WordPress Ready for Next Phase with Feature-rich WordPress 6.1
December 14, 2022
WordPress 6.1, named “Misha” after jazz pianist Mikhail Misha Alperin, is jam-packed with new features. This version is the third big release from the eCommerce giant. The variant has enhancements and design tools that make site creation more intuitive and creative. It also has better stability, usability, and performance. It aids content creators with sublime designing and writing experiences with additional improvements to the Site Editor. It renders merchants more control and customization powers on their websites for a wholesome user experience with a suite of new templates. The highlight is Twenty Twenty-Three, a default theme with ten different style variations that allow users to create different looks with a single click within the same theme. The new update also embraces clean layouts and document display settings.
WordPress Plugins Adapt Cloudflare Turnstile In Lieu of CAPTCHA
November 27, 2022
WordPress publishers have started extending support for Turnstile, Cloudflare’s privacy-focused alternative to CAPTCHA. The software is a non-intrusive, free, and easy-to-use spam-blocking solution that bars access to user forms for login, contact, or user registration. It does not collate or store user data and remains invisible for a friction-free user experience. It does not ask each visitor to check a box to verify that the user is human. Cloudflare collaborated with Apple to create Private Access Tokens. Operating systems supporting these tokens, like macOS or iOS, use Turnstile for verification without compromising information. Still in the beta stage, Turnstile’s integration with WordPress plugins continues to increase. It will soon become a reliable way for users to block spammers from accessing WordPress sites.
Plugin Conflict in Yoast SEO 19.7 Causes Fatal Errors and Site Crashes
November 11, 2022
Yoast SEO WordPress plugin version 19.7 conflicts with other plugins, causing fatal website errors. This is the third time a Yoast update has caused severe plugin conflict this year. The error was caused when the update’s coding conflicted with another plugin. Yoast 19.7 counteracted with other plugins that change the admin login URL. It is a security measure designed to prevent hackers or hacking software from attempting to guess user login password credentials. On identifying the problem, Yoast was prompt to tweet that the update, when used in combination with plugins or code that alters the default WordPress login URL, creates a fatal error. They also released a new update, Yoast SEO 19.7.1, with bug fixes within two hours of identifying the problem. Yoast advises users to update to this latest version to prevent crashes.
WordPress Withdraws Security Support for Older Installations
October 25, 2022
Effective 1st December 2022, WordPress is dropping security updates for versions 3.7 to 4.0. The company urges users to update to the latest software versions to continue security support. The affected versions will display a permanent obsolete warning notice that users cannot dismiss. Users who continue to keep the older versions will be putting their websites at risk of hacking once the security support ends. WordPress has withdrawn support for older versions so that its core development team can focus more on updating and securing the current versions without the added workload of keeping the older versions up-to-date. WordPress advises its publishers to update the latest installation, 6.0.2. But WordPress will continue with security support for version 4.01, released in 2015, and all subsequent versions.
Bluehost Announces Easy Point and Click WordPress eCommerce Solution
October 12, 2022
The famous web hosting company Bluehost reveals a new WordPress eCommerce Solution with a point-and-click interface. It revolutionizes the creation of websites. Anyone can build an eCommerce store with WordPress without a technology barrier. It also offers agencies a chance to service smaller clients and boost their business. The solution is easy, and small companies can use in-house experts to build a customized store. This product is highly flexible, user-friendly, and customizable. It has an in-built Wonder Theme that users can tweak to fit consumer needs. The solution is specifically curated to avoid navigating hosts of WordPress plugins and themes. Bluehost only provides the features users need. It is the only product with built-in WooCommerce capabilities and YITH plugins and provides the combined elements of both brands.
WordPress Releases 6.02 Security Update to Fix Three Vulnerabilities
September 27, 2022
WordPress announced a security and maintenance update containing bug fixes and security patches to address three severe to medium vulnerabilities. The update downloads and installs automatically, and users need to check if the website is updated correctly and functions normally. The update has 12 fixes for the WordPress core and 5 for the block editor. There is a notable change in the Pattern Directory to make it more appealing to the theme authors by serving specific patterns related to their themes. The update fixes a high-severity SQL Injection vulnerability with administrative privileges and two other vulnerabilities called Stored Cross-Site Scripting. It also fixes yet another vulnerability not part of WordPress core - a vulnerability to a JavaScript data library called Moment, which WordPress uses.
