Major Changes introduced in OMGF v4.5

I’ll get straight to the point: as of OMGF v4.5 some features will be removed from the free version in favor of superior and more flexible features in OMGF Pro.

This post is to timely inform you of these changes, so you can adjust your strategy accordingly.

If this news pisses you off, let me start off by saying: I get you and I got you. Just stay calm and read this post to the end. Then decide your next move.

It’s not about forcing you to Pay

Let me start off by saying that this isn’t just a matter of free options moving to premium, or forcing you to pay.

It’s much more than that and you can take my word for it that this was a tough decision to make, but. There’s a but.

As a WordPress developer I want to make my plugins live up to the highest possible standards, and…

As an entrepeneur I want to create incentive for users of the free version to buy the Pro version.

I’m sure you get that.

Keep Calm and Keep On Reading

Quality & Sustainability VS Asshandery

OMGF v4 was the beginning of a major refactor in OMGF’s legacy (built on PHP ~5.6) code. To maintain and increase compatibility and extendability with future WordPress and PHP versions, this had to be done.

Since then almost every update contained minor or major compatibility fixes and I’ve had quite a few moments where moving — or even removing — a piece of code or feature would make more sense. Sometimes it would even save me a lot of time.

Each time I decided against it, because it felt like “bad sportsmanship” and, to be frank (no, not you, Frank), I didn’t want another last November on my ass.

But recently I met a crossroads. Where some of OMGF’s features (implemented years ago) felt bulky, outdated, too complex and simply put: inconvenient.

Basically, I had to choose between trying to please everyone and getting my ass handed to me by the WordPress community again while maintaining the quality of my plugins and the sustainance of my business.

Suffice to say, I chose the latter.

A Clear Division between Free and Pro

As an entrepeneur, every decision is a business decision. You can’t just do it stuff.

Before Pro existed, I basically just did stuff. If anyone asked for a feature and it seemed like fun to program it, I’d implement it. Only to remove it again 4 updates later.

Because of that, there was never a clear division between OMGF and OMGF Pro.

Together with all of the above, this has been bothering me for a while:

Why would basic users (personal blogs and local businesses) have to worry about some really complex features, making the free version waaay to complicated?

What incentive do professional users (design or development agencies and big corporations) have to upgrade to Pro?

By now, I’m sure you understand that it’s time for major changes.

Major changes in OMGF v4.5

To create a clear division between OMGF and its premium upgrade, and to increase quality of code and usability, the following features will be dropped as of v4.5:

  • Optimization Mode > Automatic,
  • WOFF2 only,
  • CDN URL,
  • Alternative Relative Path,
  • Use Relative URLs.

The Automatic optimization mode will move to Pro, because it’s mainly agencies and (professional) webdesigners that often use page builders to create their pages and use different fonts on different pages — even though they shouldn’t. For basic (non-professional) usage, the manual mode should suffice.

WOFF2 only is for fine-tuning purposes, and a basic user shouldn’t have to worry about what to do with this feature.

That’s why it’ll be superseded by a more flexible solution. OMGF Pro’s Include File Types will offer more flexibility in terms of stylesheet optimization and allow you to select which file types to include.

A preview of OMGF Pro's Include File Types option.
Include File Types (Pro) will offer more flexibility in terms of stylesheet optimization.

In general, a CDN is used by blogs/businesses with an international reach and has no added value for personal blogs or local business owners.

Serving your fonts from an Alternative Relative Path is only relevant when a website is using security by obscurity plugins. These plugins are mainly used by businesses aiming to protect their customer and business data.

The Use Relative URLs option was implemented to make it easier for agencies to migrate their projects from staging environments to production environments.

All these options have one objective: to modify the src URL for each of the font files defined in the stylesheet.

To simplify this process, they will be replaced by the Pro feature: Fonts Source URL. Which allows you to override the default value and change it to anything you like!

OMGF Pro's Fonts Source URL option
Fonts Source URL (Pro) will simplify the process to modify the fonts’ src URLs.

I’ve got Your Back!

To guarantee compatibility with WordPress 5.8, OMGF v4.5 and OMGF Pro v2.4 will be released on July 26th and include other new features (e.g. AMP handling and increased PHP 8 compatibility).

If this update “forces” you to upgrade to Pro, I’ve got your back. You’ll receive a 20% discount using the following (appropriately named) link:

GET 20% OFF NOW!

(Simply click the link and the discount will be applied at checkout.)

This coupon is valid throughout 2021 so you have plenty of time to decide your next move.

To remind you of this coupon and this blogpost, I’ve included a bulletin board feature that’ll notify you from within WordPress’ update screen once the update is released. So make sure you install OMGF v4.4.4 if you haven’t done so already.

Conclusion

While it was a tough decision to make, there was no more time to lose. In the end I’m happy with the changes I’ve made to OMGF and OMGF Pro.

The result is a clear division between both plugins and its users (i.e. personal blogs/local businesses and professional users), enhanced usability and increased code quality.

Because this might result in you having to pay for features that were previously free, I’ve timely notified you thru this post and included a coupon code to soften the blow.

This coupon code will be valid throughout 2021 to give you plenty of time to upgrade.

I’m always curious about what you think, so please let me know in the comments. But please, keep it respectful!

“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

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11 thoughts on “Major Changes introduced in OMGF v4.5”

  1. Thanks for this Daan! Really required some assistance with the site I’ve been handling for a quite few days and the movement of going to the Pro mode was really smart actually. OMGF has aided me in effectively taking over the hurdles I face on my website.

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