The Programmer's Fulcrum: 06 February, 2026
Welcome to this week's The Programmer's Fulcrum.
It's your weekly review of the essential news in the Open Media Network and Fediverse development communities with a focus on devastating big tech via Techno Anarchism. We aim to provide actionable content you can use to destroy Techno Feudalism each week. It has the additional benefit of weakening authoritarianism.
IMHO, the best way to do that is to use tools from the Techno Anarchist Manifesto to build your own site(s) to participate in the Open Media Network. Then you should share it (them) via Real Simple Syndication (RSS), the Fediverse, and possibly a newsletter or podcast. This approach is similar to what some call the IndieWeb and its POSSE philosophy.
The second best strategy is to have accounts on the Fediverse and use the hell out of them.
We publish TPF on Fridays so you can enjoy it over your weekend.
There's good stuff in all of our categories, so please take the time to enjoy and bookmark the items most relevant to your goals. We hope you are inspired to create new ones.
Or you can jump straight to your favorite section.
FYI, my opinions will be in bold. And may involve cursing. Because humans. Especially tech bros. And fascists. Fuck ´em.
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Featured Item(s)
This what I mean when I encourage you to join the Open Media Network. 😈
Melanie Cat purrs:
Oh nice social media account, did your Zuckerberg give it to you? Aww, how cute. Now grow the fuck up and get your own fucking website.
I am pretty sure she is a black cat. IYKYK 🐈⬛
Open Media Network Site CMSs
Jannis Fedoruk-Betschki looks at:
We love you Jannis. Keep at it.
TechDirt reports:
Whoops, Websites Realize That Killing Their Comment Sections Was A Mistake
WordPress
Make WordPress has:
WordPress 6.9.1 RC1 is now available
Call for Testing – Customizable Navigation (“Mobile”) Overlays
Anne McCarthy is:
Exploring work in progress for WordPress 7.0
HeroPress explains:
How Art School Led Me To Web Design
Great DIY story.
FAIR shares its:
Varun Dubey explores:
Gutenberg Blocks in 2026: WordPress Development in the AI Era
The Repository reports:
WP Engine Launches Newsroom, a Publishing Platform Built on Big Bite’s Newsroom Expertise
Ghost
Magic Pages shares a:
Post-Mortem on 29 January 2026 Outage
Drupal CMS
Drupal has:
Inside Drupal CMS 2.0: Q&A with Product Owner Pam Barone
Drupalize Me announces:
Release Day: The Drupal Recipes API
Back to top 👆🏼
Techno Anarchist / OMN Tools
Hamish Campbell examines:
Collabra announces:
A Faster Friendlier Collabora Online – Part III
Rebel Tech Alliance looks at:
Framasoft has:
Retravaillez vos PDFs sans crainte
Chat
Signal announces:
Signal Desktop now available in the Microsoft Store
Zulip announces:
Zulip Server 11.5 security release
Browsers
Adam Varn says:
TechCrunch reports:
Firefox will soon let you block all of of its generative AI features
Or better yet, use Zen, LibreWolf, or Waterfox.
Speaking of, LibreWolf announces:
LibreWolf bsys6 Release v147.0.3-2
Cloud
Nextcloud has:
Top 10 easy sharing tips with your SharePoint alternative: Nextcloud Files
A new data access architecture for Nextcloud: introducing the ADA engine
Nextcloud recognized as a Digital Public Good
Writing
LibreOffice announces:
LibreOffice 26.2 is here: a faster, more polished office suite that you control
I put this here because they have improved markdown support, which is great.
Creative
Linuxiac reports:
Kdenlive 25.12.1 Brings Welcome Screen Polishing and Audio Fixes
Linux
The Linux Foundation Europe shares:
Linux Foundation Europe 2025: Milestones, Momentum, and What’s Next
The Linux Journal looks:
Inside the Linux Kernel Runtime Guard (LKRG): A New Layer of Kernel Integrity Protection
This week's featured OMN tool
Want to publish something like a fanzine? Check out Scribus:
Scribus is the go-to Libre Desktop Publishing Application.
Back to top 👆🏼
OMN Programming
Derick Rethans shares:
404 Media reports:
Vibe Coding Is Killing Open Source Software, Researchers Argue
HTML
Mike Matuzović has an:
Introduction to the new HTML element
Frontend Masters demonstrates:
Performance-Optimized Video Embeds with Zero JavaScript
CSS Tricks has:
I Learned The First Rule of ARIA the Hard Way
Evil Martians updates a classic:
How to Favicon in 2026: Three files that fit most needs
One to bookmark.
CSS
Smashing Magazine explores:
Unstacking CSS Stacking Contexts
Groundworx says:
Stop Fighting Your Layouts: The Real Power of CSS Grid
Web Components
Heydon Works shows us:
How To Dynamically Install Custom Elements
JavaScript
AI
Internet Exchange reports on:
Getting Bots to Respect Boundaries
Other
OpenProject shows us:
How to work with project templates
Linuxiac reports:
Forgejo 14.0 Arrives With New Web Editor, Smarter Search
DDEV announces:
Release Notes for XWiki 17.4.9
XWiki announces:
Release Notes for XWiki 17.4.9
This week's featured programming tool
HTML, master it.
Back to top 👆🏼
ActivityPub
ActivityPub for WordPress has:
Swentel works on the:
NodeBB shares:
This is interesting.
This week's featured ActivityPub featured tool
Written by Evan Prodromou, the coauthor of the ActivityPub protocol and the Activity Streams 2.0 data format, this is the ActivityPub handbook that every social software hacker needs.
I have it and am slowly reading it.
Back to top 👆🏼
Fediverse
The Guardian shares:
How the left can win back the internet – and rise again
He's right about competition among the left, but perhaps this fucker has never heard of the Fediverse.
Hamish Campbell explains:
How our “mainstreaming” people understand what they’re doing
InterLedger announces:
Speaking of, the Social Web Foundation shares its:
EU Open Source Policy Feedback
Stefan Bohacek provides:
Fediverse: An overview for community organizers
IFTAS shares:
Castopod is:
Introducing the Castopod Installation Script
Bonfire
Elixir has:
Type inference of all constructs and the next 15 months
This week's featured Fediverse Platform/Tool/Resource
There was a rare Castopod article so let's feature it.
Castopod is an open-source server made for podcasters who want engage and interact with their audience.
Back to top 👆🏼
More
Other Slightly Federated Social Media
Blacksky announces:
Money for mutual resilience: Introducing Blacksky Cash
Stefan Bohacek reports:
Eurosky is making progress as they roll out their own PDS
Anuj Ahooja examines:
eMail Newsletters
Tuta looks at:
DeGoogle list with best private alternatives | 2026
Buttondown announces:
CTAs
- That’s it for this week. Please share The Programmer's Fulcrum.
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- Read, live, and share The Techno Anarchist Manifesto!
And please build something for a community!
Blasts from the past
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