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One-third of the web!

WordPress now powers over 1/3rd of the top 10 million sites on the web according to W3Techs. Our market share has been growing steadily over the last few years, going from 29.9% just one year ago to 33.4% now. We are, of course, quite proud of these numbers!

The path here has been very exciting. In 2005, we were celebrating 50,000 downloads. Six years later, in January 2011, WordPress was powering 13.1% of websites. And now, early in 2019, we are powering 33.4% of sites. Our latest release has already been downloaded close to 14 million times, and it was only released on the 21st of February.

Over the years WordPress has become the CMS of choice for more and more people and companies. As various businesses use WordPress, the variety of WordPress sites grows. Large enterprise businesses all the way down to small local businesses: all of them use WordPress to power their site. We love seeing that and we strive to continuously make WordPress better for all of you.

We’d like to thank everyone who works on WordPress, which is built and maintained by a huge community of volunteers that has grown alongside the CMS. This incredible community makes it possible for WordPress to keep growing while still also remaining free. And of course, we’d like to thank all of you using WordPress for using it and trusting in it. To all of you: let’s celebrate!

The Grumpy Designer’s Guide to April Fool’s Day

It seems like each and every year we celebrate what I like to call “fringe” holidays more feverishly than the last. Just to be clear, my definition of a fringe holiday is one where I don’t get the day off. In my opinion, people get irrationally excited over them (despite the fact that they, too, don’t get the day off).

Halloween is one of the biggest culprits. The costumes and candy are fine for kids, but adults? Well, I’ll save that point for October. Today, I’d like to take on another of these overhyped events: April Fool’s Day. Specifically, how it’s celebrated on the web, where it fits into our modern cultural landscape and (most importantly) how to profit from it.

So, join me as we take a little journey into all the gags and goofs that make April 1 enjoyable – well, for some people. I promise not to trick you!

Welcome Respite or Sad Reminder?

During my childhood (in the much colder, pre-web era), I can recall April Fool’s Day being an opportunity to do something silly at school. For example, putting chalk inside the erasers or trying to convince my teacher that there was a rat running loose in the hallway. Good times.

But lately, the day has grown into something altogether different. Television has become an extravaganza of pranks (although the first famous stunt came back in the 1950s). And companies have gotten in on the act by “launching” ludicrous products, with the web and social media serving as main catalysts.

Today, it seems like just about everyone (famous or not) is trying to pull one over on us. It’s gotten to a point where I generally want to avoid any social media for at least the first half of the day. Otherwise, I risk being inundated with fake products, fake news and a real case of heartburn.

And here’s where it must be asked: With all of the controversy surrounding disinformation being spread online, are April Fool’s Day pranks really necessary? Put another way, is actively participating even good for business anymore?

If You Want to Be a Joker…

The times, they aren’t so innocent. So, it would seem like a bad idea to partake in anything that helps promote something that isn’t true. Especially considering that so many companies and individuals have done the thing to death in recent years.

However, part of me feels like there is still room for a well-done prank. Though, if you’re going to do it, you had better study up:

Know Your Audience
Demographics are important in promoting your services and, funny enough, pranks are no different. Therefore, you’ll want to develop a good sense of what visitors to your site or your social media followers are going to find funny (or tolerable, at least).

Don’t Offend
Of course, not everyone who sees your little joke is going to think it’s funny – and that’s okay. The key thing to remember is that it’s better to give your audience a case of “meh” rather than overtly offend them. Offend enough people and the joke will be on you – only no one is laughing.

Be Obvious
While some of the best pranks are indeed subtle and subversive, that approach may not be the best in these times (see “Don’t Offend” above). Humor is incredibly subjective and there’s risk in doing something that isn’t patently obvious. For big brands, maybe that’s a risk worth taking. For the rest of us, it seems better to just play it safe.

Offer Rewards
Part of the reason for conducting an April Fool’s prank is to build a stronger bond with your audience. And so, if they are going to indulge you on this, maybe you should do something special for them. Offering a small discount on a product or service would seem to be appropriate. Even if they don’t laugh at your joke, at least they’ll gladly save some cash. See? Everybody’s happy.

Memorable Examples

As society has done with so many fringe holidays, we’ve taken a fun little day and have found a way to use it for all it’s worth (and then some). While some of the shenanigans can still be entertaining, the market is, as they say, saturated. That makes it really difficult to stand out.

