Today we have the WP news from the last two weeks for you: Matt Mullenweg answers questions at the WP Meetup in Orlando, the Servehappy project wants to get rid of outdated PHP versions, and the WordCamp Retreat Soltau is looking for volunteers. We also explain what data compression "Brotli" is all about and show you the web design trends for 2018. Incidentally, we will be keeping the newsletter every two weeks for the time being. But you can look forward to more OtB articles from us!
Bake small rolls with Brotli
Anyone who deals with load time optimization will sooner or later come across the topic of data compression. After all, the smaller the storage volume used, the faster the data transfer. The new compression standard "Brotli" outperforms previous techniques such as GZIP. We explain what Brotli has to do with the Swiss and when it really makes your WordPress site faster.
Web design trends 2018 - It's makeover time!
The dos and don'ts of web design are changing at breakneck speed. With over a billion websites worldwide, this makes it very difficult to stand out from the competition. As our old site was starting to look a bit dusty, we gave it a complete makeover. Our founder and CCO Torben shows you the four major design trends we implemented.
WordPress
Matt Mullenweg faces criticism of Gutenberg
At the WordPress Meetup in Orlando, WP co-founder Matt Mullenweg answered critical questions from agencies, developers and WordPress users. The Q&A focused primarily on the integration of the Gutenberg editor and the future of WordPress in general.
Put an end to outdated PHP versions
In July 2017, over 80% of all WP sites were still using outdated PHP versions. Today, it is only 32 percent, but even that is still too much. For this reason, the Core PHP team has launched the Servehappy project to educate users about the importance of up-to-date PHP versions and to further reduce the number of WordPress sites with old PHP versions.
The WordCamp Retreat needs helping hands
The first WordCamp in retreat format will take place in Soltau from May 4 to 6. To ensure that the event runs smoothly, the organizers are looking for volunteers. In addition to insights behind the scenes and a great time with the WP community, as a volunteer you will of course receive a free ticket. The event is almost sold out. If you want to get your hands on a regular ticket at the end of January, you should definitely sign up for the newsletter.
Frontenberg - the Gutenberg playground in your browser
Want to try out the new Gutenberg editor that everyone has been talking about for weeks without installing the Gutenberg plugin on your site? No problem, because Tom J Nowell - WordPress developer at Automattic - has developed Frontenberg for exactly this purpose.
Business
First-hand information on the GDPR
With so much information on the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation, it's hard to keep track of everything. If you want to know exactly which regulations will apply to EU citizens and companies from May 25, 2018, you should take a look at the official information on the GDPR from the European Commission.
