In this episode, Amy and James discuss the state of WordPress in 2021. Is it still relevant? Is it worth learning? What does the developer experience look like? What does the future of WordPress hold?SponsorsVercelVercel combines the best developer experience with an obsessive focus on end-user performance. Their platform enables frontend teams to do their best work. It is the best place to deploy any frontend app. Start by deploying with zero configuration to their global edge network. Scale dynamically to millions of pages without breaking a sweat.For more information, visit Vercel.comZEAL is hiring!ZEAL is a computer software agency that delivers “the world’s most zealous” and custom solutions. The company plans and develops web and mobile applications that consistently help clients draw in customers, foster engagement, scale technologies, and ensure delivery.ZEAL believes that a business is “only as strong as” its team and cares about culture, values, a transparent process, leveling up, giving back, and providing excellent equipment. The company has staffers distributed throughout the United States, and as it continues to grow, ZEAL looks for collaborative, object-oriented, and organized individuals to apply for open roles.For more information visit softwareresidency.com/careersDatoCMSDatoCMS is a complete and performant headless CMS built to offer the best developer experience and user-friendliness in the market. It features a rich, CDN-powered GraphQL API (with realtime updates!), a super-flexible way to handle dynamic layouts and structured content, and best-in-class image/video support, with progressive/LQIP image loading out-of-the-box."For more information, visit datocms.comShow Notes0:00 Introduction0:37 Sponsor: DatoCMS1:50 Week Updates3:35 What is WordPress?4:36 Does WordPress still matter in 2021?6:05 The Difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org8:31 Page BuildersDiviElementorBeaver Builder10:57 Creating a Custom Themeahha-theme12:20 Why WordPress has a bad rap?WordPress is Built on PHPCowboy Coding, Spaghetti Code, and Script KiddiesThe Developer ExperienceOpen to Hackers15:34 Sponsor: ZEAL17:05 WordPress CommunityAdvanced Custom FieldsGravity FormsWooCommerceYoastWP DB Migrate ProAll-in-One WP Migration23:12 Local Build vs. ProductionDeployBotMAMPLocal26:02 HostingFlywheelWP EngineBluehostHostGatorSitegroundDreamhostHostingerYouTube Video on James's Channel on Hostinger34:07 The Future of WordPressHeadless CMS with GraphQL35:26 Sponsor: Vercel36:34 Grab Bag Questions37:00 Why does WordPress come with negative comments? Why does it have a bad rap? Should new developers invest in WordPress?39:07 Where's the line for using someone else's widgets and making your own?41:03 Picks and Plugs41:18 Amy's Pick: Facebook, the Inside Story42:25 Amy's Plug: SelfTeach.me on Twitch42:47 James's Pick: Seat cushion43:29 James's Plug: James Q Quick on YouTube