach, or the legacy way.
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Article
Torque·2y
Local vs XAMPP: Which Should You Use for Local Development?
Choosing a local development environment can be overwhelming. This comparison pits Local and XAMPP against each other, highlighting their features, setup processes, and user experiences. Local is user-friendly with one-click WordPress installations and a supportive community, catering especially to WordPress developers. XAMPP, while offering greater control and flexibility, requires more technical expertise, making it ideal for developers wanting comprehensive server management. Overall, Local is recommended for ease of use and efficiency, particularly for WordPress-focused projects.
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Article
Hacker News·2y
corcel/corcel: Use WordPress backend with Laravel or any PHP application
Corcel is a set of PHP classes built on top of Laravel's Eloquent ORM, enabling the extraction of data directly from a WordPress database. It allows the use of WordPress as a backend, facilitating integration with any PHP application that uses Composer. Corcel is compatible with multiple Laravel versions and offers robust functionalities for post and meta data management, custom post types, taxonomies, and shortcodes. Installation is straightforward via Composer, followed by database configuration. It supports various scopes to filter and retrieve data flexibly, as well as extensions for handling custom fields and taxonomies.
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Article
Prismic·2y
20 Best Website CMS Platforms in 2024
The post explores 20 best website CMS platforms in 2024, covering different categories of CMSs including monolithic CMSs, headless CMSs, CMS for web designers, e-commerce monolithic CMSs, and monolithic blogging CMSs. Factors to consider when choosing a CMS are discussed, along with the features, pros, and cons of popular CMS platforms like WordPress, Joomla, HubSpot CMS, Wix, Optimizely, Adobe Commerce (Magento), Shopify, Squarespace, Ghost, Prismic, Contentful, DatoCMS, Payload CMS, Concrete CMS, and TYPO3.
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Article
Community Picks·1y
Hide your WordPress website from Matt Mullenweg
WordPress installations send HTTP requests to WordPress.org, which may include identifiable information like the domain, protocol, and user-agent string. The post discusses concerns over Matt Mullenweg's announcement that WordPress.org is his personal site, highlighting potential privacy and security risks. It reviews various endpoint requests, detailing the data sent and providing recommendations on whether each request should be blocked, anonymized, or modified.
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Article
Community Picks·2y
Using JavaScript FileReader to Upload Large Files in Chunks and Avoid Server Limits
Learn how to upload large files in JavaScript using the FileReader API. Avoid server limits by breaking the file into chunks. Explore an example of a WordPress plugin that utilizes this technique.
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Article
David Heinemeier Hansson·2y
Open source royalty and mad kings
The concept of Benevolent Dictator For Life (BDFL) in open-source projects like Linux, Python, and Rails allows for strong, decisive leadership and has proven effective over decades. However, this model isn't flawless and has recently faced scrutiny, especially highlighted by an escalating dispute between Automattic and WP Engine. Automattic's moves, including blocking access and expropriating a plugin, have raised concerns about the neutrality of open-source registries, emphasizing a need for neutral, conflict-free zones in the open-source ecosystem.
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Article
Hacker News·2y
WP Engine is not WordPress
WP Engine is not the same as WordPress. WP Engine disables the revisions feature to save costs, compromising the integrity and protection of users' content, which is a core promise of WordPress. Customers should demand WP Engine enable revisions or consider other hosting options that respect WordPress's standards.
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Article
WP Tavern·1y
Developers Remove Plugins From WordPress.org Repository After ACF Controversy
Several plugin authors are removing their plugins from the WordPress.org repository following the ACF to Secure Custom Fields fork incident. Gravity PDF, BE Media from Production, and Paid Memberships Pro are among the notable plugins transitioning to self-hosted distribution. Concerns about WordPress.org’s actions and potential security risks have prompted these moves.
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Community Picks·2y
WordPress Custom Fields and Custom Meta Boxes Framework
Meta Box is a powerful and customizable WordPress plugin for creating custom fields and meta boxes. It features an easy drag-and-drop interface, extensive options and extensions, and compatibility with Gutenberg and GDPR. The plugin supports WordPress Multisite, seamlessly integrates with any theme or plugin, and facilitates the creation of custom post types and taxonomies. Open-source and hosted on GitHub, it provides flexibility and functionality without unnecessary bloat.
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Video
David Bombal·2y
Hacking Wordpress Websites with Python (using Dark Web and Telegram data)
Learn how to hack WordPress websites using Python and leaked credentials from the dark web. Find out how to protect your passwords and why using a password manager and two-factor authentication is important.
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Article
Make WordPress Core·2y
JSX in WordPress 6.6
WordPress 6.6 introduces the new React JSX transform, providing developers with performance improvements and optimization. Build scripts need to make changes to include dependencies and use the new JSX calls. Compatible build tools and upgrade path are also discussed.
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Article
WordPress·2y
Building Studio in Public: Using WordPress Components and Tailwind CSS in our Local Development App
The post outlines how WordPress Components and Tailwind CSS were utilized to build Studio, a local development environment for WordPress. It highlights the use of reusable WordPress components and the benefits of customizing them with Tailwind CSS to create a familiar and flexible user interface. Detailed steps guide developers on setting up Tailwind CSS, installing WordPress components, and customizing styles. Studio, being an open source tool, encourages contributions from developers familiar with these technologies.
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