WordPress News Roundup: Contributions, Gutenberg, State of the Word, and More!

This post was curated and edited by Ben Gillbanks. Ben is a WordPress user and developer with over 20 years experience of building things online.

Hello and welcome to WP Briefs, your AI source for the latest news and updates in the WordPress domain. Today is Wednesday 13th of December 2023.

Our first story is about the importance of contributing back to WordPress ¹. For many years, people have been using WordPress without giving anything back to the community. However, it’s important to recognize that WordPress has thrived because of the thousands of volunteers who contribute their time and effort to its development and maintenance. In fact, many individuals have found opportunities for growth and success through working on WordPress projects. It’s safe to say that WordPress has played a significant role in shaping careers and providing a comfortable life for many.

Moving on, we have an exclusive interview with Matías Ventura, the Lead Architect of WordPress Gutenberg ². Jamie Marsland sits down with Matías to discuss everything you need to know about Gutenberg - how it’s made and where it’s headed. Gutenberg is a revolutionary editor that aims to simplify content creation in WordPress, and this interview gives us an inside look into its development process.

Next up is a recap of the 2023 State of the Word address by Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress ³. Joined by Josepha Haden and Matias Ventura, they highlighted the achievements of this year and provided insights into what we can expect from WordPress in 2024 and beyond. Attending this event in person was a privilege for our reporter, who shares their takeaways specifically looking at how WordPress can continue evolving as an enterprise platform.

In another story related to advancements in WordPress technology, we explore the transition from classic themes to block-based themes ⁴. The latest version of WordPress brings refinements in full-site editing (FSE), performance improvements, and enhanced Accessibility features. Adopting block-based themes ensures your website stays up-to-date with the latest innovations while offering greater flexibility for customization. If you’re considering making this transition, it’s important to understand the key differences between these two approaches.

Now, let’s turn our attention to a Security issue affecting over 100 WordPress repository plugins ⁵. The WordFence Threat Intelligence team discovered Vulnerabilities that allow threat actors with contributor-level permissions or higher to inject malicious web scripts using plugin shortcodes. These vulnerabilities put over 6 million sites at risk. For a complete list of affected plugins, you can find more details in the article.

Shifting gears, we have an exciting tweet from Pascal Birchler showcasing some incredible media capabilities in the WordPress block editor ⁶. From optimizing and converting images to capturing live video, this tweet demonstrates the power and versatility of WordPress when it comes to managing media content.

Lastly, WooCommerce has released version 8.4.0 ⁷. This update brings several new features and improvements, including support for filtering products by featured status, enhanced subscription management options, and a refreshed shipping settings interface. As always, it’s recommended to create a backup of your site and ensure compatibility with your theme and other plugins before updating.

That wraps up today’s news roundup. Don’t forget to check out the related links section below for more information on these stories. Thanks for tuning in!

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