Catching Up on the WordPress đźš« WP Engine Sitch

Featured Imgs 23

Many of you — perhaps most of you — have been sitting on the sidelines while WordPress and WP Engine trade legal attacks on one another. It’s been widely covered as we watch it unfold in the open; ironically, in a sense.

These things can take twists and turns and it doesn’t help that this just so happens to be an emotionally charged topic in certain circles. WordPress is still the leading CMS after all these years and by a long shot. Many developers make their living in the WordPress ecosystem. All of those developers need hosting. WP Engine is still the leading WordPress-flavored host after many years. Many developers host their agencies there and use it to administrate their clients’ sites.

And I haven’t even gotten to the drama. That’s not really the point. The point is that there’s a bunch of heated words flying around and it can be difficult to know where they’re coming from, who they are aimed at, and most importantly, why they’re being said in the first place. So, I’m going to round up a few key voices contributing to the discussion for the sake of context and to help catch up.

Editor’s Note: Even though CSS-Tricks has no involvement with either company, I think it’s mentioning that Automattic was a looooooong time sponsor. This site was also once hosted by Flywheel, a company acquired by WP Engine before we moved to Cloudways following the DigitalOcean acquisition. Me? My personal site runs on WP Engine, but I’m not precious about it having only been there one year.

Prelude to a tweet

We had fair warning that something was coming up when WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg sent this out over X:

There’s the ammo: Don’t let private equity bully you into speaking up against the company you work for when its contributions to WordPress are on the slim side of things.

Private equity. Lack of participation in the WordPress community. Making a big public deal of it. Remember these things because this is one day before…

WordCamp US 2024

Matt spoke at WordCamp US (WCUS) 2024 in Portland, OR, last week. September 20 to be exact. Making big, bold statements at WCUS isn’t a new thing for Matt, as many of us still have “Learn JavaScript deeply” tattooed on the brain from 2016.

Matt’s statements this year were less inspirational (instructional?) as they took direct aim at WP Engine as part of a presentation on the merits of open-source collaboration. You can watch and listen to where the first jab was thrown roughly around the 10:05 marker of the recording.

Let’s break down the deal. Matt begins by comparing the open-source contributions to WordPress from his company, Automattic, to those of WP Engine. These things are tracked on WordPress.org as part of a campaign called “Five for the Future” that’s designed to give organizations an influential seat at the table to form the future of WordPress in exchange for open-source contributions back to the WordPress project. Automattic has a page totaling its contributions. So does WP Engine.

Before Matt reveals the numbers, he goes out of his way to call out the fact that both Automattic and WP Engine are large players in the neighborhood of $500 million dollars. That’s the setup for Matt to demonstrate how relatively little WP Engine contributes to WordPress against Matt’s own company. Granted, I neither have absolutely no clue what factors into contributions, nor how the pages are administrated or updated. But here’s what they show…

Automattic 116 contributors with 3,968 hours per week. WP Engine 11 contributors with 40 hours per week.

Quite the discrepancy! I’d imagine Automattic dwarfs every other company that’s pledged to the campaign. Maybe it would be better to compare the contributions of another non-Automattic pledge that has a fairly strong reputation for participating in WordPress community. 10up is one of the companies that comes straight to my mind and they are showing up for 191 hours per week, or roughly five times WP Engine’s reported time. I get conflicting info on 10up’s revenue, valuation, and size, so maybe the comparison isn’t fair. Or maybe it is fair because 10up is certainly smaller than WP Engine, and no estimate I saw was even close to the $500 million mark.

Whatever the case, bottom line: Matt calls out WP Engine for its lack of effort on a very public stage — maybe the largest — in WordPress Land. He doesn’t stop there, going on to namecheck Silver Lake, a ginormous private equity firm bankrolling the company. The insinuation is clear: there’s plenty of money and resources, so pony up.

That’s bad enough for attendees to raise eyebrows, but it doesn’t end there. Matt encourages users and developers alike to vote with money by not purchasing hosting from WP Engine (11:31) and seems to suggest (23:05) that he’ll provide financial support to any WP Engine employees who lose their jobs from speaking up against their employer.

I think I can get behind the general idea that some companies need a little prodding to pull their weight to something like the Five for the Future campaign. Encouraging developers to pull their projects from a company and employees to jeopardize their careers? Eek.

