Gutenberg Designers Explore Adding Configuration Options to Block Editor Onboarding Modal

Gutenberg designers are considering replacing the current welcome guide modal with a new onboarding screen that prompts users to configure some of the editor’s many individual preference settings. The existing welcome setup was designed during the earlier days of the block editor when many WordPress users were experiencing it for the first time. It briefly introduces users to the concept …

WordPress Launches New Homepage and Download Page Designs

WordPress.org is now sporting a new look with a refreshed, jazzy design that complements the recently updated News pages. “The new homepage brings more attention to the benefits and experience of using WordPress, while also highlighting the community and resources to get started,”  Automattic-sponsored WordPress marketing team contributor Nicholas Garofalo said. “The new download page greets visitors with a new …

OrganizeWP Launches with “Old School Software Pricing Model”

WordPress developer Jon Christopher has relaunched OrganizeWP, a commercial plugin that organizes content in the admin with a single, unified view and UI for streamlining common actions. It’s a utility plugin that Christopher has had on his mind since before he released its predecessor, the Hierarchy plugin, eight years ago. “The WordPress Admin felt really disjointed once Custom Post Types …

New Twenty Twenty-Three Default Theme Now in Development

Last month, WordPress design contributors proposed creating a new kind of default theme that would bundle a curated set of style variations, instead of creating a new theme from scratch. This idea resonated with participants in the discussion and plans are now underway to use a stripped-back version of Twenty Twenty-Two as the base for the new theme. Automattic design …

New Proposal Calls for Contributors to Stop Merging Experimental APIs from Gutenberg to WordPress Core

The practice of merging experimental APIs from Gutenberg into WordPress core may soon be coming to an end. A new proposal, published by Automattic-sponsored contributor Adam Zielinski, calls for contributors to stabilize APIs before merging them into core. Over the years, approximately 280 experimental APIs have been merged from the Gutenberg plugin, which Zielinski audited in a ticket he opened …

ServerPress Is Shutting Down

ServerPress, makers of DesktopServer, a WordPress local development tool, announced it is shutting down after 12 years in business. The company emailed its customers and posted a farewell message on its website after disabling new purchases and is in the process of canceling renewals for existing subscriptions. ServerPress was founded by Steve Carnam in 2010. His leadership helped the company …

Gutenberg 13.8 Introduces Fluid Typography Support and Revamped Quote Block

Gutenberg 13.8 was released last week with some major enhancements that should delight block theme authors and users alike. The long-awaited fluid typography support landed in this version. It provides smooth scaling between smaller and larger viewports, adapting in a fluid way to varying widths. Release lead George Mamadashvili demonstrated how this works in a video: “Contrast that idea with …