However, there have also been a number of gags that went over quite well. Let’s take a look at a few standout web and social-based examples that have been used in past years:

Hulu’s Retro Redesign

Even though video streaming service Hulu wasn’t around in the 1990s, it certainly has an affinity for the decade. At least, that was the impression given by their 2011 April Fool’s redesign. Maybe this started a trend, as the 90’s style is all over the place these days.

Play Pac-Man on The Streets with Google Maps

Google tends to have some of the more creative pranks, as you’d expect with their vast resources. Back in 2015, they offered a Pac-Man mode on Google Maps, letting you eat dots all over the screen. They were at it again in 2017, as Ms. Pac-Man made an appearance. Both take advantage of our never-ending love affair with retro games.

Vowel’s Aren’t Free

Twitter’s phony press release back in 2013 declaring that users would need to pay $5 per month in order to use vowels wasn’t so believable. However, it was quite clever. They get extra points for including an incredulous tweet from legendary comic Joan Rivers. It shows that not every prank has to be over-the-top.

A Truly Smart Vacuum

LEGOs are wonderful toys, but they can make for a messy floor. Understanding the struggle, the company created a truly funny meme featuring the “VacuSort”, which can not only pick up your blocks, but sort them by color and type. This is the perfect example of knowing your audience.

Penguins Do Fly

The BBC is known for being behind some incredible nature documentaries. So, when they put a trailer up on their website in 2008 featuring flying penguins, it attracted attention. Maybe this one is a bit more than most of us are willing to do, but brilliant nonetheless.

Very Funny (or Moderately Humorous)

Indeed, April Fool’s Day isn’t as simple as it used to be. Now, everybody’s running around, trying to make their mark with a prank.

Knowing this, maybe it’s best to keep your expectations based in reality. So, instead of hoping for viral superstardom, aim for making a more modest impact on your core audience. This sort of strategy should lead you to do something less outrageous and (hopefully) less likely to make the wrong sort of impression.

What I find interesting is that, even though I complain about the “me too” vibe of the day, I still find something worth remembering every single year. So, maybe it’s not as bad as I’ve convinced myself. Perhaps I’m (temporarily) cured of my grumpiness.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go out and look for a fake rat to place in the hallway.

The post The Grumpy Designer’s Guide to April Fool’s Day appeared first on Speckyboy Web Design Magazine.

The Grumpy Designer’s Guide to April Fool’s Day

It seems like each and every year we celebrate what I like to call “fringe” holidays more feverishly than the last. Just to be clear, my definition of a fringe holiday is one where I don’t get the day off. In my opinion, people get irrationally excited over them (despite the fact that they, too, don’t get the day off).

Halloween is one of the biggest culprits. The costumes and candy are fine for kids, but adults? Well, I’ll save that point for October. Today, I’d like to take on another of these overhyped events: April Fool’s Day. Specifically, how it’s celebrated on the web, where it fits into our modern cultural landscape and (most importantly) how to profit from it.

So, join me as we take a little journey into all the gags and goofs that make April 1 enjoyable – well, for some people. I promise not to trick you!

Welcome Respite or Sad Reminder?

During my childhood (in the much colder, pre-web era), I can recall April Fool’s Day being an opportunity to do something silly at school. For example, putting chalk inside the erasers or trying to convince my teacher that there was a rat running loose in the hallway. Good times.

But lately, the day has grown into something altogether different. Television has become an extravaganza of pranks (although the first famous stunt came back in the 1950s). And companies have gotten in on the act by “launching” ludicrous products, with the web and social media serving as main catalysts.

Today, it seems like just about everyone (famous or not) is trying to pull one over on us. It’s gotten to a point where I generally want to avoid any social media for at least the first half of the day. Otherwise, I risk being inundated with fake products, fake news and a real case of heartburn.

And here’s where it must be asked: With all of the controversy surrounding disinformation being spread online, are April Fool’s Day pranks really necessary? Put another way, is actively participating even good for business anymore?

If You Want to Be a Joker…

The times, they aren’t so innocent. So, it would seem like a bad idea to partake in anything that helps promote something that isn’t true. Especially considering that so many companies and individuals have done the thing to death in recent years.

However, part of me feels like there is still room for a well-done prank. Though, if you’re going to do it, you had better study up:

Know Your Audience
Demographics are important in promoting your services and, funny enough, pranks are no different. Therefore, you’ll want to develop a good sense of what visitors to your site or your social media followers are going to find funny (or tolerable, at least).

Don’t Offend
Of course, not everyone who sees your little joke is going to think it’s funny – and that’s okay. The key thing to remember is that it’s better to give your audience a case of “meh” rather than overtly offend them. Offend enough people and the joke will be on you – only no one is laughing.

