gpl-good-parts-of-wordpress
GPL
The Good Parts of WordPress
WordPress is GPL.
GNU General Public License (version 2 or later)
It's Open Source !
TL;DR;
What else does it say?
Let's ask this guy
Image Source: https://stallman.org
The 4 Freedoms of Free Software
OK, cool
But seriously,
why should I care?
Did you know that all your WordPress code is GPL too?
Yeah, it is.
That's a good thing! Right?
“(GPL) is a cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches.”
- Steve Ballmer
Open Source is awesome!
You own it
WordPress is freely available to anyone to use for any purpose, and without permission.
Quality
Lots of people, even huge companies rely on WordPress. Everyone benefits.
Extendable
You can create your own plugins and themes to do anything you want.
Yes,
You are allowed to sell GPL themes and plugins.
Misconception #1
You can't make money with GPL code.
These guys seem to be doing pretty well
Misconception #2
You don't have to pay money for GPL plugins or themes
The Premium Plugin / Theme model:
Updates Support Bug FixesGPL means Free as in Freedom
Not as in Free Beer
Misconception #3
Premium Plugins and Themes aren't GPL
Yes, They are.
"PHP in WordPress themes must be GPL, artwork and CSS may be but are not required."
- Matt Mullenweg
Plugins, by definition, use WordPress GPL codebase.
They are considered derivatives.
So are themes.
Misconception #4
Open Source software like WordPress is developed by Hobbyists for free
Venture investments in Open Source
2011 2012 2013 2014 Investments $398M $669M $920M $1.3B Average Deal $8M $14M $18M $33.9M Num. deals 49 49 51 39Source: 2015 Future of Open Source Survey
Would you do it for free?
Open Source and GPL are what make WordPress so great!