I am writing to you from a train traveling from Pontevedra to Madrid. With barely any cell service, almost like on an airplane, those of us traveling remain glued to our cell phones, tablets, computers, and game consoles. Few books are in sight, and since it is before seven in the morning, I am also grateful that there are not too many conversations.
There is a talk by Carissa Veliz that I think fits perfectly here: The Power of Analog. It is a TEDx talk in Geneva in which she convinces us, almost begs us, not to leave the analog world behind and not to throw ourselves solely into the arms of the digital: cash payments, books, photographs, FM radio, and, above all, human relationships.
She gives some very interesting examples, from the blackout we experienced last year in Spain to what has happened in certain companies or institutions when their systems have been attacked by ransomware and no one remembers how to manage anything in "manual mode," no matter how obvious it may seem. It is well worth spending twelve minutes of your life listening to her.
And, if you think about it, going to any event is part of this. We could watch the talks via streaming or later, whenever it suits us best. We wouldn't have to get up early, pack a suitcase, book transportation and accommodation, leave our usual surroundings, or cause our work to pile up... And yet, we can't and don't want to avoid it. These are the relationships in which, no matter how hard they try, no chatbot will ever give us what we are looking for: community. Being part of it. Whether it's two people or two hundred. So let's celebrate events and, if we see each other in Madrid these days, let's enjoy these analog possibilities.
🔮 Things of the future... of WordPress and open source
Yesterday, WordPress 7.0 beta 3 was released, but that's not what I'm here to talk about. In my previous post, I tried to paint a slightly less apocalyptic picture of the future than many people see, and I intend to continue doing so. I think this article by Matt Cromwell sums up the situation nicely: WordPress Faces an Event Horizon, Not a Sunset.
(…) Event horizons are the point of no return. It's where physics is disrupted, the old rules are broken, and we have no idea what the new ones are. Once you cross the event horizon, a different, heavier gravity takes hold and carries you to a completely different place. WordPress is approaching that kind of threshold. The factors that drove its early adoption and expansion are no longer valid. This does not mean that the platform is disappearing. It means that we are on the cusp of the most exciting opportunities.
On the other hand, there are two problems that are unrelated (or perhaps related) to the current situation, which we must face head-on in any open-source project (whether WordPress or any other): the lack of support from the large companies that benefit from it, and how to convince new generations to maintain this legacy.
This week, Joost de Valk and Karim Marucchi announced that they were jumping ship from the FAIR project that they had announced with such fanfare in June last year. The technical side will remain and continue to be developed, but plans to turn it into something massive have been shelved. Why? A lack of interest from major players ( hosting companies) in opening their wallets.
We see this every day in most open source projects. Contributors are overwhelmed by project maintenance and development, and it's extremely difficult to get those who are benefiting from the projects to contribute resources. The solution? I don't have one either.
For the other problem, I highly recommend this article by Abigail Cabunoc Mayes on the GitHub blog: "Who will maintain the future? Rethinking open source leadership for a new generation." Not only for what it explains, but also for the links to further reading.
(…) We talk a lot about burnout, bus factors, and the departure of maintainers, but we don't talk enough about how to bring in new contributors or what it takes to help them become leaders.
🧐 Extra links, I'm rambling...
- When A Book Apart closed, many great books were discontinued. A few, such as this fantastic "Accessibility for Everyone"by Laura Kallbag, are available for free online. Take a look at the collection because they are real gems.
- You know I love personal websites. One of the best uses of the .es domain is for Personal Sit.es, a great directory of personal websites for inspiration or to meet new people.
- "How to make a living from SEO? A guide to becoming a profitable consultant"is a comprehensive guide written by Wajari last year that is still relevant today. In a job that, like many others, is fraught with uncertainty, it is necessary to have a clear foundation, and this artist provides it.
🧙♂️ Published thanks to...
Weglot continues to support this newsletter because they are nice people. Do you know them?
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Hey, two weeks later and here I am. I'm not saying I've published it so you don't scold me in Madrid...
P.S. What? You don't have a ticket yet? Well, buy yours and come learn and chat with nice people!
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