tfm

cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/205532

Tensions in the WordPress ecosystem have escalated in recent months due to the very public dispute between WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg and hosting provider WP Engine.

In late September 2024, Mullenweg labeled WP Engine "a cancer to WordPress" over alleged lack of contributions and removal of certain features from their WordPress offering. WP Engine responded with legal action, filing lawsuits alleging unfair business practices and abuse of platform control.

Currently, both sides are locked in ongoing legal battles, with lawsuits filed on each end, as Mullenweg’s high-handed approach continues to draw widespread criticism.

The response to all of this? A new package manager for WordPress backed by the Linux Foundation that aims to do things differently.

FAIR Package Manager: What to Expect?

Launched as a community-driven project, FAIR Package Manager (FAIR) looks to be a drop-in replacement to WordPress.org's centralized infrastructure, with two core pillars supporting it.

One pillar is API replacement, where FAIR takes over key WordPress services like update checks, event feeds, and browser version verification, redirecting them from centralized WordPress.org servers to local or FAIR-governed alternatives.

The second pillar is Decentralized Package Management, where a new package distribution model for themes and plugins is introduced, enabling multiple independent repositories to authenticate and serve packages.

The project aims to eliminate reliance on a single source for important core updates, plugins, and themes by enabling federation across trusted repositories while aligning better with GDPR, unifying a fragmented ecosystem, and ensuring a secure supply chain.

As for distribution, FAIR can be installed as a standalone plugin on existing WordPress sites or delivered as part of a full WordPress distribution (FAIR Distro), giving hosts (e.g., hosting providers and developers) flexibility in how they provide it to their users.

Governance is handled with a strong focus on transparency and community input. It is overseen by a Technical Steering Committee (TSC) made up of WordPress veterans and experts like Carrie Dils, Mika Epstein, and Ryan McCue.

Closing Thoughts

The Linux Foundation has a track record of backing forks like OpenTofu, Valkey, and OpenSearch—each appearing after license or governance issues triggered by decisions from key figures in their original projects.

With FAIR Package Manager, the Linux Foundation appears to be laying the groundwork for a similar shift in the WordPress ecosystem, one that prioritizes transparency, decentralization, and community-led governance over centralized control.

And if you ask me, there’s room for a real WordPress fork that truly focuses on those aspects.

Suggested Read 📖

OpenInfra Foundation is Now Part of the Linux Foundation FamilyOpenInfra joins the Linux Foundation to unite communities, share resources, and boost open source infrastructure development.It's FOSS NewsGourav Patnaik

From It's FOSS News via this RSS feed

cross-posted from: https://awful.systems/post/4660683

video version

cross-posted from: https://europe.pub/post/1485767

cross-posted from: https://metawire.eu/post/153637

Klara Dobrev is head of Hungary's opposition Democratic Coalition and former vice president of the European Parliament. DW spoke to her about the rise of illiberal democracy in Europe and current politics in Hungary.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/36602053

Archived

[...]

Moldovian President Maia Sandu warned that Russia would continue its aggression in other countries, including the Republic of Moldova, if not stopped in Ukraine.

"If Ukraine falls, believe me, Russia won't stop at Moldova," Maia Sandu stated. She noted that international support for Ukraine must become faster and more consistent: "We need to help faster, more extensively. Russia has enormous resources, enormous capabilities. Ukraine receives less and too late. We must reverse this situation. This is our mission."

President Sandu declared that Ukraine is not just a country under attack, but "a cornerstone of European security," and the stakes of the war unleashed by the Russian Federation transcend this country's borders: "It's not just about Ukraine, about its future; it's about the future of the whole of Europe, of the entire world."

President Sandu also spoke about the hybrid attack methods used by Russia: "Lies, manipulation, blackmail, interference in our political systems, distortion of democracy and truth." Maia Sandu added that the Republic of Moldova is similarly targeted: "Moldova knows what hybrid warfare means, what it truly looks like: energy blackmail, fake protests, disinformation, and organized crime disguised as political parties."

[...]

cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/206193

Moscow may instigate a crisis in Moldova's Russian-occupied Transnistria region to destabilize the country ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for September, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on June 12, according to Moldovan outlet Newsmaker.

"All these years, Russia has been using the residents of Transnistria and can provoke an even greater crisis at any moment if it suits its plans in Moldova," Sandu said.

"We can expect this crisis to deepen in the coming months, before the elections."

The president's comments come after Transnistria declared a 30-day state of emergency on June 11, due to a sharp reduction in natural gas supplies.

The unrecognized region, located along Moldova's eastern border with Ukraine, has faced mounting energy shortages since January, when Russian gas giant Gazprom halted deliveries.

Sandu, a pro-European leader of the country, warned that Moscow could combine voter bribery and political manipulation with "blackmail" in Transnistria.

"Russia may promise assistance in exchange for votes on the Right Bank. We can expect all sorts of games," the president said.

In February, Moldova's government revealed that Transnistria rejected a 60 million euros ($62 million) EU energy aid package under pressure from Moscow.

The Moldovan president assured that the country's institutions are monitoring the risks and pledged that the elections would be "free and fair," despite growing instability.

Sandu emphasized that Chisinau is prepared to support the population in Transnistria but must first address "the main problem — the withdrawal of Russian troops."

"This is a key issue that we must resolve peacefully, because otherwise we will not be able to justify our financial support," she said.

Moscow continues to maintain a military presence in Transnistria, which has been under the control of pro-Russian separatists since the early 1990s. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in February that around 1,000 to 1,500 Russian troops are currently stationed in the region.

Chisinau has repeatedly called for the peaceful reintegration of Transnistria and the withdrawal of Russian forces, citing it as essential to Moldova's security and development.

Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean earlier told the Financial Times that Russia plans to send 10,000 troops to Transnistria and establish a pro-Kremlin government in Moldova.

Read also: Russia preparing strategic reserves for conflicts beyond Ukraine, Ukraine warns

From The Kyiv Independent - News from Ukraine, Eastern Europe via this RSS feed

cross-posted from: https://europe.pub/post/1485943

cross-posted from: https://europe.pub/post/1485942

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/66053687

• France's TotalEnergies, which owns a 20% stake in the Yamal LNG project in Siberia, has a supply contract with Russia's Novatek valid through 2032.

• Belgium, Europe's second-largest Russian LNG customer, is seeking an "in-depth impact assessment" before backing the Commission's plan

cross-posted from: https://europe.pub/post/1485942

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/66053687

• France's TotalEnergies, which owns a 20% stake in the Yamal LNG project in Siberia, has a supply contract with Russia's Novatek valid through 2032.

• Belgium, Europe's second-largest Russian LNG customer, is seeking an "in-depth impact assessment" before backing the Commission's plan

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/66053687

• France's TotalEnergies, which owns a 20% stake in the Yamal LNG project in Siberia, has a supply contract with Russia's Novatek valid through 2032.

• Belgium, Europe's second-largest Russian LNG customer, is seeking an "in-depth impact assessment" before backing the Commission's plan

cross-posted from: https://metawire.eu/post/151271

Five years after Brexit, the United Kingdom and the European Union have struck a deal on the status of Gibraltar that will ease the cross-border movement of people and goods. The tiny British territory bordering Spain had been one of the final sticking points of the post-Brexit negotiations. Plus, US President Donald Trump claims a "deal with China is done" following high-level trade talks in London, but uncertainty remains over just how much Beijing is willing to give up its leverage on rare earth supplies.