Dev Chat Agenda for August 26, 2020

Here is the #agenda for this week’s meeting happening later today: Wednesday, August 26, 2020, 10:00 PM GMT+2. Please share any items you’d like to include in the comments below.

  • Announcements
  • Highlighted blogblog (versus network, site) posts 
  1. Discussion on the proposal to drop support for old PHP versions via a fixed schedule
  2. Request for Input: Consent Preferences for Logged In Users (Consent API)
  3. Request for comments on Dev Chat – APAC Edition Meeting Summary – August 20 2020
  4. Timing of release WordPress 5.5.1
  • Calls from component maintainers
  • Open Floor

If you have something else you want to include to the agenda, please mention it in the comments below.

The #dev-chat  meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 26, 2020, 10:00 PM GMT+2. This meeting is held in the #core channel. To join the meeting, you’ll need an account on the Making WordPress Slack.

#5-5, #5-5-1, #5-6, #agenda, #dev-chat

Dev Chat Meeting Summary – August 19, 2020

@thewebprincess facilitated the chat on this agenda.
Meeting recap by @laurora with @marybaum editing.

Full meeting transcript on Slack

Announcements

This meeting marked the official start of the 5.6 release – run by an all-woman team.

@yvettesonneveld summed it up: “Tonight we’re writing history!”

In another first for WordPress, @webcommsat said the 5.5 Question and Answers for Developers is in its final fact-checking.

Highlighted posts

Upcoming releases

WordPress 5.5.1

@audrasjb will run a 5.5.1 bugs scrub next Monday at 20:00 UTC.

Components check-in and status updates

@johnbillion  reminded the group that if you’re interested in helping maintain a component, whether active or not, feel free to speak up—to current maintainers, project leads or release leads.

AND if you’re a current maintainer who needs to step back for any reason, please feel free to do that at any time. Again, please pingPing The act of sending a very small amount of data to an end point. Ping is used in computer science to illicit a response from a target server to test it’s connection. Ping is also a term used by Slack users to @ someone or send them a direct message (DM). Users might say something along the lines of “Ping me when the meeting starts.” a release or project lead. 

@jeffpaul flagged that for GutenbergGutenberg The Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg//editor-related items intending to ship in 5.6, it would be helpful to understand what may be needed from the other coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. component teams to ensure we have maintainers / committers / etc. ready to help.

An update on build/test tools from @jorbin: The top priority is #46149 — critical to support PHP8.

From Upgrade/Install, @whyisjake said he’s excited about the core auto-updates coming in #50907 and would love some feedback on getting started.

The Multisitemultisite Used to describe a WordPress installation with a network of multiple blogs, grouped by sites. This installation type has shared users tables, and creates separate database tables for each blog (wp_posts becomes wp_0_posts). See also network, blog, site team has no firm plans for 5.6, but @johnbillion would like to reboot weekly chats again and carry on with the mini roadmap that started with default metaMeta Meta is a term that refers to the inside workings of a group. For us, this is the team that works on internal WordPress sites like WordCamp Central and Make WordPress. values landing in 5.5.

On themes, @williampatton shared that the main goal this release cycle was to help unblock anything that #core-editor hits snags with.

@francina pointed out that the plan for 5.6 calls for a new default theme—ideally, one that starts to showcase the blockBlock Block is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. editor in template parts outside the_content.

Open floor

5.5.1

@joostdevalk raised 5.5.1 timing, since #50999 has unleashed a heavy support burden on his team.

The group supported a faster 5.5.1 release; there will be bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. scrubs on Friday and Monday, after which the team will make more concrete plans.

See the full discussion here.

Top Comments pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party

@francina shared a plugin used on the Community Team blogblog (versus network, site) called ‘Top Comment’. It adds a final comment that recaps all the other comments in a discussion—a handy way to summarize discussions that have been going on a while.

#5-6#5-5-1#dev-chat#summary

#5-5-1, #5-6, #dev-chat, #summary

WordPress 5.5.1 Bug Scrubs

The following bugbug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. scrubs have been scheduled on tickets milestoned for 5.5.1, the conversations will take place in #core, and all are welcome to attend and take part in these meetings (requires registration).

As a refresher, here’s a post by @jorbin from the 4.7 release cycle answering questions about bug scrubs.

Reminder that the timeline for 5.5.1 will be determined after these bug scrubs and during the devchat on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 at 20:00 UTC in #core.

#5-5-1, #bug-scrub