Fatal Error Reports on WordPress Sites After Yoast SEO 19.5 Update
September 13, 2022
The Yoast SEO plugin 19.5 update caused a fatal error to millions of WordPress sites. The Yoast version 19.5 contains changes to enhance user experience, fix minor bugs, and address validation issues in the Article structured data. It also has a standout improvement in the frontend SEO inspector. It allows an overview of posts and other SEO settings like meta tags and structured data. Yoast published an update for the free version but did not simultaneously release an update to the premium version, which caused the plugins to conflict and create the fatal error. Users reported the issue online that they could not log in in backend and the site and backend throws fatal error. Following a statement on the official Yoast SEO support page on WordPress.org., Yoast released a free security patch version 19.5.1. on the same day, which fixed the issue.
Upgraded Astra WordPress 3.8.0 Theme Released With Better Performance
August 29, 2022
Astra WordPress theme is one of the most popular WordPress themes, powering over two million websites and garnering a rare five-star rating on the official website. The theme is popular as it makes designing websites easy with a built-in template importer. The company has released a free version, 3.8.0, with enhanced performance, design, and UI capabilities. The paid pro version has been updated to version 3.6.8. The new variants have a simplified design flow, making website building much faster. Minor tweaks to the Latest Posts Block make style elements automatic. There are improvements to the Pull Quote block and the Quote block. The new version gives users more control over the page design looks. It also has improved backend and frontend performance, and the reduced CSS usage quickens the page load speed.
A new extension from WooCommerce allows three million WooCommerce merchants to display their catalogs as shoppable product pins in the popular visual discovery engine Pinterest. WooCommerce merchants get access to 400 million monthly Pinterest users to help them influence decision-making and drive sales. WooCommerce users who wish to use the extension need to go to their WordPress Dashboard Plugins page and add the extension with just a few clicks. Once they install and activate the plugin, it automatically uploads their entire catalog to Pinterest, including pricing and availability, without manual updation. Subsequently, shoppable pins will display on user feeds as they browse Pinterest. The extension also offers features like tag deployment, better ad formats, and logging customer interactions to track best-sellers and most saved products.
Gutenberg 13.7 Release From WordPress to Enhance Workflow and UI
August 3, 2022
The new offering from WordPress, Gutenberg 13.7, brings users a better workflow, enhanced granular control within the full site editor, and a revamped user interface (UI). Gutenberg 13.7 is a cumulative update from WordPress, providing an intuitive and natural editing experience. The block locking feature allows users to apply a lock feature to block the elements within a block that is locked to prevent them from changing. Users can select a toggle feature, and the lock that applies to a block can be inherited by the blocks it contains. There are also improved popup menus called Modals that blur the page underneath to enhance focus. Users can create a new template system that gives them more design control. Additional abilities like selecting a featured image from the media placeholder streamline the workflow.
Latest Maintenance Update WordPress 6.0.1 Released With Multiple Bug Fixes
July 25, 2022
WordPress has released its latest maintenance update release, WordPress 6.0.1, which fixes multiple issues. It is a short-cycle maintenance update. Such releases do not add any features but are essential for optimal website performance. This version has 13 bug fixes in Core and 18 for the Block Editor. Over 50 developers from the platform’s community contributed to designing this update. If your website supports automatic background updates, the update process will begin automatically. Otherwise, users can download it from WordPress.org or select ‘Updates’ from their WordPress dashboard and click ‘Update Now.’ WordPress recommends that users upgrade to this latest version for continued optimal website performance without glitches. WordPress has planned another major release, WordPress 6.1, later in 2022.
WP Engine Acquires Popular Plugin Maker Delicious Brains
July 13, 2022
WP Engine, a web hosting company, managed by WordPress, acquired the renowned plugin maker Delicious Brains last June. The company has designed five acclaimed plugins used worldwide by four million customers - Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), WP Migrate, Better Search and Replace, WP Offload SES, and WP Offload Media. WP Engine has assured Delicious Brains customers that there will be no changes to existing plugins, and they will continue to be updated and compatible with WordPress's future releases. The plugins would remain free and available in the current WordPress repositories. They further added that they plan to expand support to contributors and reach a wider WordPress community. WP also intends to combine ACF with ACM (Atlas Content Modeler) for content building and modeling for headless WordPress websites.
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