Be Obvious
While some of the best pranks are indeed subtle and subversive, that approach may not be the best in these times (see “Don’t Offend” above). Humor is incredibly subjective and there’s risk in doing something that isn’t patently obvious. For big brands, maybe that’s a risk worth taking. For the rest of us, it seems better to just play it safe.

Offer Rewards
Part of the reason for conducting an April Fool’s prank is to build a stronger bond with your audience. And so, if they are going to indulge you on this, maybe you should do something special for them. Offering a small discount on a product or service would seem to be appropriate. Even if they don’t laugh at your joke, at least they’ll gladly save some cash. See? Everybody’s happy.

Memorable Examples

As society has done with so many fringe holidays, we’ve taken a fun little day and have found a way to use it for all it’s worth (and then some). While some of the shenanigans can still be entertaining, the market is, as they say, saturated. That makes it really difficult to stand out.

However, there have also been a number of gags that went over quite well. Let’s take a look at a few standout web and social-based examples that have been used in past years:

Hulu’s Retro Redesign

Even though video streaming service Hulu wasn’t around in the 1990s, it certainly has an affinity for the decade. At least, that was the impression given by their 2011 April Fool’s redesign. Maybe this started a trend, as the 90’s style is all over the place these days.

Play Pac-Man on The Streets with Google Maps

Google tends to have some of the more creative pranks, as you’d expect with their vast resources. Back in 2015, they offered a Pac-Man mode on Google Maps, letting you eat dots all over the screen. They were at it again in 2017, as Ms. Pac-Man made an appearance. Both take advantage of our never-ending love affair with retro games.

Vowel’s Aren’t Free

Twitter’s phony press release back in 2013 declaring that users would need to pay $5 per month in order to use vowels wasn’t so believable. However, it was quite clever. They get extra points for including an incredulous tweet from legendary comic Joan Rivers. It shows that not every prank has to be over-the-top.

A Truly Smart Vacuum

LEGOs are wonderful toys, but they can make for a messy floor. Understanding the struggle, the company created a truly funny meme featuring the “VacuSort”, which can not only pick up your blocks, but sort them by color and type. This is the perfect example of knowing your audience.

Penguins Do Fly

The BBC is known for being behind some incredible nature documentaries. So, when they put a trailer up on their website in 2008 featuring flying penguins, it attracted attention. Maybe this one is a bit more than most of us are willing to do, but brilliant nonetheless.

Very Funny (or Moderately Humorous)

Indeed, April Fool’s Day isn’t as simple as it used to be. Now, everybody’s running around, trying to make their mark with a prank.

Knowing this, maybe it’s best to keep your expectations based in reality. So, instead of hoping for viral superstardom, aim for making a more modest impact on your core audience. This sort of strategy should lead you to do something less outrageous and (hopefully) less likely to make the wrong sort of impression.

What I find interesting is that, even though I complain about the “me too” vibe of the day, I still find something worth remembering every single year. So, maybe it’s not as bad as I’ve convinced myself. Perhaps I’m (temporarily) cured of my grumpiness.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go out and look for a fake rat to place in the hallway.

The post The Grumpy Designer’s Guide to April Fool’s Day appeared first on Speckyboy Web Design Magazine.

Play videos from Firefox on your Dreambox

An OAuth2 middleware for fetch()

I was a bit frustrated with the existing offerings for OAuth2 clients in Javascript. I heavily use the Fetch API directly, but Web API’s haven’t really caught up to have deep integration with OAuth2.

We were using client-oauth2, but the minified size of this library was close to 40kb which ended up being a majority of the size of our total Javascript code.

I realized what I really wanted was an OAuth2 client that acts as a middleware-style layer for Fetch, making OAuth2 refreshes transparent, and is a lot lighter in weight.

It only took 2 days to write a replacement that is good enough for my use-case, and I made it open source. It’s currently 3692 bytes minified, is written for typescript and has 0 dependencies.

Find it on Github. The library handles the ‘token’ part of OAuth2 flow, including:

• authorization_code, password and client_credentials grant types.
• It keeps an eye on access token expiry, and will automatically call refresh_token if they expired.
• It exposes a simple hook that gets called when tokens get updated, allowing you to store the new tokens somewhere else (like LocalStorage).

It doesn’t however handle the ‘authorization’ part of OAuth2. Which means that if you use the implicit or authorization_code flow, you are responsible for redirecting the user, and when the user returns setting up the OAuth2 with the right code or accessToken value.