“WP Engine is not WordPress”

This is when I believe things got noisy. It’s one thing to strongarm a company (or its investors) into doing more for the community. But in a post on his personal blog the day after WCUS, Matt ups the ante alleging that “WP Engine isn’t WordPress.” You’d think this is part of the tough-guy stance he had from the stage, but his argument is much different in this post. Notice it’s about how WP Engine uses WordPress in its business rather than how much the company invests in it:

WordPress is a content management system, and the content is sacred. Every change you make to every page, every post, is tracked in a revision system, just like the Wikipedia. This means if you make a mistake, you can always undo it. It also means if you’re trying to figure out why something is on a page, you can see precisely the history and edits that led to it. These revisions are stored in our database. This is very important, it’s at the core of the user promise of protecting your data, and it’s why WordPress is architected and designed to never lose anything.

WP Engine turns this off. They disable revisions because it costs them more money to store the history of the changes in the database, and they don’t want to spend that to protect your content. It strikes to the very heart of what WordPress does, and they shatter it, the integrity of your content.

OK, gloves off. This is more personal. It’s no longer about community contributions but community trust and how WP Engine erodes trust by preventing WordPress users from accessing core WordPress features for their own profit.

Required reading

That’s where I’d like to end this, at least for now. Several days have elapsed since Matt’s blog post and there are many, many more words flying around from him, community members, other companies, and maybe even your Great Aunt. But if you’re looking for more signal than noise, I’ve rounded up a few choice selections that I feel contribute to the (heated) discussion.

Reddit: Matt Mullenweg needs to step down from WordPress.org leadership ASAP

Matt responds to the requisite calls for him to step down, starting with:

To be very clear, I was 100% cordial and polite to everyone at the booth, my message was:

* I know this isn’t about them, it’s happening several levels above, it’s even above their CEO, it’s coming from their owner, Silver Lake and particularly their board member Lee Wittlinger.

* Several people inside WP Engine have been anonymously leaking information to me about their bad behavior, and I wanted to let them know if they were caught or faced retaliation that I would support them in every way possible, including covering their salaries until they found a new job.

* That *if* we had to take down the WP Engine booth and ban WP Engine that evening, my colleague ChloĂ© could print them all new personal badges if they still wanted to attend the conference personally, as they are community members, not just their company.

This was delivered calmly, and they said thank you, and their head of comms, Lauren Cox, who was there asked that they have time to regroup and discuss.

Automattic’s Actionable Misconduct Directed to WP Engine

WP Engine issues a cease and desist letter designed to stop Matt from disparaging them publicly. But hold up, because there’s another juicy claim in there:

In the days leading up to Mr. Mullenweg’s September 20th keynote address at the WordCamp US Convention, Automattic suddenly began demanding that WP Engine pay Automattic large sums of money, and if it didn’t, Automattic would wage a war against WP Engine.

And yes, they did issue it from their own site’s /wp-content directory. That’s easy to lose, so I’ve downloaded it to link it for posterity.

Open Source, Trademarks, and WP Engine

Just today, Matt published a cease and desist letter to the Auttomatic blog where he alleges that WP Engine’s commercial modifications to WordPress Core violate the WordPress trademark. Again, this has become about licensing, not contributions:

WP Engine’s business model is based on extensive and unauthorized use of these trademarks in ways that mislead consumers into believing that WP Engine is synonymous with WordPress. It’s not.

This is trademark abuse, not fair competition.

This is no longer WordPress vs. WP Engine. It’s more like Automattic vs. WP Engine. But with Matt’s name quite literally in the name Automattic, let’s be real and call this Matt Mullenweg vs. WP Engine.

WP Tavern coverage

WP Tavern is still the closest thing we have to an official WordPress news outlet. Nevermind that it’s funded and hired by Automattic (among others). I respect it, though I honestly have been less attentive to it since the team turned earlier this year. It’s still a great spot to catch up on the post-event coverage:

There’s another more recent WP Tavern article I want to call out because it’s a huge development in this saga…

WP Engine Banned from Using WordPress.org Resources

Dang. This is the point of no return. It not only affects WP Engine proper, but the Flywheel hosting it also owns.

WordPress.org has blocked WP Engine customers from updating and installing plugins and themes via WP Admin. 

I was able to update plugins on my site as recently as yesterday, but let’s see as of this morning.

Aww, biscuits.

Maybe I can still see details about my installed plugins…

Double biscuits!

This is a bad, bad situatiuon. I have thoughts about it and neither side looks good. Using real people with no dog in the fight to make a point is never gonna be a good look. Then again, both sides have valid points and I can see where they’re coming from. I just hate to see it come to a head like this.


Catching Up on the WordPress đźš« WP Engine Sitch originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.



from CSS-Tricks https://ift.tt/iWfR0UC
Gain $200 in a week
via Read more

BCD Watch

Featured Imgs 23

A new tool from Eric Meyer, Brian Kardell, and Stephanie Stimac backed with Igalia’s support. Brian announced it on his blog, as did Eric, describing it like this:

What BCD Watch does is, it grabs releases of the Browser Compatibility Data (BCD) repository that underpins the support tables on MDN and services like caniuse.com.  It then analyzes what’s changed since the previous release.

