Displaying 31 To 38 Of 38 Comments @Chip Bennett – not being a lawyer I have no idea if the absence of a trademark would leave him no legal recourse. » Posted By Paul On May 4, 2009 @ 7:42 PM @Hyder – if they did all that and called it “Thesis-like Theme” then yes I imagine they’d attract the same attention. » Posted By Paul On May 4, 2009 @ 4:54 AM Maybe. Maybe Matt knows that as soon as he/Automattic draws a line in the sand on this issue it will fragment the community in a big way, something I think nobody wants. Side note on Chris/DIYThemes and the GPL, they have no objection (and seem to actively encourage) creating and distributing child themes based on the Thesis Framework. They may even have no objection to you selling them (not sure if anyone is yet, but I believe some of the more prominent DIYThemes community members are openly working on it and I haven’t seen any objections raised by DIYThemes). » Posted By Paul On May 1, 2009 @ 8:09 AM Sure. I think the “intellectual honest” quote was @copyblogger anyway, and on the sidelines of the whole matter I really don’t know what exactly was meant. “You catch more flies with honey and vinegar” is probably the motto out of this. If Chris’ second blog comment was written first this particular beef would never have occurred. But there seems to be two issues: » Posted By Paul On May 1, 2009 @ 6:57 AM I’m a Thesis fan, its my theme framework of choice for development. I’ll put a few thoughts of my own out there: 1) I don’t mind paying for premium themes/frameworks, GPL or not. Hell I’d pay for WordPress if the paid version got you something that made sense to a business user, like a decent DB/files backup system with some Automattic-supplied storage space that it uploaded to. When something helps me make money, I’ll happily pay for it. 2) Where do you draw the line with WordPress, the community, and the GPL? Should “WordPress for Dummies” be available for free download in PDF form because WordPress is GPL? (is it? Cause I want a copy ;-) When a client pays for a custom theme/plugin should I also put that on the web for free? 3) A lot of people think Chris is a huge jerk when they first interact with him or see him in action somewhere. He’s out there, he’s energetic, and he doesn’t pull punches or put on a public persona to appease anyone. But in contrast to that when you’re a Thesis customer (or seriously considering it), you’re in the community, and you’ve got a problem that you need help with, there is no stopping Chris when it comes to helping you out. » Posted By Paul On May 1, 2009 @ 6:29 AM Plugins And Commercial WordPress Sites Its a tough one for both plugin and theme developers. You need to consider whether 100,000 people using your free plugin(s) makes you money in indirect ways (advertising on your site, paid integration/development services, paid support, writing books such as Vladimir’s new one) or whether you’d prefer just a few hundred people use your plugin and pay a modest sum each. 100,000 x $0 = $0 + unknown potential for indirect earnings as above My view is a little simple plugin is something I would develop and support (best effort) for free. Revenue would be when people recognise my reputation as a plugin developer and request I do custom work for them. If I wanted to make direct revenue from a plugin I’d do something similar to WP Ecommerce, give away basic functionality free and charge for advanced modules that commercial customers will see value in purchase, and ongoing upgrades/support on a per-release or subscription basis. » Posted By Paul On April 7, 2009 @ 10:02 PM Vladimir’s Plugin Developer Tips Great list of tips. I ordered his book last week, can’t wait for it to arrive. » Posted By Paul On March 30, 2009 @ 1:20 AM Default Theme Framework Is Stupid I think if the default theme had more layout/visual customizations exposed through the admin panel (eg like Thesis) it would go a long way to improving the ability for a WordPress newbie to make their blog unique straight away without having to dive into the massive ocean of free themes or get dirty with the code itself. Kubrick is not a bad theme under the hood, its just boring as hell to look at. » Posted By Paul On March 30, 2009 @ 1:12 AMComments Posted By Paul
- Chris’ handling of the Thesis-like theme matter (which should be put to bed as being apology accepted)
- this thing about Matt thinking DIYThemes wants Automattic to sue them to settle the GPL question (you know, not such a bad idea, if the parties won’t go broke doing it. Here in Australia an ISP has basically stepped up to the plate and allowed themselves to be sued by the movie industry to finally get some court rulings over whether ISPs are responsible for policing movie pirating etc).
300 x $10 = $3000 + they’re going to want free support for a paid plugin
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