Comments on: GPL Propaganda: First They Came for…

By: GPL, Thesis, Wordpress – What Does It All Mean?

GPL, Thesis, Wordpress – What Does It All Mean? — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:32:28 +0000

[...] Despite the way people are saying Chris Pearson came across in this interview with Matt Mullenweg, I think he made some good points. Chris Pearson is undeniably outspoken and has annoyed me with many of his political statements in the past. He may even be a Republican! If I were less tolerant I’d have deleted my copy of Thesis by now, based on the content of some of his tweets. Not because his framework is non-GPL compliant. [...]

By: Daily Digest for May 29th

Daily Digest for May 29th — Sat, 29 May 2010 12:52:49 +0000

[...] http://wpblogger.com/gpl-propaganda.php – I guess it’s censorship (don’t write about non GPL products on YOUR site) #gpl [...]

By: Stephen Cronin

Stephen Cronin — Mon, 24 May 2010 04:47:39 +0000

Well, not that I have a lot many followers, but as I just tweeted, WordPress is commiting a form of censorship (telling people not to write about non-GPL products on THEIR blogs if they want to be included in the repository, etc).

Kind of ironic given Matt’s very public stance about how WordPress didn’t cave into censorship demands from foreign governments.

But I guess censorship is cool when defending the GPL, so that’s okay…

By: Scott Ellis

Scott Ellis — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:18:31 +0000

I read this post (not mine) http://thebrandbuilder.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/10-things-julius-caesar-could-have-taught-us-about-business-marketing-leadership-and-even-social-media/ and one quote made me think of this post (the one we’re reading) … I’ll save you a click but #2 specifically states “People want to be led, not controlled.”

That quote really reminded me of what Automattic and Co. seem to be doing, crossing the line from leading the WP community to trying to control it.

It’s part of the reason I got involved with organizing OpenCamp (openca.mp). We’ll do it the way we want and have a solid WordPress track (along side many other good tracks). The reality is that even if the WordPress foundation trademarked “WordCamp” it really doesn’t matter, a) Because it’s been used in the public domain for sometime and you have to actively defend a TM, not come along and claim it after the fact (but consult your attorney if you want more info) and b) they don’t actually support the events in any meaningful way (no money, assistance with sponsorships…) so it’s even more frustrating to see them try to impose “rule”.

I would be very surprised to see any court cases around any of this anytime soon, I think it could very easily destroy the community they have always said they wanted to build.

It’s unfortunate b/c WP is a great platform but this ideological stuff has to stop.

By: kristarella

kristarella — Fri, 21 May 2010 00:54:28 +0000

The kinds of questions raised in Carl's comment on Jane's blog post are the ones that come to mind for me. What are "non-GPL-compliant people". Will it extend to the users of the products they consider to be non-compliant, even though as users they cannot go against a license just by using a product, since the license is specific to distribution? Also, it'd be nice if they could make their mind up as to how products violate the GPL. Is it by linking (which is only mentioned in the GPL FAQ, not the license itself) or by being a derivative. They have a right to accept sponsorship from who they want and deny sponsorship from whoever they want, I think that's fair. In terms of speakers, I think it should be the topics that are regulated more than the speakers themselves. It would be confusing to have someone speak on a topic that goes against the developers of WordPress beliefs, but it would be a shame to deny useful learning on a topic that you do agree on, even if you disagree on other things.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 20 May 2010 23:15:05 +0000

You know how I feel about this, and it’s not good.

By: Corey Freeman - Simple Blog Coach

Corey Freeman - Simple Blog Coach — Thu, 20 May 2010 22:35:01 +0000

This whole thing makes no sense to me, personally. From what I can even interpret, the premise of the GPL license itself is confusing. You can sell the plugin but you can also get it for free and they’re just selling support and the images are yours but the code is public….wha?

Tack on Matt & company skewing the already somewhat confusing premise to fit their needs and it’s a mad house…I agree with Jean-Baptiste Jung. Let people do what they want with their own stuff.

And the fact that they are turning away speakers and sponsors (Free money and legitimate expertise!) is completely ridiculous.

I like the idea of hosting your own event. I’m gunna add that to the to-do list.

By: Ben Cook

Ben Cook — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:56:49 +0000

@david, my guess is it will end when a court case somewhere decides whether or not the GPL applies to themes. Until then, it appears Matt will enforce his interpretation and attempt to exile those who disagree.

By: Jean-Baptiste Jung

Jean-Baptiste Jung — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:47:37 +0000

I love WordPress, but – call me an anarchist if you want – I hate rules, licences, laws and all that stuff.

Everyone should have the right to do things like he wants. If someone wants to sell a non-GPL WP theme, what’s wrong with that?

I love the fact that WP and many themes/plugins are GPL, but forcing GPL is not, IMHO, a good solution.

By: David

David — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:25:46 +0000

Seriously this is disgusting. When will this end ?