Practical AI, webdev, and software signals for builders.
Latest useful updates from the open web: tools, releases, changelogs, WordPress, automation, AI coding, and small software signals worth noticing.
Updated from public feeds and lightly curated for practical builders. No hype feed. No voting. Just signals worth checking.
It is a small public signal board for Old Stack Journal. Items come from public feeds and sources, then get lightly curated so readers can spot useful AI, webdev, WordPress, tooling, automation, and software updates without wading through a noisy social feed.
WordPress signals.
Showing visible Radar cards in this category for the selected date range.
What’s new for developers? (August 2026)
WordPress 7.1 ships August 19, and the Field Guide is out. Responsive block styles, pseudo states, the SVG Icon API, and an always-iframed post editor coming soon.
Read original →WordPress 7.0.3 release
WordPress 7.0.3 is now available WordPress 7.0.3 is now available which features several security fixes. Because this is a security release, it is recommended that you update your sites immediately. You can update to WordPress 7.0.3…
Read original →WordPress 7.1 Release Candidate 1
The first Release Candidate (“RC1”) for WordPress 7.1 is ready for download and testing! This version of the WordPress software is still under development. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on…
Read original →#228 – Priscilla Collado Ramirez on Reducing WordPress Beginner Anxiety
Today, the podcast is focused on Priscilla Collado Ramirez’s journey with WordPress, highlighting how overwhelming the platform can be for beginners due to the abundance of options and limited guidance. Priscilla discussed her experience leaving WordPress…
Read original →Rethinking do_action(): Events as objects, hooks as class names
How to use typed event objects to improve the payload you send to plugin and theme extenders.
Read original →Build your first AI-Powered WordPress plugin
If you've been watching the Core AI projects land and wondering how the pieces fit together in a real plugin, then this post is for you. We're going to build one together, step by step, focusing…
Read original →WordPress 7.1 Beta 4
WordPress 7.1 Beta 4 is ready for download and testing! This beta release is intended for testing and development only. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites.…
Read original →#227 – Maciek Palmowski on Testing Secure WordPress Hosting: Does the Marketing Match Reality?
Maciek Palmowski is on the podcast today to discuss his WordCamp Europe presentation on whether "secure hosting" lives up to its claims in the WordPress ecosystem. He described penetration tests of multiple providers, revealing that the…
Read original →WordPress 7.1 Beta 3
WordPress 7.1 Beta 3 is ready for download and testing! This beta release is intended for testing and development only. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites.…
Read original →#226 – Jessica Lyschik on Why Accessibility in WordPress Themes Is Easier Than You Think
Today's conversation with Jessica Lyschik focused on WordPress theme accessibility, highlighting that achieving "accessibility-ready" standards is easier than many developers assume. We talked about the moral and practical importance of accessible websites, not just for legal…
Read original →WordPress 7.0.2 Release
WordPress 7.0.2 is now available. The 7.0.2 security release addresses one critical and one high severity security issue. Because this is a security release, it is recommended that you update your sites immediately. Due to the…
Read original →WordPress 7.1 Beta 1
WordPress 7.1 Beta 1 is ready for download and testing! This beta release is intended for testing and development only. Please do not install, run, or test this version of WordPress on production or mission-critical websites. Instead,…
Read original →#225 – Milan Petrović on the Risks of Legacy PHP in WordPress and Why Upgrading Matters for Security
Today, I'm joined by Milan Petrović, and the podcast is focused on the impact of PHP versioning in the WordPress ecosystem, emphasising the risks of running outdated PHP and the security and performance benefits of PHP…
Read original →Your Guide to WordCamp US 2026
WordCamp US 2026 returns for another year, this time in Phoenix, Arizona, for four days, August 16 to 19. It comes at a moment of real energy for WordPress, as artificial intelligence reshapes everyday workflows, the…
Read original →On-brand maintenance mode for WordPress Block Themes
Build a branded maintenance mode for WordPress block themes: add one small hook, then manage everything—design and activation—in the Site Editor.
