The Hiatus Is Over  ## Metadata - Author: [[Andy Fragen]] - Full Title: The Hiatus Is Over - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #wordpress - #opensource - #fairproject - #FAIR Author: Andy Fragen Source: thefragens.com Reference: https://thefragens.com/the-hiatus-is-over/ date created: 2025-06-11 17:45 --- # Title: The Hiatus Is Over: Back to WordPress and the FAIR Package Manager Project ## 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 (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) Assessment](#-deib-diversity-equity-inclusion-and-belonging-assessment) - [✅ Logical validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔍 DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ## 📝 Summary: Andy Fragen announces the end of his hiatus from WordPress Core development and his active involvement in the FAIR Package Manager Project. He highlights his decade-long experience with plugin and theme update systems, including Git Updater and contributions to WordPress core’s rollback and auto-update features. FAIR is presented as a decentralized, federated package manager ecosystem—leveraging AspirePress, Git Updater, and the FAIR plugin—built on BlueSky’s ATProto protocol. The project reached MVP and was unveiled at WCEU 2025, aiming to enable independent hosting, package discovery, and updates outside of the centralized WordPress.org repository. ## 📖 Main Content: Fragen recounts his break from core development earlier this year, explaining his return with a focus on broader WordPress ecosystem benefits rather than core alone. He situates FAIR as a natural extension of his work on plugin update infrastructure, underscoring his significant contributions to core features like rollback. FAIR, he explains, is not a fork but a federated and decentralized system composed of AspirePress (a mirror of WordPress.org), Git Updater (gathering package metadata), and the FAIR plugin (reducing dependence on WordPress.org by serving updates from mirrors). The protocol underlying this federation is BlueSky’s ATProto. The system empowers anyone to host their own plugin/theme packages on nodes affiliated with aggregators, facilitating discovery and seamless updates. Fragen invites the community to try FAIR, highlighting its smooth operation and the strong collaborative spirit driving its development. ## 🗒️ Notes - **Author Background:** - Andy Fragen, veteran WordPress Core contributor. - Maintainer of Git Updater and key contributor to rollback and auto-update in core. - **Project FAIR Overview:** - Decentralized, federated package manager ecosystem. - Components: - AspirePress: mirror of WordPress.org repository. - Git Updater: metadata aggregator. - FAIR plugin: update delivery from mirrors. - Uses BlueSky’s ATProto protocol. - **Project Status:** - Reached MVP stage. - Launched at Alt Ctrl Org Conference during WCEU 2025. - **Technical Details:** - Enables hosting of packages on independent nodes. - Nodes affiliate with aggregators to allow discovery, installation, and updating. - **Community Context:** - Some collaborators remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation. - Fragen feels “bulletproof” as WordPress is not his sole income source. - **Call to Action:** - Encourages downloading and testing FAIR. - Emphasizes seamless user experience. - **Philosophy:** - Focus on decentralization, resilience, and reducing reliance on central repository. - Collaborative development with a diverse team. ## 📖 References: - Fragen, Andy. "The Hiatus Is Over." thefragens.com. June 2025. https://thefragens.com/the-hiatus-is-over/ - BlueSky ATProto protocol documentation. - WordPress Core development documentation. - Git Updater project page. - WCEU 2025 conference materials. ## 🗣️ Paraphrase:  1. Original: "Since the beginning of the year I have taken a hiatus from working on WordPress Core. That is over. I’m back working for the benefit of WordPress, though not necessarily on WordPress." Paraphrase: At the start of this year, I stepped away from WordPress Core development, but that break has concluded. I am now returning to contribute again, focusing on initiatives that support the WordPress ecosystem, even if not directly within core. 2. Original: "FAIR is an ambitious project that has reached MVP stage and was released at the Alt Ctrl Org Conference in Basel, Switzerland during WCEU2025. This is not a fork of WordPress. Again for the cheap seats, NOT a fork." Paraphrase: The FAIR project, having reached its MVP milestone, was publicly launched at the Alt Ctrl Org Conference at WCEU 2025 in Basel. To be clear, it is not a fork of WordPress—let me emphasize, it is absolutely not a fork. ## 📰 Newsletter: Hello WordPress community! 