General Public License • The license was originally written by Richard Stallman. • Guarantees end users the freedom to run, study, share and modify the software. • Otherwise known as the four freedoms.
a copyleft license, which means that derivative work can only be distributed under the same license terms. • This is in distinction to permissive free software licenses, for example the BSD and MIT Licenses. • GPL was the first copyleft license for general use.
https://github.com/WordPress/book • WordPress was developed as a fork of cafelog/b2, originally developed by Michel Valdrighi • A fork is when developers take a copy of source code from one software package and start independent development on it, creating a distinct and separate piece of software. • The GPL is what made this fork possible in the first place
your site is of commercial nature. You're welcomed to buy me items from my Amazon.com wishlist if you're going to make much money from your b2-powered site or if you just like b2. You can edit b2's source code. You can re-distribute a modified or original version of b2. In no way your modifications make you author or co-author of the modified version, I'll remain b2's sole author and copyright holder. (sic) Any help is welcomed. Feel free to submit fixes and enhancements, they might get in b2's code and your name or email address will be there as credit in the source code. I guess this makes a b2 license for now."
that b2 needed an official license and started looking in earnest. It was important to Michel that b2 remain free, even if he stopped working on the project. He also wanted his code to remain free if other developers took it and used it in their own project. He recalls now that "at the end of that elimination process, GPL remained. It helped that there were already some projects using it, as I didn't want the code to end up abandoned and forgotten because of the choice of an exotic license." Michel's choice of license was prescient. Under a GPL license, software can be forked, modified, and redistributed. If development stops (as it did with b2), the ability to fork, modify, and redistribute can prevent software from becoming vaporware. Without the GPL and the freedoms it provided, it is entirely possible that WordPress would not exist today.
plugins • Anything built on top of WordPress MUST retain the GPL license • https://markjaquith.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/why-wordpress-themes-are-derivative-of-w ordpress/ • “Theme [and plugin] code necessarily derives from WordPress and thus must be licensed under the GPL if it is distributed.” • “Themes [and plugins] interact with WordPress (and WordPress with themes [and plugins]) the exact same way that WordPress interacts with itself.”
Split License is where the PHP code of the product retain the GPL license, any other files (CSS, JavaScript and/or Images) are proprietary. • This split license ensures GPL-compliance, but does not embrace the GPL's driving user-freedom ethos. • http://wordpress.tv/2010/03/09/mullenweg-little-wordpress-interview/ • “In the philosophy there are no loopholes: you’re either following the principles of it or you’re not, regardless of what the specific license of the language is.”
not only possible but perfectly acceptable to sell GPL products for WordPress • http://rainmaker.fm/audio/studiopress/matt-mullenweg/ • “I will gladly promote any theme shop that goes completely GPL” - Matt Mullenweg • “I just realized that that was an opportunity to come alongside the bigger fish rather than swim against it. An example from you was exactly that, your willingness to promote and help people who were doing things that were in line with the licensing of WordPress. That is a decision I absolutely will never regret.” - Brian Gardner, StudioPress (Genesis Framework)
discussion and understanding of the GPL • http://archive.wordpress.org/interviews/2014_03_05_Pienaar.html • “I think because there was a blatant and inherent misunderstanding about it in general, from understanding the economics of open source software to understanding intentions. ... So every time someone says something, you immediately take it onto yourself like, "This guy's out to get you." Which obviously wasn't the case.” - Adii Pienaar - co founder of WooThemes
sell a product in the WordPress space, you aren't only selling that product, you are also selling your time. ◦ The time to develop the product ◦ The time to support that product • https://woocommerce.com/2014/06/theme-pricing-updates/
million (2013) • Automattic ◦ 506 employees around the world • StudioPress ◦ used by over 194,500 website owners @ $60 11 700 000 • WooCommerce (previously WooThemes) ◦ Recently acquired by Automattic • Easy Digital Downloads
it’s not really piracy. • Do we want to create a system where 10/20 years down the line there are no free plugins/themes? • ABI - Always be innovative. • Provide great user experiences / amazing paid customer support. • Bloom Redirect plugin example: ◦ 'I guess now it’s down to regular updates and product support'
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