Tag: Reviews

  • Automattic’s Livro Is a Minimal Block Theme for Writers

    Automattic’s Livro Is a Minimal Block Theme for Writers

    Sometimes the sweetest things in life are the simplest. Automattic’s latest block theme landed in the review queue yesterday, and I had to give it a spin. What I found was a minimally-elegant design that I fell in love with. Really. I even dedicated an entire demo post on my install to it: Well, that…

  • New WordPress Plugin Offers a Markdown Editor Solution

    New WordPress Plugin Offers a Markdown Editor Solution

    Earlier today, a new editor plugin named Markup Markdown landed in the WordPress directory. It replaces both the classic and block editors with a Markdown solution. It is the first plugin by an author simply known as Peter, or @peter202202. As someone who almost always writes in Markdown, I did not think twice about downloading,…

  • Anariel Design Releases Bricksy, Its Third WordPress Block Theme

    Anariel Design Releases Bricksy, Its Third WordPress Block Theme

    Yesterday, Anariel Design’s third block theme, Bricksy, went live in the WordPress.org directory. Ana Segota, the co-founder and self-proclaimed “creative motor” of the company, has almost become a master at block-based theme design at this point, and this project is just her showing off her skills. I actually took the theme for a spin over…

  • Disable Over a Dozen WordPress Features With the No Nonsense Plugin

    Disable Over a Dozen WordPress Features With the No Nonsense Plugin

    One of the best things about WordPress is the hundreds of ways of turning things off. There are likely dozens of plugins for disabling various items, each with its own unique set of options. No Nonsense is no different. It is a plugin that allows users to control whether they want to use over a…

  • Videomaker Block Theme Targets Film Directors and Video Creators

    Videomaker Block Theme Targets Film Directors and Video Creators

    Automattic’s latest Blockbase child theme landed in the WordPress.org directory today. Videomaker is aimed at film directors and video creators. I have put it through its paces in the last week as it waited for approval in the review system. At first glance, there is not much that separates Videomaker from any other plain ol’…

  • Hello Charts Launches a Native Chart-Building Experience for the Block Editor

    Hello Charts Launches a Native Chart-Building Experience for the Block Editor

    Luke Carbis and Rob Stinson, two of the three-person Block Lab team that WP Engine picked up in 2020, are back together on a new project. This time, they are joined by Byron Keet. The trio is taking on the WordPress charts space via a suite of blocks named Hello Charts. “Some folks launch deals…

  • Wowmall: A Free Experimental WooCommerce Block Theme

    Wowmall: A Free Experimental WooCommerce Block Theme

    The Wowmall theme was released to the public today. It is the second 100% block theme that integrates with WooCommerce to land in the WordPress directory. Responsive FSE was the first. Two weeks ago, a reader sent in a question for the Ask the Bartender column. He wanted to know where the WooCommerce block themes…

  • Ona by DeoThemes Just Raised the Bar for WordPress Block Theme Design

    Ona by DeoThemes Just Raised the Bar for WordPress Block Theme Design

    No sooner than I said the floodgates of block theme development would be open, a couple of more FSE-capable themes landed in the WordPress.org directory. I checked the review system, and three more were queued up. It took mere days for me to find another favorite: Ona by DeoThemes. When the author mentioned it, I…

  • Create and Manage Frequently Asked Questions With the Flexible FAQs Plugin

    Create and Manage Frequently Asked Questions With the Flexible FAQs Plugin

    David Gwyer released his Flexible FAQs plugin a year ago via his WPGO Plugins site. However, after a month of updates, the project seemed to fall off the radar, at least until earlier this week when he released a massive overhaul that integrates more with the block editor. The plugin creates a custom post type…

  • Branded Social Images, a New Plugin for Generating Per-Post Open Graph Images

    Branded Social Images, a New Plugin for Generating Per-Post Open Graph Images

    Generated social images seem to be all the rage now. Automattic scooped up Daniel Post’s Social Image Generator last month for eventual inclusion in Jetpack. There is a proposal to dynamically generate them for plugins and themes hosted on WordPress.org. And, there is a new player in town: Branded Social Images. Admittedly, I have had…

  • Tidying the Media Library With WP Ninjas’ Remove Unused Media Plugin

    Tidying the Media Library With WP Ninjas’ Remove Unused Media Plugin

    A few weeks ago, WP Ninjas announced it was stepping into the media optimization plugin market. The team released its Remove Unused Media plugin as a commercial project for tidying storage space. I received a full copy of it and put it through the ropes. With so many commercial plugins, I am accustomed to the…

  • Automattic Launches Mayland Blocks, Its Second FSE Theme on WordPress.org

    Automattic Launches Mayland Blocks, Its Second FSE Theme on WordPress.org

    Automattic released its second block theme to the WordPress theme directory last week. Mayland Blocks is geared toward photographers and other users who want to showcase their projects. It is the child of Blockbase, a sort of starter/parent hybrid the company’s Theme Team recently announced. I had high hopes for Mayland Blocks going in. I…

  • Churel Is a Colorful and Minimalist Block-Ready WordPress Theme

    Churel Is a Colorful and Minimalist Block-Ready WordPress Theme

    WordPress theme development company Themix released its third free theme to the official directory this week. Churel is described as a theme for organizations and businesses that also works for traditional blogging. The development team has a keen eye for modern color schemes and font families. The theme has a refreshing design that is rare…

  • With Some Hits and Misses, the Guten Blog WordPress Theme Has Potential

    With Some Hits and Misses, the Guten Blog WordPress Theme Has Potential

    Any time I see a new block-ready WordPress theme, I am like a toddler in a toyshop. I cannot wait to bring it home, rip off the packaging, and play with it. Sometimes it is the type of fun that will create lasting, years-long memories. Other times, the toy is not all it is cracked…