WordPress Wars Continue, React Server Functions, and Web Component Backlash

WP Engine is taking Automattic and Matt Mullenweg to court. The complaints are numerous and juicy: extortion, libel, slander, and include screenshots of text messages, tweets, and emails that look pretty damning against Automattic. The whole story has “Made for TV documentary” written all over it.

In slightly less controversial news, React 19 has renamed its Server Actions to Server Functions. This name change brings React’s server functions more in line with other frameworks who support the same sort of functionality like SolidJS, Astro, TanStack Start, and others.

Also in a follow up from the last episode where we talked about a new addition to the Web Components world allowing for web components with SSR via the Declarative Shadow DOM, a good number of JavaScript framework creators shared their misgivings about the creation of Web Components. Ryan Carniato and Rich Harris were two of the most vocal, and basically said WCs have made their work writing frameworks harder, not easier, and WCs are not the future.

News:

• Paige - Web components are not the future according to JS framework authors 
  • Ryan Carniato (Solid JS) and Rich Harris (Svelte JS)
• Jack - Server Actions become Server Functions in React 19
• TJ - Wordpress vs. WP Engine drama continues

Bonus News:

• OpenAI raises $6.6 billion
• Waymo is coming to Austin and Atlanta

Fire Starters:

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What Makes Us Happy this Week:

• Paige - The Tourist series
• Jack - The Wild Robot movie
• TJ - Adafruit sensors

Thanks as always to our sponsor, the Blue Collar Coder channel on YouTube. You can join us in our Discord channel, explore our website and reach us via email, or Tweet us on X @front_end_fire and BlueSky.

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