Better Way  🔗 **Source:** [Better Way](https://nomad.blog/2026/07/17/better-way/) > [!note]+ Document Notes > --- > tags: [open-source, wordpress, release-leadership, open-web, community-care] > author: Anne McCarthy > source: nomad.blog > reference: https://nomad.blog/2026/07/17/better-way/ > date created: {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}} {{time:HH:mm}} > --- > # 🏷️ Title: better way > ## 🧭 Table of Contents > - [📝 Summary](#-summary) > - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) > - [🗒️ Notes](#️-notes) > - [📚 References](#-references) > - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#️-paraphrase) > - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) > - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) > - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) > - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) > - [❓ Questions](#-questions) > - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) > - [💡 Implications](#-implications) > - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) > - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) > - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) > - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) > - [🛡️ DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) > - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) > ### 🔗 References > - [better way — nomad.blog](https://nomad.blog/2026/07/17/better-way/) > - [Automattic Creed](https://automattic.com/creed/) > - Short documentary on open source (YouTube embed in post) > ## 📝 Summary > - What happened: WordPress 7.1 Beta 1 shipped, and Anne McCarthy — serving as Release Lead for the first time — reflects on the emotional weight of the release process and shares a short documentary about open source she was interviewed for. > - Why it matters: it's a rare first-person account of what release leadership actually feels like (lost sleep, 4am anxiety) paired with a values argument for why open source matters, from one of WordPress's most visible contributors. > - Key stakeholders: WordPress core contributors, release squads, Automattic, and the wider open source community the documentary addresses. > - Risks and tradeoffs: none stated as risks; the implicit tradeoff is personal — sustained emotional investment in a volunteer-heavy release process versus burnout. > - Bottom line: open source is "not perfectly good nor perfectly bad but it does feel like a better way," and the people who care are what make the open web work. > ## 📖 Main Content > - The post opens with WordPress 7.1 Beta 1 shipping "as of yesterday" and a broad thank-you to everyone involved. McCarthy names the pattern of every release: "its own special kind of chaos and its own special kind of coming together." > - She describes the physical cost of release leadership: re-reading PRs late at night, waking at 4am stressed about the big picture — amplified this cycle because she's Release Lead for the first time and "learning something new every single day." > - The counterweight to the anxiety is awe: the open web is built by humans "choosing to engage rather than disengage, care rather than despair," visible in thoughtful merge proposals, design debates, and API refinement in PR back-and-forths. She anchors this with a Patrick Ness quote about the ability to feel being "a rare gift" in a world of numbness and information overload. > - Second thread: she shares a short documentary about open source she was interviewed for. The interview was "terrifying" — she cried during parts. Her open source origin story: she stumbled into it at Automattic in 2014, knew it only through the company creed, then "couldn't unsee or stop knowing" once she understood it. > - Key hedged claim: open source "is not perfectly good nor perfectly bad but it does feel like a better way." She adds she's still "only scratching the surface," comparing the feeling to talking with "a queer elder who fought to have rights that I sometimes take for granted today." > - The post closes with an invitation to subscribe — and an explicit invitation to unsubscribe "the second it no longer feels worth reading," because attention deserves care. > - Uncertainties: the documentary's title and producer aren't named in the post; the WordPress 7.1 release timeline is referenced only as "Beta 1 is out." > ## 🗒️ Notes > - Genre: short personal reflection (~510 words), not a technical or announcement post — despite opening with release news. > - Two braided threads: (1) release-lead diary entry, (2) open source values statement via the documentary share. > - The emotional register is deliberate. She quotes Patrick Ness on feeling as "a rare gift" and admits crying during the documentary interview — vulnerability as a leadership posture, not a slip. > - The "queer elder" analogy does real work: it frames open source freedoms as rights that were fought for and are now taken for granted — positioning newcomers as inheritors with a duty to understand the fight. > - The conversion narrative ("I couldn't unsee or stop knowing") frames open source literacy as one-directional: once you understand it, you can't go back. That's a strong claim about worldview shifts, not just tooling preference. > - The unsubscribe invitation at the end mirrors the post's thesis: attention is scarce, so give it only where it's worth giving — the same "care with what we give attention to" logic she applies to feelings. > - DevRel-relevant detail: her list of where care shows up — merge proposals, design debates, API refinement in PRs, release parties, schedules — is a concrete inventory of the human touchpoints in a release cycle. > ## 📚 References > - [better way (source post)](https://nomad.blog/2026/07/17/better-way/) > - [Automattic Creed](https://automattic.com/creed/) > - [nomad.blog WordPress category](https://nomad.blog/category/wordpress/) > - Short