Some new data from a recent Core Web Vitals (CWV) technology report produced by the HTTP Archive shows WordPress sites running newer versions have lower CWV pass rates. The original report was published in July by Rick Viscomi, one of the maintainers of the HTTP Archive. The site provides a permanent repository of web performance information, giving researchers a common …
Wowmall: A Free Experimental WooCommerce Block Theme
The Wowmall theme was released to the public today. It is the second 100% block theme that integrates with WooCommerce to land in the WordPress directory. Responsive FSE was the first. Two weeks ago, a reader sent in a question for the Ask the Bartender column. He wanted to know where the WooCommerce block themes were. Literally one day after …
State of the Word 2021 Will Be Broadcast Live from New York City on December 14
WordPress executive director Josepha Haden Chomphosy announced today that the 2021 State of the Word will be held on December 14, between 10 am and 12 pm ET/3 pm and 5 pm UTC. For those who are new to the WordPress community, this event is where Matt Mullenweg reviews the milestones and progress of the past year and shares his …
Gutenberg 11.9 Focuses on Navigation Menus and Block Theming
Gutenberg 11.9 landed on Wednesday, and it is packed with dozens of enhancements. Contributors are speeding forward, getting in some of the final features before the release of WordPress 5.9, expected on December 14. Version 11.9 is the last plugin release to include new features for the upcoming WordPress update. Bug fixes will continue to be ported over in the …
Proposed Web Fonts API Not Coming to WordPress 5.9, Possibly Landing in Gutenberg First
After what seemed like a shoo-in for WordPress 5.9, a proposed web font API was put on hold. The feature would standardize how theme and plugin developers load fonts and lay the groundwork for future user-facing features. Jono Alderson opened a ticket for the feature in February 2019. In recent months, the proposal picked up speed. The pull request had …
Ask the Bartender: Is There Still a Space for Building With HTML, CSS, and Template Tags?
I’m still wondering about the best method to approach a new project. As a background, besides the traditional way, I’ve worked with Divi, love Bricks, and am loving Blocks. But I still feel that there is nothing like building a website from the root, with raw material: HTML, dynamic PHP, and CSS — even more now with the importance of …
Radio Station PRO Launches, Offers New Tools for Live Broadcasters
In June, netmix® CEO Tony Zeoli began touting the release of the company’s Radio Station PRO plugin. It would offer an upgraded experience over the free version his team had maintained since 2019. At the end of last month, the company officially launched its commercial offering, a plan that had been in the works since the beginning. The commercial plugin …
WordPress Polyglots Team Launches New Monthly Newsletter
WordPress’ Polyglots team has published the first edition of a new monthly newsletter aimed at helping contributors stay informed and engaged with the team’s activities. WordPress has been translated by volunteers for more than 15 years since version 1.2, with the earliest contributions from the Hindi, French, Japanese, and Norwegian communities. Since that time the Polyglots team has grown to …
AMP Has Irreparably Damaged Publishers’ Trust in Google-led Initiatives
The Chrome Dev Summit concluded earlier this week. Announcements and discussions on hot topics impacting the greater web community at the event included Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiative, improvements to Core Web Vitals and performance tools, and new APIs for Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). Paul Kinlan, Lead for Chrome Developer Relations, highlighted the latest product updates on the Chromium blog, what he …
Ask the Bartender: Where Are the WooCommerce Block Themes?
At what point are FSE theme developers going to start integrating and considering WooCommerce for their themes? WooCommerce has almost always seemed to lag behind all other considerations. It’s a bit like it’s an afterthought to simply scramble in the elements of a solid WooCommerce store. Where is a persistent cart header? Where are the templates for /single-product? There’s all …