Example

If you’re using the password grant type:

const OAuth2 = require('fetch-mw-oauth2');

const oauth2 = new OAuth2({
  grantType: 'password',
  clientId: '...',
  clientSecret: '...',
  userName: '...',
  password: '...',
  tokenEndPoint: 'https://auth.example.org/token',
});

After this setup is complete, and now you can use the fetch functon on the oauth2 object, instead of the global one. It takes exactly the same parameters, as it just forwards the function with the correct Authorization header:

const result = await oauth2.fetch('https://api.example.org/article', {
   method: 'POST',
   body: '...',
 });

I hope this is useful to anyone else. Take a look at the project for more info!

Site News: Blast from the Past – One Year Ago in PHP (03.14.2019)

Here's what was popular in the PHP community one year ago today:

• Andrew Embler: Automated Dependency Injection Using Containers

• Matthew Setter: First Experiences with Symfony 4 & the Symfony Community
• PHPUgly Podcast: Episode 98 - Ethical Dilemmas
• Laravel News: Getting Started with Laravel Model Events
• Three Devs & A Maybe: The Power of Composition with Scott Wlaschin
• Sebastian De Deyne: Server side rendering JavaScript from PHP
• Yappa Blog: (En)queue Symfony console commands
• Tomas Votruba: Why is Collector Pattern so Awesome
• Marc Baker: Discharging Static #1
• Sergey Zhuk: Amp Promises: Using Router With ReactPHP Http Component
• Laravel News: Testing Vue components with Laravel Dusk
• Christoph Rumpel: Content Security Policy 101
• Pineco.de: Frequently Asked Questions About Laravel based APIs

Take care of non-technical skills

Full disclosure: I am one of the founders and current organizers of WeCamp, an event that has a focus on not just technical skills but also personal skills.

In my 20+ years of professional experience in the PHP/software development world, I've worked at many companies and been into many companies as a consultant or freelance developer. Many of the companies I've come in touch with had programs set up for training of their developers. Most of those programs focused on improving technical skills. This makes a lot of sense, because in the current tech world, things change so fast that you need continuous learning to improve. And there is nothing wrong with that.

In recent years, I've seen the focus of training shift a bit from mostly PHP-related subjects to the whole ecosphere of software and tooling around PHP. This is a great shift, because PHP developers don't just write PHP. They use tools like ElasticSearch and memcache, Git and continuous integration, AWS and Azure, and numerous other products that you don't instantly know how to use. Performance, security, quality, it's topics that get more and more attention and rightfully so.

With a few exceptions, however, I've found that many companies still seem to ignore another important part: personal development. I'm talking about things like communication skills, planning skills, a focus on personal happiness. About knowing where you want to go in your life and what to focus on. The human side of the developer. Because, despite what many recruiters would like you to think, a developer is more than just a resource. Developers are just like humans.

I've heard managers complain about developers not having good communication skills, but I've hardly ever seen those same managers look for ways to improve those skills for their developers. I've heard managers complain about the lack of planning skills, or the fact that their developers have a hard time structuring their work day, but I've often seen those same managers only consider technical training for those same developers. And yet, the first non-sponsored link when I search the web for planning skills training is an effective planning skills training. Same for searching for communication skills training. The first result is a learning tree training. And that's just the first results. Go down the results and you'll find a lot more.

WeCamp, a 5-day event focussing on improving both technical and non-technical skills that are essential to software development. We've received a lot of positive feedback on the key take-aways of the event being more than just technical skills. I am very proud of that. When we get feedback such as:

To developers, I'd say that the experience is unrivalled by anything in the market today. The coach's focus on your personal development is guaranteed to push you on exactly the points that need improving.

this means we've done our job. We push people to reflect their current position and where they're heading. We push them to evaluate if their current heading is what they really want. But we also help them set goals and achieve those goals. Whether this is about new tech they want to learn or non-tech skills they want to improve. Actually, when we asked what was the best thing about WeCamp 2017 in the evaluation questionnaire, one of the attendees responded with:

The blend of technical and personal development.

In that same questionnaire, when asked about why people would recommend WeCamp, we got things like:

Great learning and life experience and pushes you to get out of your comfort zone in a positive way.

I know I am biased because I'm very much involved in this event, but I really believe that by creating the safe space that we create for people to reflect on their life and career and by getting developers our of their comfort zone, we add a value that not many other events could.

Interested?

If you or your developers are interested in WeCamp, please check out our website. If you have any questions, please do feel free to contact me.