{"id":224514,"date":"2026-03-24T08:45:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T08:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/?p=224514"},"modified":"2026-03-23T11:32:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T11:32:49","slug":"dev-one-does-not-simply-deploy-on-a-friday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/dev-one-does-not-simply-deploy-on-a-friday\/","title":{"rendered":"DEV: One Does Not Simply Deploy On A Friday"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Welcome to DEV, your fortnightly peek into what\u2019s happening in WordPress. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>WordPress is always changing. Quietly, constantly, and occasionally all at once.<\/p>\n<p>DEV is where we try to keep up, and bring you the most interesting bits worth your attention.<\/p>\n<p>Stick around to the end to find out what they\u2019re actually singing in the opening sequence of The Lion King\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>In today\u2019s edition: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Plugin submissions are exploding, and the review team is officially outnumbered.<\/li>\n<li>A zero-setup WordPress that lives entirely in your browser storage.<\/li>\n<li>WordPress 7.0 is never late. It arrives exactly when it means to.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Hot Off The Presses: What\u2019s New?<\/h2>\n<div class=\"image-grid cgrid-row\">\n<div class=\"cgrid-col cgrid-col-span-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-224516\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/save-it-again.png\" alt=\"Just to be on the safe side I'll just save it again\" width=\"746\" height=\"712\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>So it\u2019s not just me who compulsively presses <em>Ctrl+S<\/em> 72 times just to make extra, extra, super-duper sure everything is saved?<\/p>\n<p>Yes, I know these days autosave makes this reflex useless. It\u2019s just superstitious by now, like the pigeons that B.F. Skinner trained to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TtfQlkGwE2U\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">superstitiously spin in circles to get food<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But that doesn\u2019t matter. It\u2019s hardwired muscle memory at this point. The fingers of my left hand will continue the endless Ctrl+S twitch until you lower me into my grave.<\/p>\n<p>So, until then, why not <em>Ctrl+S<\/em> yourself some time and scroll down for a condensed catch-up on what\u2019s new in WordPress?<\/p>\n<p>(Ow\u2026 that one hurt. \ud83d\ude02)<\/p>\n<h2>WordPress 7.0 Needs a Wee Bit Longer in the Oven<\/h2>\n<p>WP 7.0 Release Candidate 1 was scheduled to be released on March 19th, but as the team prepared for the release they realized a few things were slightly half-baked and needed more time.<\/p>\n<p>So, back in the oven it goes for a few more days!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The timer\u2019s been reset:<\/strong> The release party has been rescheduled for <strong>March 24th at 3pm UTC<\/strong>, while the final release date of April 9th remains unchanged.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The recipe\u2019s slightly changed:<\/strong> Client-side media processing is no longer in this batch of updates &#8211; it\u2019ll be included in WordPress 7.1 instead. (It\u2019s still performing too slowly to ship.)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Real time collaboration is under-cooked:<\/strong> The tests of this new feature so far has <a href=\"https:\/\/core.trac.wordpress.org\/ticket\/64696\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">contributors doubting whether it\u2019s ready to serve up<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The serving size is still a bit too large:<\/strong> The current nightly build is around 60MB uncompressed, which is gluttonous compared to WordPress 6.9.4 at 27MB, so the team\u2019s working on portion control.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In the meantime, if you want to sneak a taste, WordPress 7.0 Beta 5 <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/2026\/03\/wordpress-7-0-beta-5\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">is ready for download and testing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/core\/2026\/03\/19\/wordpress-7-0-release-candidate-1-delayed\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read the official delay announcement here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>My.WordPress.net: Your Little Corner of\u2026 <em>Not<\/em> the Web<\/h2>\n<p>Brandon Payton has created something pretty interesting: a private workspace that &#8220;lowers the barrier to getting started with WordPress to almost nothing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/My.WordPress.net\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">My.WordPress.net<\/a> is built on WordPress playground and runs directly in your browser&#8217;s local storage, existing only on your device. Not on the web. Not in the cloud. Just\u2026 in there. Somewhere between your cached images and that one tab you forgot to close in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no signup, no email, no domain and no password, all you have to do is open the page and there it is. If you ever want to make the site public, you can always move it to a host &#8211; but for now it\u2019ll live persistently in your browser storage.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s not a stripped-down demo either. You can install plugins, switch themes, and customize everything to your heart\u2019s content.