I have no idea what the reasoning is behind the following post but David Perel seems to think that WooThemes needs to be given more credit for their contribution to WordPress 3.0 in the form of their WooNav system. If we rewind back to when the announcement was made that WordPress would finally have a kick ass menu management system and WooNav was going to be the basis for it, the community as well as sites outside of the community roared with cheers and WooThemes definitely got their credit where credit was do. In fact, many authors writing posts about the new menu system gave thanks to Woo for allowing it to be integrated into WordPress.
John O’ Nolan who is really starting to help out with the UX group with Jane Wells has come out with the following post that makes a few things clear regarding credit. In response to Davids post, Adii comes out with a response that is somewhat neutral.
Here is what I don’t understand. What makes ones contributions to WordPress any different or held any higher than someone elses? WordPress is a software project that is larger than the sum of its parts. Contributions are welcomed and many are thankful for those contributions but really, despite WordPress.org giving props to all of those who contributed to the major release as well as major security vulnerabilities, WordPress would be able to get along just fine without giving credit to anyone. After all, it’s about making the software better for everyone, right? I’m thankful for those that contribute to WordPress but if you want me to put a giant banner on my site because I’m using some new feature in WordPress that you had a hand in making, you can shove it.
I’m still grateful that WooThemes gracefully allowed WooNav to be the framework for the new menu management system despite the extensive reworking of the system to the point where there is almost nothing left of the original. I will always refer to WooNav being the foundation behind the menu system meaning WooThemes will get credit now and will get credit in the future but I’m not going to offer a golden throne because of it.
I think John’s closing line sums it all up pretty well.
Well, every time a change goes into the core of WordPress that is visual and is not liked by a vocal minority of people, the question of whether or not WordPress is a dictatorship or a community project comes up. Personally, I like having one person or a select few who guide the project along. I think if everything revolving around WordPress were community driven, it would actually hold the project back. I look at Matt and the core committers as the folks that stand by the side and say “move along now“. I will say that I don’t always agree with what goes into core and I exercise my ability to be vocal about those changes such as my stint against not having UI in the backend to control how post revisions work. I’m still upset by that but I’ve moved on, partially because a plugin exists which does it right. Also, by disagreeing with something that ends up in the core, I shouldn’t be told as a solution to fork the software and do it myself. While there is truth in that response, I don’t think that’s the way to approach disagreements.
In the end, Matt Mullenweg is the leader of the project but it’s development is largely community driven. Not everything the community wants ends up in the software but I feel the community plays a large role in which direction the software goes. Does that make it community run? I don’t think so. I think it’s more like community driven development with the final say coming down to Matt and the core committers.
At any rate, you can chime in on the discussion here in the comments after you’ve voted or in that forum thread. Interested to see where this goes.
Today, I’ve implemented a Tip Jar also known as donations on the site. On the right hand side under the sponsor block is a text widget with a link to the donations page. Donations is not a requirement or an obligation but I realize some folks would like to contribute to this community monetarily without necessarily purchasing ad space. There are many ways to contribute to the Tavern community that I will cover in a future post, money is only one of these ways.
For anyone that decides to donate $10.00 or more, a URL of your choosing will be displayed on the donations page for up to one month. This is my way of showing a token of appreciation along with a sincere thanks from me. The total amount a person donates will not be displayed because of the social impact that might have.
If you find this site, the forum, the overall community valuable to you in a monetary way and feel that giving a donation is the best way for you to contribute, the opportunity is now there.
I have no idea what the reasoning is behind the following post but David Perel seems to think that WooThemes needs to be given more credit for their contribution to WordPress 3.0 in the form of their WooNav system. If we rewind back to when the announcement was made that WordPress would finally have a kick ass menu management system and WooNav was going to be the basis for it, the community as well as sites outside of the community roared with cheers and WooThemes definitely got their credit where credit was do. In fact, many authors writing posts about the new menu system gave thanks to Woo for allowing it to be integrated into WordPress. 
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