documentary on open source (YouTube embed; title not given in post) > - Patrick Ness (quoted; from his fiction, work not named in post) > ## 🗣️ Paraphrase > - WordPress 7.1 Beta 1 just shipped. As first-time Release Lead I'm losing sleep and learning constantly, but I keep being amazed that the open web exists because people choose to engage, care, and think hard together — working with people who care is wonderful. > - I was interviewed for a short documentary about open source. It was terrifying and I cried. I stumbled into open source at Automattic in 2014, and once I understood it I couldn't go back. It's not perfect, but it feels like a better way — and I'm still only scratching the surface. > ## 📰 Newsletter > - WordPress 7.1 Beta 1 is here, and first-time Release Lead Anne McCarthy wrote the release note you didn't know you needed — not the changelog, but what it feels like to carry a release: 4am wake-ups, PR re-reads, and the quiet awe of watching people choose to care. > - She also shared a short documentary on open source she was interviewed for — worth a watch if you've ever tried to explain to someone why "free software" isn't about the price. > - Best line to steal for your next talk: open source is "not perfectly good nor perfectly bad but it does feel like a better way." > - Read it: [better way](https://nomad.blog/2026/07/17/better-way/) > ## ✅ Action Items > #### DevRel > - Developer advocacy: cite this post when explaining release-cycle culture to developers new to WordPress core; the "care shows up in merge proposals and API debates" framing is a ready-made talk beat. > - Education: pair the documentary with contributor onboarding material as a "why open source" primer. > - Community management: the "unsubscribe the second it no longer feels worth reading" stance is a model for respectful audience communication. > #### OSPO > - Community Engagement: the post is evidence for funding the human infrastructure of releases (release parties, coordination), not just code. > #### Community > - Contributors: use the release-lead anxiety account to set realistic expectations for first-time release squad members and normalize asking for support. > #### WordPress > - **Core Program Team:** first-time Release Lead experience reports like this are retrospective input — capture what "learning something new every single day" concretely required. > - Marketing: the documentary is shareable why-open-source content for WordPress channels. > - Training: candidate reading for Learn WordPress contributor courses on release roles. > #### The WPCC > - Programs: supports the case for maintainer/release-lead stipends — the emotional labor described here is real work. > ### FAIR > - Not applicable to this source — the post makes no claims about infrastruct  WordPress 7.1 Beta 1 is out in the world as of yesterday. Whew, so many people are involved in every release that I can only offer a big “thank you” to everyone. Every release has its own special kind of chaos and its own special kind of coming together. The last week or so begins the stage of the release process where I start to lose sleep, often going to bed late re-reading PRs and waking up at 4am or so stressed about the big picture. This time my anxiety is amplified as I’m serving as the Release Lead for the very first time and learning something new every single day. At the same time, it never ceases to amaze me to see how the open web is created by fellow humans choosing to engage rather than disengage, care rather than despair, and to think/debate hard rather than to choose easy answers. I’ve felt that with every thoughtful merge proposal, every debate about a design decision, every PR that has developers going back and forth refining the shape of an API, and every person who helps bring it all together for release parties and schedules. How wonderful it is to work with people who care. A favorite quote by Patrick Ness comes to mind: > *“In this world of numbness and information overload, the ability to feel, my boy, is a rare gift indeed.”* > > Patrick Ness Ironically, I’ve been so deep in the release that I haven’t been able to share a recent short documentary I was interviewed for about open source. It was terrifying to be interviewed–I cried during parts and found myself deeply appreciative of the questions asked. I stumbled into open source. When I joined Automattic in 2014, I didn’t have a full appreciation or understanding, beyond knowing it was [in our creed](https://automattic.com/creed/). Once I started to wrap my head around it, I couldn’t go back. I couldn’t unsee or stop knowing. Suddenly, I started to see all around me just how powerful of a concept it really is and how much is missed by not embracing a more open world. My hope in sharing the documentary below is that folks will watch it in order to get a better sense of why open source matters. Like everything, it’s not perfectly good nor perfectly bad but it does feel like a better way. I also still feel like I’m only scratching the surface of open source. It’s a similar feeling I get when talking to a queer elder who fought to have rights that I sometimes take for granted today. I feel like I have endless things to say but that’s why tomorrow exists. Feel free to subscribe! I write about a wide range of topics including [nomading](https://nomad.blog/category/travel/), [quotes I like](https://nomad.blog/category/quotes/), [photography](https://nomad.blog/category/photography/), thoughts on [being born via surrogacy](https://nomad.blog/category/surrogacy/), and contributing to [WordPress](https://nomad.blog/category/wordpress/). I don’t post on any cadence and I encourage folks to unsubscribe the second it no longer feels worth reading. Life is too short and it’s important to be careful with what we give attention to., Better Way, Anne McCarthy, 01kxr95zba5bgkj41zcvb8w9rd.