Every Monday, BCD Watch produces two reports. The Weekly Changes Report lists all the changes to BCD that happened in the previous week — what’s been added, removed, or renamed in the whole of BCD.  It also tells you which of the Big Three browsers newly support (or dropped support for) each listed feature, along with a progress bar showing how close the feature is to attaining Baseline status.

Browser support data is at MDN. There’s also plenty at Caniuse.com. The two share data, in fact, though not all of it. We now have Baseline, which is also cited in MDN and Caniuse alike. It’s nice to see an effort at cracking a central spot for all this — organized by date, no less.

Oh, and hey, there’s a feed. Even better.

You can also poke at its repo. Thanks a bunch, Eric, Brian, Stephanie, and Igalia! This is super helpful and already part of my toolkit.


BCD Watch originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.



from CSS-Tricks https://ift.tt/edOZbip
Gain $200 in a week
via Read more

20+ Voucher Mockup Graphic Templates (PSD, AI & More)

Featured Imgs 23

Vouchers and coupons are a key part of any marketing strategy, offering customers special discounts and incentives to drive engagement and sales. But to truly catch the eye, these vouchers need to look polished and professional.

In this blog post, we’ve gathered the best voucher and coupon mockup templates to help you present your designs in a realistic and appealing way. Whether you’re designing for a restaurant, retail store, or online brand, these mockup templates allow you to showcase your voucher or coupon designs with style.

From clean and modern layouts to more elaborate, creative designs, these templates are perfect for visualizing how your final product will look in the real world. Have a look.

Modern Voucher Mockup Template

Modern Voucher Mockup Template

This is a modern and customizable mockup template for showcasing your voucher and coupon designs. This kit offers four high-resolution PSD files that you can easily edit to place your designs. You can also alter the contrast, design, or even the background color and textures according to your needs.

Gift Voucher Mockup Template

Gift Voucher Mockup Template

This voucher mockup template is fully customizable and integrates seamlessly with Smart-Objects for easy replacement of designs. The high-quality resolution of 3000 x 2000 px at 300 DPI ensures stunning visuals. A comprehensive help file is included for your convenience.

Natural Voucher Mockup Template

Natural Voucher Mockup Template

A versatile voucher mockup template for showcasing food and nature-themed product vouchers. It provides 4 different templates, all customizable via smart objects for easy editing. It features high-resolution (4500x3000px, 300 DPI) well-layered PSD files with adjustable light, capable of accommodating both bright and dark designs.

Voucher Coupon Mockup Template

Voucher Coupon Mockup Template

This is a crisp, easy-to-use voucher mockup template ideal for showcasing your voucher designs. This template features smart objects for hassle-free editing, well-organized layers for speedy adjustments, and the capacity to modify the background color to match your designs. It offers a realistic photo quality along with a fully layered PSD, well-structured layers, and 300 DPI optimisation.

Stylish Gift Voucher Mockup Template

Stylish Gift Voucher Mockup Template

A customizable voucher mockup template for creating engaging gift vouchers or tickets. It’s ideal for social media posts and presentations to clients. This template features four high-resolution PSD mockup scenes, easy-edit smart objects, variable light settings, and a changeable background. Plus, all objects and shadows are fully separated and editable.

Discount Voucher Mockup Templates

Discount Voucher Mockup Templates

A set of voucher mockup templates that are ideal for professionally displaying your unique coupon designs. Comprised of five different gift voucher Photoshop mockups, the templates offer smart-object features for effortless design replacement, adjustable background colors, and impressive high-resolution imagery (3000×2000 px, 300 dpi). Suitable for anyone with Photoshop CS4 and up.

Creative Voucher Mockup Templates

Creative Voucher Mockup Templates

This collection of voucher mockup templates can make your voucher designing process effortless and quick. These templates, provided in a neatly organized and high-resolution PSD file, incorporate smart-object features for easy and fast editing. They can handle all designs, bright or dark, and allow customization like background color tweaking, separate shadows, and light adjustment.

Elegant Coupon Voucher Mockup Template

Elegant Coupon Voucher Mockup Template

A versatile, professionally designed voucher mockup template kit. Perfect for displaying business logos, discount vouchers, and promotional designs, it captures attention and elevates your brand’s visibility. Easy to edit with Photoshop, these high-resolution mockup files come in an RGB color mode. Brilliantly crafted for showcasing branding design, the set includes three files, a user guide, and enables customizable background colors and designs.

