If you’re a subscriber to Morning Coffee you’ll know why this is a day late – let’s just say dog, ball, stomach, emergency surgery (everything went well and she’s happily back home). What does the Press press have to say:

“One of the most notable aspects of the new version is the significant update to the WordPress block editor. In fact, this release will fold multiple versions of the Gutenberg plugin directly into WordPress Core. Besides bugfixes and better performance, this introduces changes to block patterns, the user interface, and block functions in general.” TORQUE: WordPress 5.6: New Features, Changes, and What Else to Expect. It’s good to be a blockhead. The post also includes details on the development cycle which are worth exploring.

“WordPress 5.6 “Simone,” named in honor of American performer and civil rights activist Nina Simone, was released today and is now available for download. The release was led by an all-women release squad, a first in WordPress history. The new version includes many enhancements for the block editor, accessibility improvements, application password support for the REST API, and a new default theme.” Nina Simone is brilliant, Sinnerman is probably her most known, and certainly the connection is appropriate given the all female release team. WP Tavern: WordPress 5.6 “Simone” Includes New Twenty Twenty-One Theme and Improved Editor.

Which leads us to Francesca Marano’s The road to WordPress 5.6: a look behind the scenes: “As one of the people involved, I’m able to give you a look behind the scenes. So, where do we start with a new WordPress release? How do we get all everyone involved? And how do we determine which features will be included in an upcoming release?” Get the firsthand account.