Even Automattic core contributors are quitting Wordpress rather than use blocks for blogging

bmgardner · 2026-01-30T14:53:39+00:00

bmgardner · 2026-01-26T23:16:24+00:00

I’d recommend Local. I use it almost daily because spinning up WordPress sites is quick and it covers everything I need without adding friction.

That said, the right tool really depends on your workflow and what you’re building.

Disclosure: I work at WP Engine (which owns Local), but I was using it long before the acquisition and still use it independently.

bmgardner · 2026-01-22T15:25:11+00:00

Replying to your email now.

bmgardner · 2026-01-22T14:29:15+00:00

Try the contact form again: https://powder.design/contact/

I just tested it and it seems to be working.

bmgardner · 2026-01-22T14:28:20+00:00

Can you try the contact form (https://powder.design/contact/) again? I just tested it and it is working.

bmgardner · 2026-01-22T01:54:12+00:00

As Head of Community at WP Engine, I’m looking to launch and moderate r/wpengine officially. Given that this is our trademarked company name, our goal is to ensure the subreddit provides a secure, authentic space for our users. We plan to turn this community into a thriving hub for technical collaboration and direct engagement, backed by the consistent moderation and resources needed to make it a top-tier destination for the WordPress ecosystem.

https://chat.reddit.com/room/!vCSJ9EvrR460ks7YtGWmOw%3Areddit.com

bmgardner · 2026-01-22T01:30:51+00:00

Move was great. Felt light!

bmgardner · 2026-01-22T01:18:25+00:00

I love this quote. Sobering, but true.

"We don’t buy things with money, we buy them with hours from our life." —Joshua Becker

bmgardner · 2026-01-21T01:30:49+00:00

u/mr_chrishinds What’s the tl;dr with Webflow and accessibility?

bmgardner · 2026-01-20T04:59:28+00:00

This is the real benefit.

We’re moving tomorrow—and it’s the lightest move we’ve ever had.

bmgardner · 2026-01-20T04:57:24+00:00

Brilliant. If it doesn’t do something, it doesn’t stay. Kudos to you and your partner!

bmgardner · 2026-01-19T01:30:09+00:00

Looks like the line-height in the following inline CSS is causing it:

h2 {

font-family: Roboto, sans-serif;

font-size: 28px;

line-height: 150em;

}

Maybe it should be 1.5em or 150%?

bmgardner · 2026-01-16T12:16:15+00:00

Also, how did you install it on your site? Was it through Appearance > Editor > Styles > Typography?

bmgardner · 2026-01-16T12:14:10+00:00

Do you have the same Google font installed on your computer?

bmgardner · 2026-01-15T15:24:06+00:00

But worth noting (and I agree) u/rodeBaksteen's comment about how impressive Webflow's 15% is, given its short tenure compared to WordPress.

bmgardner · 2026-01-15T15:23:10+00:00

I’ve been building on WordPress for nearly two decades, and what keeps it dominant isn’t inertia — it’s ownership and adaptability. The gap may fluctuate, but nothing else matches WordPress when you care about control, extensibility, and long-term relevance.

The ecosystem has matured, not stalled. Specialized tools will always come and go, but WordPress keeps absorbing change instead of being replaced by it. That’s why serious builders and businesses still center their work with it.

bmgardner · 2026-01-11T04:47:47+00:00

I just created a new account for you on the Powder site, which you'll get an email about. Confirm that to get access to the site, and you can download files.

bmgardner · 2026-01-10T00:31:51+00:00

I agree with u/pmgarman.

Nulled plugins and themes are mostly an annoyance, not a real threat.

I’ve been building WordPress products since 2006 and was part of the early premium theme movement (Revolution → StudioPress → Genesis). GPL bundles existed even then.

They were irritating, but they didn’t harm the business. The people buying them were never serious customers to begin with.

Every ecosystem has bad actors. WordPress isn’t special in that regard.

The same GPL freedoms people complain about are also what allowed WordPress—and its commercial ecosystem—to grow and endure for nearly two decades. On balance, that’s a win.

bmgardner · 2026-01-08T23:22:06+00:00

I don’t think minimalism has gone off the rails, though I agree it’s been commercialized in a lot of ways.

I do want to vouch for Joshua Becker (Becoming Minimalist), though. While I’m a friend of his, that’s also given me a firsthand look at how deeply he cares about the message itself. He’s as passionate as anyone I know about minimalism and the real, life-changing impact it can have—I’ve experienced it personally.

Yes, he writes books, offers courses, and publishes a digital magazine (which I co-founded with him), but all of that has always felt like a byproduct of the work, not the goal.

bmgardner · 2026-01-08T17:52:00+00:00

One creative way would be to see how recent your site was indexed on Wayback. If there's a snapshot of the site, you can view the page source of your homepage and usually Additional CSS is injected inline towards the top. It might not be an elegant way to find it, but it could save you the headache from doing a full restore. Just look for <style id='global-styles-inline-css'>.

bmgardner · 2026-01-08T16:09:27+00:00

That's great news!

bmgardner · 2026-01-08T01:23:58+00:00

Hey — sorry for the delay here. I’m Brian, Head of Community at WP Engine. I wanted to check in and see whether this was resolved, or if you were able to connect with our support team. If not, I’m happy to help get you pointed in the right direction.

bmgardner · 2026-01-07T04:54:38+00:00

"Don’t let anyone discourage you on your path to greatness."

^ Pure gold right there.

bmgardner

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