In this interview, Matteo Enna, a developer with a strong technical background in computer science, shares his journey into the WordPress ecosystem. His first experience with WordPress dates back to 2012 during a web design course where he discovered PHP and WordPress. Matteo has been deeply involved in the open-source community, with contributions ranging from plugin development to supporting the WordPress Core Performance Team through the Five for the Future initiative. He discusses his passion for WordPress, offers advice to new developers, and emphasizes the importance of participation and collaboration across communities to ensure WordPress remains adaptable to new technologies and trends.
Can you share your first experience with WordPress, and what made you choose it?
I have a technical/computer science background, and during my studies, I encountered various programming languages like C, C++, and Java, but I still didn’t know how to apply that knowledge. Then, in 2012, during an interaction design course, there was a subject called web design. That’s when I first encountered PHP, and above all, WordPress.
How did you start contributing to open-source projects, and what was your first contribution to the WordPress community?
I’ve been a GNU/Linux user long before I discovered WordPress, so when I started working with it, I already knew about the licensing behind it and the philosophy. My first official contribution was publishing my first plugin in the official repository. I wanted to translate it into Italian, so I reached out to the Polyglots team, and that’s where an entire new world opened up for me.
What are some important projects or contributions you have made within the WordPress ecosystem?
Since this year, some of my WordPress contributions have been sponsored through the Five for the Future initiative by the company I work for, allowing me to dedicate more time to it. Among my various contributions, I’d highlight a few tickets I worked on with the Core Performance Team and my active participation during release parties. I provided support during the releases of versions 6.3, 6.5, and 6.6.
What are your thoughts on the current state of WordPress development, and how do you see its future?
I absolutely love it! WordPress is an enormous project with a clear guiding vision. Every technical or design choice must go through that validation process before moving forward. I find a tremendous level of design coherence in it.
What advice would you give to developers who are new to WordPress or open source?
The advice is the same for both WordPress and open source: it’s important to participate, study, and experiment. But it’s equally important to know yourself and occasionally do some personal retrospection. You need to choose the right projects, as it’s easy to get lost among countless tasks.
Which areas do you think need new energy and focus right now, and why?
I don’t have a specific answer because many new teams are currently forming, often led by experienced contributors who bring best practices to younger teams. Sometimes teams may lack certain key members, but thankfully, we’re a large and growing community, so we quickly recover. Projects like the Contributor Mentorship Program bring in new contributors with each edition.
What can we do to ensure that WordPress continues to work well with new technologies and stays ahead of trends?
In my opinion, the most important thing is not to isolate ourselves. WordPress is the leading CMS in the world, but there are many other CMSs out there. Some last only a few years, while others have older communities. I believe cross-pollination is useful to look around and improve.
How do you keep up with the latest trends in WordPress development, and what resources would you suggest for new developers who want to get involved?
To stay updated within WordPress, I frequently attend team meetings. I’m also active in other technologies. What gives me an extra push is dedicating some time to creating small projects and publishing them, or simply doing “style exercises.”
In your opinion, what are the best ways to engage and attract new developers to the WordPress community, and how can we make the onboarding process more welcoming and inclusive?
The biggest challenge is often taking that first step and not knowing which path to choose. For example, I know how to code, but when I joined Slack, I saw many groups focused on coding. It took me a while to figure out which teams could benefit from my contribution based on the time I dedicate to WordPress each week. We need to find the right team based on our background, time, and ambitions. Many groups have an area for “good first issues,” but we need a step before that.