Read original →What’s new for developers (July 2026)
July is the month the WordPress 7.1 cycle gets real. Beta 1 lands on July 15, betas follow weekly through the end of the month, and the final release is scheduled for August 19, 2026, timed…
Read original →WordPress 7.0.1 Maintenance Release
WordPress 7.0.1 is now available! This minor release includes fixes for 31 bugs throughout Core and the Block Editor, addressing issues affecting multiple areas of WordPress including the block editor, admin ui, and media. For a full list of…
Read original →#224 – David Snead on Building Trust and Collaboration in the Hosting Industry With the Secure Hosting Alliance
Today on the podcast, the conversation focused on cross-industry collaboration to improve security and abuse response in the hosting industry. We talk about the Internet Infrastructure Forum (IIF), a platform-agnostic initiative aiming to facilitate real-time intelligence…
Read original →#223 – Ivana Ćirković on How WordPress Credits Bridges Education and Industry in the WordPress Ecosystem
On the podcast today we explore the WordPress Credits initiative, and its strategic importance in integrating young talent into the WordPress ecosystem through structured university programs. We discuss the alignment of the program with modern workforce…
Read original →The First AI Leaders Graduates
On June 23, around 40 students from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), Louisiana Tech University, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette were celebrated in Chicago as the first cohort to receive the AI Leaders…
Read original →#222 – Destiny Kanno, Anand Upadhyay, Maciej Pilarski on How WordPress Education Programs Are Growing
The podcast focused on the rapid growth of educational initiatives in the WordPress community over the past eight months. We talked about the development and distinctions among three primary programs: the WordPress Credits Program (university-level, contributions…
Read original →Browse the New Mercantile Swag Store
Mercantile, the official swag store of the WordPress project, has a newly redesigned storefront with a catalog that now sits front and center, and a design tuned to hold up across a wide range of screen…
Read original →Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship Opens for WordCamp US 2026
Applications are now open for the 2026 Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship, which supports one active WordPress contributor who identifies as a woman and has not previously attended WordCamp US. The scholarship helps make it possible for…
Read original →Dynamically loading template parts in block themes
Stop duplicating WordPress block theme templates just to load different sidebar content. Learn how to use the render_block_data filter to dynamically swap template parts based on post category, page context, or any conditional logic — no…
Read original →Global Partners Across the First Half of the 2026 WordPress Event Season
This post recaps how the WordPress project’s five Global Partners — Jetpack, WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Bluehost, and Hostinger — supported community events during the first quarter of the 2026 Global Partner program, which ran from January through…
Read original →#221 – Rahul Bansal on Using AI Everywhere at rtCamp
In this episode of the WP Tavern Jukebox podcast, the conversation focused on agency growth, lessons from rtCamp’s journey, and the changing agency landscape due to AI. We discussed the importance of hiring complementary skill sets…
Read original →What’s new for developers? (June 2026)
WordPress 7.0 is out, and the 7.1 cycle is already asking developers to test media processing, React 19 compatibility, collaborative editing, theme style states, and Playground workflows.
Read original →#220 – Cathy Mitchell on Why WordPress Events Matter: Community, Connection, and Giving Back
Today the podcast focuses on the unique openness and camaraderie of the WordPress community, particularly through volunteer experiences at WordCamp events. A key theme under discussion was how involvement in such communities combats loneliness and provides…
Read original →What Happened at WordCamp Europe 2026
WordCamp Europe 2026 brought the WordPress community to Kraków for three days of contribution and conversation, from CERN going live on WordPress to WordPress 7.0, AI, and a closing fireside chat on where the project goes…
Read original →Protect The Shire
tl;dr: Temporary 24-hour cooldown period for plugin/theme releases before auto-updates. AI can give defenders an edge. We want to secure all 78K plugins and themes on WordPress.org. One of the things we’ve always striven to do…
Read original →#219 – Austin Ginder on How AI Is Exposing Hidden Threats in WordPress Plugin Updates
Nathan Wrigley interviews Austin Ginder about recent WordPress plugin supply chain attacks. Austin explains how attackers are acquiring legitimate plugins, inserting malicious code or update mechanisms, and compromising thousands of sites. AI tools have enabled Austin…
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