<\/p>\n<p>This means you can use it for drafting posts before publishing elsewhere, keeping a personal journal, managing your personal CRM, or just a bit of tinkering around with zero risk of live-site consequences.<\/p>\n<p>Just\u2026 uh\u2026 remember to download a backup before you clear your browser cookies\u2026 okay? \ud83c\udf6a<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are people saying about it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ma.tt\/2026\/03\/wordpress-everywhere\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Matt Mullenweg<\/a> is stoked about the strategic vision behind this, predicting a future where everyone gets a domain and a WordPress site alongside their phone number and email<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/03\/11\/wordpress-debuts-a-private-workspace-that-runs-in-your-browser-via-a-new-service-my-wordpress-net\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sarah Perez<\/a> points out you can plug in AI assistants and turn it into a searchable personal knowledge base.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/pomy\/status\/2031750060422377983?s=20\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Abdul Rahman<\/a> from WP Kitchen asked, &#8220;How is this different from Playground?&#8221; (Answer: it persists by default.)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/werd.io\/your-browser-becomes-your-wordpress\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ben Werdmuller<\/a> calls it &#8220;absolutely bonkers&#8221; and is wondering how it\u2019ll behave across devices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What do you think? Innovative and game-changing, or just a more end-user friendly version of Playground? We\u2019d love to hear your thoughts!<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/2026\/03\/announcing-my-wordpress\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read about it in Brandon\u2019s own words<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>The Plugins Keep Coming and They Don\u2019t Stop Coming\u2026<\/h2>\n<p>The Plugin Team has been busier than a centipede in a toe-counting contest, thanks to a staggering increase in the amount of plugins submitted for review.<\/p>\n<p>To put it into perspective:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Since October 2025, new submission records are being smashed weekly<\/li>\n<li>Submissions have quadrupled since 2024<\/li>\n<li>Every two days now equals a full week of 2024 submissions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In other words: if plugins were rain, we\u2019d all be underwater.<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-grid cgrid-row\">\n<div class=\"cgrid-col cgrid-col-span-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-ratio-full wp-image-224519\" src=\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/true-af-1050x565.png\" alt=\"At this rate, everyone's gonna have their own app and zero users.\" width=\"1050\" height=\"565\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It\u2019s not necessarily a bad thing that dozens of new plugins pop up every time you blink &#8211; as long as they are good!<\/p>\n<p>Because as much as we all love installing 17 plugins just to solve one problem, it\u2019s the <strong>quality<\/strong> that really matters, not the <strong>quantity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Which brings us to the issue: the team responsible for reviewing and maintaining standards and enforcing guidelines is, understandably, a little overwhelmed.<\/p>\n<p>So they\u2019re recruiting.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to roll up your sleeves and offer your sword\/bow\/axe\/keyboard to the quest, the Plugins Team could really use the extra help! There\u2019s a two-month training period, after which you\u2019ll be unleashed upon the queue and can start helping to keep things (relatively) sane.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/plugins\/2026\/03\/13\/contribute-to-the-plugins-team\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Find out more on the Make WordPress blog<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.gle\/8AoYpRhZPNpotd7t5\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Wanna join the WordPress plugins team? Fill this out!<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Mind Bloggling Facts &amp; Stats<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Remember Nick Hamze&#8217;s &#8220;Featured Plugins&#8221; experiment we told you about in the last edition? It resulted in 26,000 new installs across the 8 featured plugins &#8211; a 622% boost! (<a href=\"https:\/\/regionallyfamous.com\/the-featured-tab-just-changed-everything\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>WordPress Campus Connect has taught more than 4,000 students the wonders of WordPress, across 51 institutions and 28 events around the world. (<a href=\"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/community\/2026\/03\/06\/monthly-education-buzz-report-february-2026\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>The WordPress Photo Directory now hosts over 33,000 photos, from 2,800+ contributors. For context, that\u2019s roughly the same number of photos I\u2019ve taken of my dog sleeping. (<a href=\"https:\/\/make.wordpress.org\/photos\/2026\/03\/06\/march-2026-stats-for-the-wordpress-photo-directory\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Blogs &amp; Resources You Shouldn\u2019t Miss<\/h2>\n<p>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/heropress.com\/essays\/i-dont-have-it-all-figured-out-i-show-up-anyway\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">I don\u2019t have it all figured out. I show up anyway<\/a>.