'Open Source Royalty and Mad Kings' (hey.com)
- Reference: 0175249903
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/24/10/14/1526251/open-source-royalty-and-mad-kings
- Source link: https://world.hey.com/dhh/open-source-royalty-and-mad-kings-a8f79d16
David Heinemeier Hansson, creator of Ruby on Rails and co-founder and chief technology officer of Basecamp-maker 37signals, [2]opines on the situation :
> For a dispute that started with a claim of " [3]trademark confusion ", there's an incredible irony in the fact that Automattic is now hijacking users looking for ACF onto their own plugin. And providing as rational for this unprecedented breach of open source norms that ACF needs maintenance, and since WPE is no longer able to provide that (given that they were blocked!), Automattic has to step in to do so. I mean, what?!
>
> Imagine this happening on npm? Imagine Meta getting into a legal dispute with Microsoft (the owners of GitHub, who in turn own npm), and Microsoft responding by directing GitHub to ban all Meta employees from accessing their repositories. And then Microsoft just takes over the official React repository, pointing it to their own Super React fork. This is the kind of crazy we're talking about.
>
> Weaponizing open source code registries is something we simply cannot allow to form precedence. They must remain neutral territory. Little Switzerlands in a world of constant commercial skirmishes.
>
> And that's really the main reason I care to comment on this whole sordid ordeal. If this fight was just one between two billion-dollar companies, as Automattic and WPE both are, I would not have cared to wade in. But the principles at stake extend far beyond the two of them.
>
> Using an open source project like WordPress as leverage in this contract dispute, and weaponizing its plugin registry, is an endangerment of an open source peace that has reigned decades, with peace-time dividends for all. Not since [4]the SCO-Linux nonsense of the early 2000s have we faced such a potential explosion in fear, doubt, and uncertainty in the open source realm on basic matters everyone thought they could take for granted.
[1] https://yro.slashdot.org/story/24/10/03/1354214/wp-engine-sues-wordpress-for-libel-extortion
[2] https://world.hey.com/dhh/open-source-royalty-and-mad-kings-a8f79d16
[3] https://tech.slashdot.org/story/24/10/04/1925239/matt-mullenweg-wordpressorg-just-belongs-to-me
[4] https://linux.slashdot.org/story/04/07/20/2024215/sco-claims-linux-lifted-elf
Open Source is not the same as Free Software (Score:2)
What's the argument really being made? One company produced a massively popular CMS, and another company effectively stole it, made billions, and felt entitled because of their confusing Open Source with Free Software. Let's be clear that you can be both Open Source and Free Software, but the dispute is about a company taking something that's Open Source, and refusing to pay a fair price.
Even if the discussion was Free Software should never have a price, there comes a point when you've profited too much
Re: (Score:2)
Wow you really know how Free Enterprise works, or is that Open Enterprise? It's so confusing! At least we know that there is such as thing as "profiting too much", thanks for that insight.
hyperbole much? (Score:2)
I don't see the issue to be honest. Opensource was traditionally about the code being open, you know the SOURCE. Why that expanded to mean actively running services and handling distribute for hostile competitors, I am not clear on.
Repositories and shared ecosystems are nice and I am not against them but this hardly the anti-FOSS act that saying changing the license of WP so that WPEngine can't use it etc would be.
I am not sure I see what is wrong or unreasonable with "you take take take, give nothing bac
Want to kill the most popular web framework, Matt? (Score:3)
Is it your goal to destroy the most popular web publishing framework in the world, Mr. Mullenweg? Because this is pretty much exactly how you would do that.
I'm beginning to think maybe the guy is going through some as yet undiagnosed mental health crisis.
Re: (Score:2)
> I'm beginning to think maybe the guy is going through some as yet undiagnosed mental health crisis.
Yeah, the anguish of someone else having money that could be his.