Simple Gift Voucher Mockup Template

Simple Gift Voucher Mockup Template

This is an efficient tool for crafting gift coupons. It features 4 items within a well-layered PSD file. Utilizing the smart-object feature, you can swiftly personalize the existing design effortlessly. The template comes with organized layers and folders, customizable background colors, and both bright and dark design options.

Dark Voucher Mockup Template

Dark Voucher Mockup Template

A versatile voucher mockup template for showcasing your gift voucher designs professionally. This creative asset includes 4 PSD Photoshop format files, features a high resolution of 4500x3000px, and a customizable background. The included smart-object features make editing quick and easy, catering to both bright and dark designs.

Colorful Voucher Mockup Template

Colorful Voucher Mockup Template

This is a vibrant and user-friendly voucher mockup template ideal for showcasing your promotional designs. The template features a photorealistic mock-up with a high resolution of 5000×3000 pixels, smart object background, and is easy to maneuver. It also comes with built-in photo filters, enhancing the visual appeal of your vouchers.

Bold Voucher Mockup Template

Bold Voucher Mockup Template

This is a professionally designed voucher mockup template perfect for displaying your brand’s coupon design. With four easy-to-use Photoshop mockups, it offers smart-object features for quick design replacements. Moreover, it allows background color alterations, boasts a high-quality resolution of 3000x2000px at 300 dpi, and includes a helpful guide file.

Stylish Voucher Mockup Template

Stylish Voucher Mockup Template

An excellent voucher mockup template for presenting your designs with a professional and realistic edge. It comes as a high-resolution, easy-to-use PSD file, compatible with Photoshop CS4 or higher. Among its key features, the template offers a changeable background color, convenient smart-object attributes, and a helpful PDF guide.

Unique Coupon Mockup Templates

Unique Coupon Mockup Templates

This is an expertly designed voucher mockup template kit perfect for showcasing your business logos, coupons, and discount vouchers. The high-resolution, fully-editable PSDs can be tailored to your preference using Photoshop’s smart objects, allowing you to effortlessly change designs and colors. With three files included, these templates are ideal for presenting your branding and heightening your brand’s visibility.

Minimal Coupon Mockup Templates

Minimal Coupon Mockup Templates

A valuable voucher mockup template pack for those seeking sleek, structured coupon designs. With 05 high-resolution (4500x3000px, 300 DPI) PSD files included, the bundle allows for easy and speedy editing via smart objects and organized layers. Features such as customizable background colors and adjustable lighting cater to both bright and dark design preferences.

Modern Gift Voucher Mockup Template

Modern Gift Voucher Mockup Template

This voucher mockup template provides a sleek and efficient solution for crafting gift vouchers. It comes with two PSD styles, featuring a high-resolution design (4500×3000 pixels, 300dpi), and a certificate size of 7×3″. Its organized layers and folders and simple editing via smart objects make personalizing your vouchers a breeze.

Basic Coupon Mockup Templates

Basic Coupon Mockup Templates

This is an effortless way to professionally present your unique voucher designs. Comprising of five easily customizable Photoshop mockups, these templates have a smart-object feature that lets you swiftly insert your designs. They also offer changeable background-colors and come in a high-resolution, 300 DPI, 3000×2000 pixel format.

Classy Voucher Mockup Template

Classy Voucher Mockup Template

This voucher mockup template boasts a refined and elegant design, perfect for those aiming to showcase their products professionally. Featuring four PSD files with a high-resolution of 4500×3000 and 300 dpi, this template is easily editable and well-organized. It’s a fantastic and efficient tool to preview whether your design vision will translate successfully before execution.

Free Coupon & Voucher Mockup Templates

Free Coupon Cards Mockup (PSD)

Free Coupon Cards Mockup (PSD)

This is a free mockup you can use to showcase all types of coupon and voucher designs. It features a very realistic-looking mockup scene that will make your designs look much more alive and real in presentations.

Free Voucher Card Mockup (PSD)

Free Voucher Card Mockup (PSD)

This mockup template is also free to download and it features a unique nature-inspired mockup scene. It’s perfect for all sorts of vouchers, coupons, and other types of card design presentations.

Free Gift Voucher Mockup

Free Gift Voucher Mockup

This is a simple gift voucher mockup scene that you can fully customize to your preference. The template includes easily editable smart object layers and changeable backgrounds as well.

Free Ticket & Coupon Mockup

Free Ticket & Coupon Mockup

This is a collection of 5 creative coupon mockup templates that come in multiple variations and arrangements. You can use these to showcase your tickets, coupons, and vouchers like a pro.

Free Discount Voucher Mockup

Free Discount Voucher Mockup

Another free voucher mockup with a stylish design. This mockup features a beautiful scene with lots of editable elements. Placing your designs in the mockup is also easy thanks to smart object layers.