Beta 1 is four weeks out. Notes from this week’s AI Contributor meeting: how the WP AI Client gets merged into core, the permission filter coming for AI prompts, and why WP Bench matters once you test models against real sites.
WordPress 7.0 has its release squad: a small one, led by Matias Ventura and working through the Make Team Reps. What that structure says about the cycle, why .0 releases are hardest on legacy code, and how to test your hooks against the alphas now.
WooCommerce 10.5 adds an experimental REST API cache built on the RestApiCache trait. Notes on wrapping a controller callback, the ETag and 304 handling, why you need Redis or Memcached, and the Nginx header quirk that breaks it.
WordCamp Asia 2026 is set for Mumbai, April 9 to 11, at the Jio World Convention Centre, with more than 3,000 attendees expected. Notes on why the flagship event is worth the trip, what sponsorship pays for, and how the hallway track earns its keep.
The WordPress Abilities API landed in 6.9 Beta 2, minus the JavaScript registration, which moved to a standalone NPM package in the Gutenberg repo. Notes on that split, the AI Experiments plugin, the WP AI Client 0.1.0 plan and the MCP Adapter refactor.
WooCommerce 10.5 ships the variable product Add to Cart button disabled and relies on the core variation script to re-enable it. If you dequeued that script but kept the core template, the button never wakes up. This is how to patch your own JavaScript.
WordPress 7.0 arrives in April 2026 and raises the PHP minimum to 7.4, dropping 7.2 and 7.3. What that changes for plugin authors, and what happens to sites that stay on the old versions.
WooCommerce 10.5 ships an experimental in-memory cache for product objects, so a single request stops rebuilding the same object over and over. The benchmarks, plus the stale data trap waiting for anyone who updates products with direct SQL.
WordPress pulled Campus Connect, Credits, and Student Clubs into one education hub. Notes on what the 150-hour credit program means if you hire junior developers, or if you have been thinking about mentoring one.
WordPress 7.0 raises the minimum PHP version to 7.4.0 when it lands in April 2026, so sites still on 7.2 or 7.3 need a plan. Also covers the 6.9.1 maintenance release on February 3 and the open core rep nominations.