Jonathan Desrosiers

Have you ever stopped to consider what makes something a part of the web? What even IS the web? The web was intentionally built on patent-free standards and decentralized architecture with the ultimate goal of equal and universal access. Where does the open web begin and end?

The project and surrounding ecosystem exemplify what the web is meant to be: open by default. As users and consumers who rely on the Internet, we need to refocus our energy toward the real enemy: the closed web that seeks to replace the web’s open foundation.

Have you ever stopped to consider what makes something a part of the web? What even IS the web? The web was intentionally built on patent-free standards and decentralized architecture with the ultimate goal of equal and universal access. Where does the open web begin and end?

What does "open web" even mean? I'm excited to be speaking at @wceurope.bsky.social in Kraków, Poland next week! My talk "The fight for the open web is a lie" will examine the idea that open source advocates and Internet purists have united behind for years: "fight to preserve the open web."

I was recently a guest on the WP Tavern Jukebox Podcast with @nathanwrigley.com for my fourth appearance on the show. We covered WordPress release strategies, the state of the contributor community, and why the resurgence of open technologies has me feeling good about what's ahead for the project.

I wrote a short post about it on my blog. I included links to listen in my post if any of that interests you.

Every time a version of WordPress is released, there are dozens of contributors who perform final testing on the built packages before it's pushed out to the world. If you've ever participated in a "release party" you know it can feel a bit chaotic or intimidating.

While I was writing this post, @jonathanwold.com actually reached out to see if I would be a guest on the Crossword podcast. We discussed this concept in depth, the importance of being prepared when new contributors show up, the nuance between a do-ocracy and a meritocracy, and more!

If you're a Massachusetts resident, pay attention! There's a new program that officially launched at the end of February that everyone should take advantage of. While "AI" may be the latest annoying buzz word of the tech industry the last 24 months, it's not going anywhere.

The state has launched a partnership with Google through the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative to offer all Massachusetts residents access to AI training and certificate programs COMPLETELY FREE through December of 2027. The program includes access to the new Google AI Professional Certificate.

If you're a Massachusetts resident, pay attention! There's a new program that officially launched at the end of February that everyone should take advantage of. While "AI" may be the latest annoying buzz word of the tech industry the last 24 months, it's not going anywhere.

At @fosdem.org this past weekend, I had one of those moments that makes you reflect on what good open source collaboration really looks like. Fellow @wordpress.org Core Committer Dennis Snell gave a talk about how the story behind the HTML API.

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Drupal 1.0.0 release. While @wordpress.org and Drupal try to solve many of the same problems, both are thriving projects in the battle of open vs. closed source.

There's a few days left to submit @wordpress.org 6.9 release cycle feedback. All are welcome to share feedback (even those who did not contribute directly to the release). Understanding what did/did not go well is the only way processes can be improved! So take a moment to fill out this short form 🙏

I’ve been listening to @adamwathan.com’s podcast since he began last November, so this week’s news was not a complete surprise. But it’s always disappointing when it actually gets to the point of layoffs. I couldn’t help the feeling of déjà vu.

While it’s great to see so many companies rally to support @tailwindcss.com as a result, it shouldn’t take a situation like this for companies relying on open source to step up and do the right thing. Everything is OK this time, but it may not be next time for another project.

I'm just over an hour late sharing on social media because of plane WiFi, but yesterday (November 30th) marked the 7 year anniversary of making my first commit to the code base of the @wordpress.org open source project.

All known PHP 8.5 incompatibilities in WordPress Core have been fixed for the @wordpress.org 6.9 release scheduled for December 2. This release will have "beta support" for PHP 8.5, which is just the label applied to PHP versions with less than 10% adoptions across all WP sites.

On November 20-21 2025, I'll be speaking at the EvolveDigital Summit in NYC. Too often, security is treated as an afterthought or a one-time task to check off a list. But that approach often leaves sites vulnerable and owners frustrated.

I hope to encourage attendees to challenge how they think about security in their work and personal lives. Will I see anyone there?