&#8221; Indira Biswas on not waiting until you know everything to start contributing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Real-time collab:<\/strong> Matt Cromwell &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.therepository.email\/wordpress-collaboration-vs-ai-opportunity\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">warns against &#8220;building Google docs in WordPress<\/a>.&#8221; Is it really what the average user needs?<\/p>\n<p>Jamie Marsland is also wondering: &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pootlepress.com\/2026\/03\/are-we-in-wordpress-asking-the-right-question\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Are we in WordPress asking the right question?<\/a>&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>As You Like It:<\/strong> ActivityPub now has a feature that lets visitors <a href=\"https:\/\/activitypub.blog\/2026\/03\/05\/8-0-0-smash-that-like-button\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">like and boost your posts<\/a> directly on your site.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mania disguised as productivity:<\/strong> Kenneth Reitz on how maintaining an open-source project <a href=\"https:\/\/kennethreitz.org\/essays\/2026-03-18-open_source_gave_me_everything_until_i_had_nothing_left_to_give\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">almost broke his mental health<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Can Google actually find your images and understand what they contain? <a href=\"https:\/\/wpmayor.com\/actionable-image-optimization-hacks\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Here\u2019s a checklist that might help<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The WebDev Studios team actually walks the equality walk, with 2x more women than the industry average. <a href=\"https:\/\/webdevstudios.com\/2026\/03\/07\/international-womens-day-2026-the-women-of-webdevstudios\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Meet them here<\/a>!<\/p>\n<h2>Coffee Break Distractions<\/h2>\n<p>The first 90% of the project is much easier than the second 90%. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/ProgrammerHumor\/comments\/1rw1kv4\/ohyousweetsummerchild\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">It\u2019s the third 90% that really gets you.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/veilsoffate.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Veils of Fate:<\/a> Take a journey through Eldermoor in this WordPress-powered choose-your-own-adventure game.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/JustGuysBeingDudes\/comments\/1rmcsfo\/he_seems_like_a_chill_guy\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">A dude who seems very chill.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/f\/deeper?tab=readme-ov-file\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Analytics for Beeper<\/a>: See who you ghost, who ghosts you, and even your average response time.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/Awww\/comments\/1ngt57v\/made_a_ball_pit_for_him\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">This little pupper is having an absolute ball.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>I think <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/ProgrammerHumor\/comments\/1rwaiq2\/maybesomedayicanaffordapremiumdomainlikethisdotcom\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">this is the domain<\/a> my cat is trying to visit when she walks over my keyboard!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=deeNAGzVOY0\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Listen to the scam call<\/a> where Matt Mullenweg almost gets his Apple Account stolen. \ud83d\ude32 Do you think it was an AI bot?<\/p>\n<p>And finally\u2026<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/funnyvideos\/comments\/1rgq7eu\/damn_i_wish_i_hadnt_known\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">It sounds a lot cooler in Zulu, honestly.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Love this mix of nerdery and nonsense? Share it with your fellowship. \ud83d\udc97<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to DEV, your fortnightly peek into what\u2019s happening in WordPress. WordPress is always changing. Quietly, constantly, and occasionally all at once. DEV is where we try to keep up, and bring you the most interesting bits worth your attention. Stick around to the end to find out what they\u2019re actually singing in the opening [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1204260,"featured_media":223007,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"blog_reading_time":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_tutorials_categories":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11265],"tags":[],"tutorials_categories":[],"class_list":["post-224514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dev"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1204260"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224514"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":224515,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224514\/revisions\/224515"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224514"},{"taxonomy":"tutorials_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tutorials_categories?post=224514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}