🌟 Andy Fragen, a long-time core contributor and plugin update expert, is back from hiatus with exciting news about the FAIR Package Manager Project. FAIR is a federated, decentralized system designed to revolutionize how WordPress plugins and themes are managed—moving beyond the centralized WordPress.org repository. Built on BlueSky’s ATProto protocol, and combining AspirePress, Git Updater, and the FAIR plugin, FAIR allows anyone to host and update packages through independent nodes. It hit MVP status and debuted at WCEU 2025, promising a smooth, secure, and flexible update experience. Dive into Andy’s update here: https://thefragens.com/the-hiatus-is-over/ and get ready to explore a new era in WordPress package management! ## ✅ Action Items: - Highlight FAIR’s decentralized architecture and its benefits for ecosystem resilience in talks and workshops. - Use Andy Fragen’s work as an example to teach core update mechanisms and rollback functionalities. - Advocate for contributor onboarding that emphasizes psychological safety given community tensions. - Promote FAIR as a key case study in OSPO strategy discussions, aligning with transparency and inclusivity goals. - Encourage community testing and feedback loops to accelerate FAIR adoption and maturation. - Frame FAIR as a vehicle for sustainable open-source governance and distributed control. ## 🧪 Hypotheses: - Federation of package management mitigates risks inherent in centralized repositories. - Developer contributions increase when psychological safety and diversified infrastructure exist. - Adoption of ATProto protocol enhances interoperability and resilience in open-source ecosystems. - MVP releases at flagship conferences catalyze community trust and engagement. ## 📊 Methodology: - Monitor plugin update success rates and failure modes pre/post FAIR implementation. - Conduct surveys measuring contributor engagement and sense of psychological safety. - Perform security analysis of federated nodes and ATProto communication protocols. - Track community adoption metrics following WCEU 2025 launch. ## ❓ Questions: - How will FAIR address trust and security in a federated environment? - What governance models will oversee node aggregation and metadata validation? - How will commercial plugin vendors integrate with FAIR nodes? - Can FAIR scale globally without performance bottlenecks? - What feedback mechanisms exist for FAIR users and contributors? ## 🔮 Future Research: - Comparative studies of centralized vs federated package management security. - Longitudinal studies on ecosystem health and contributor diversity post-FAIR adoption. - Technical assessments of ATProto protocol scalability and reliability. - Sociological analysis of contributor participation related to project livelihood dependency. ## 💡 Implications:  FAIR’s success may reshape WordPress’s plugin ecosystem governance, reduce single points of failure, and empower a more diverse contributor base. It could serve as a model for other open source projects exploring decentraliz - Summary: Since the beginning of the year I have taken a hiatus from working on WordPress Core. That is over. - URL: https://thefragens.com/the-hiatus-is-over/ Dr Fragen in the operating room Since the beginning of the year I have taken a [hiatus](https://thefragens.com/wordpress-on-hiatus/) from working on WordPress Core. That is over. I’m back working for the benefit of WordPress, though not necessarily on WordPress. I was one of the 20 signatories of [the letter](https://www.therepository.email/wordpress-contributors-and-community-leaders-call-for-governance-reform-in-rare-open-letter). I was actively involved in the development of the AspireUpdate plugin for [AspirePress](https://aspirepress.org) and I’m currently actively involved in the [FAIR Package Manager Project](https://www.therepository.email/fair-to-decentralize-wordpress-backed-by-linux-foundation-and-contributors) from almost the beginning. There are many people involved in this project and while some are still not ready to openly declare their involvement for fear of retaliation; I’m sorta bulletproof as I don’t rely on WordPress for my livelihood. FAIR is a natural extension for me as I’m still one of the Upgrade/Install component maintainers and I’ve been actively developing solutions to updating and installing plugins and themes from outside of dot org for over a decade. Yes, I’m referring to [Git Updater](https://git-updater.com). You should also note that code I helped develop runs in Core on every plugin update, both manual and auto-updates. I’m referring to the Rollback and Rollback Auto-Update features which were developed with the assistance of Colin Stewart. [FAIR](https://fair.pm) is an ambitious project that has reached MVP stage and was released at the [Alt Ctrl Org](https://altctrl.org) Conference in Basel, Switzerland during WCEU2025. This is not a fork of WordPress. Again for the cheap seats, **NOT** a fork. What it is is a decentralized, federated project currently based upon AspirePress, which serves as a mirror of dot org, Git Updater, which serves as a collector of package meta data, and the [FAIR plugin](https://github.com/fairpm/fair-plugin), which serves to reduce reliance on dot org and serve updates from a mirror. Please [download](https://github.com/fairpm/fair-plugin/releases) and try it out. It’s seamless. The basis of this decentralized, federated system is the BlueSky’s ATProto protocol. You can read more about it [here](https://github.com/fairpm/fair-protocol). Once all the pieces are working it should mean that anyone can host their own packages (plugins/themes) on a node. Nodes would affiliate with an aggregator to allow discovery, installation, and updating. Honestly it’s all very exciting and I’m very much enjoying working with a phenomenal group of collaborators. Stay tuned., The Hiatus Is Over, Andy Fragen, 01jxe5zcp0t0n05zf9bcn0yxem.