Paying For WordPress
So, there are a number of articles being published discussing the fact that they would pay for WordPress if it came bundled with a price tag. Most of these articles have been started in response to Ryan’s article entitled 15 Websites / Services I’d Actually Pay For Numerous people have claimed that WordPress is so good, they would pay for it. Would I pay for it? Maybe. But this question comes at a time where we actually have a bit of hindsight in which to make our decision. I liken this to the Butterfly Effect:
The phrase refers to the idea that a butterfly’s wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the ocurrence of a tornado in a certain location. The flapping wing represents a small change in the initial condition of the system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale alterations of events. Had the butterfly not flapped its wings, the trajectory of the system might have been vastly different. Of course the butterfly cannot literally cause a tornado. The kinetic energy in a tornado is enormously larger than the energy in the turbulence of a butterfly. The kinetic energy of a tornado is ultimately provided by the sun and the butterfly can only influence certain details of weather events in a chaotic manner.
If the WordPress.org project would of contained a price tag, I can practically guarantee you that the number of themes, plugins, tips and tricks would be far lower than what they are today, simply because of the pricetag. It wouldn’t even matter if the price was as low as $5.00, the bottom line is that their would be a price attached to the product.
I’ll be honest and tell you that WordPress is a great piece of publishing software. And the fact of the matter is, if WordPress in its current stated would switch to a paid platform, I would most likely pay for it. However, let’s not forget that Automattic is a privately held company which recently received a massive amount of funding from large venture firms. This company makes money through something known as WordPress.com. Therefor, if WP.org ended up with a price tag, I think you would see an implosion of the WP.org user base.
I mean, there are so many different avenues we can drive down in terms of what would happen if WP.org became something you have to pay for. The best thing WordPress.org could do is to remain a free, open source community based project. I realize the tone of this article makes it seem like WP.org is coming down the line with a price, but that isn’t true. It’s just that, so many people have claimed that they would pay for the software, it might inspire the folks involved with the project to attach a price tag to the software. but alas, Matt has said in the past that WP.org will remain as an open source project for the foreseeable future.
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Comment by Alisha on 12 May 2008
I have never thought about paying for WordPress, but now that I think about it, I probably would pay for it. (Free upgrades of course)
I have used a few blogging platforms that can’t even compare to what WordPress can do.
Without WordPress, my blog wouldn’t be here.
Comment by Jeffro on 12 May 2008
@Alisha Yeah, I would to. And to think, WordPress as an open ended platform is as good as it is.
Comment by Ryan on 13 May 2008
Thankfully WordPress is under a GPL license.
Comment by Austin on 13 May 2008
Matt’s a nice guy, but we don’t have to take his word that WordPress is going to remain open-source: it’s going to remain open-source because it’s licensed under the GPL, and it’s based on the GPL-licensed code of b2evolution. In order to re-license WordPress, you would have to round up everyone who ever contributed any code to WordPress and b2evolution and get them to agree to the change, and that isn’t going to happen.
But in theory it’s still possible that while being open-source, WordPress could be for sale; nothing about the GPL precludes that. In fact, Red Hat linux sells its OS, and it’s under the GPL, but because the GPL requires that you provide any re-distributed source code, CentOS is able to take that code and re-create a free version of Red Hat. That’s exactly what would happen if Automattic started selling WordPress: Automattic would (because of the GPL) have to make the source code available, so someone would immediately re-distribute the free version.
Comment by Jeffro on 13 May 2008
@Austin Thanks for the reminder Austin of being able to fork from the WordPress code and then creating a new project from that. I hadn’t thought of that while writing the post but you are absolutely right in that, that is exactly what would happen.
Comment by Andrew on 13 May 2008
If that weren’t the case I wouldn’t pay for it. I would build my own.
Comment by Austin on 13 May 2008
It wouldn’t even have to be a fork. “Fork” usually implies starting with a common base and going in different directions, like WordPress did with b2. But since the developers of WordPress have to release whatever code they distribute, you could have for free the exact same software. That’s why I don’t think Automattic would ever do something like charge for WordPress; there’s no financial incentive for someone to pay for the product. I think it works for Red Hat because there’s a lot more work involved getting source to compile into an OS; with WordPress you go from source to site in just 5 minutes.
Comment by Utahcon on 13 May 2008
If I were Automattic and I were in this discussion I would lay the facts out and probably decide to do what RedHat has done with many of their project, and many other OS projects have come to do.
Release the product for free, let everyone and anyone use it and love it. Make it the best damned project/program ever.
Then I would sell service contracts on it, not the actual product. If you look at many of the Linux and OS projects that are owned/backed by a for-profit company that is what they are all working with or toward. It has proven a very reliable business. Give away the product and then support the hell out of it for a small fee.
You end up with the best of both worlds in this way in that people can still influence the builds because it is still GPL, and the company can still make their means by selling the support.
Comment by Ed Sutherland on 13 May 2008
I have to agree with Utahcon. Automattic doesn’t make a dime from the WordPress software itself, but is turning a profit based on services (such as VIP hosting, tailored Askimet and various deals with companies looking to get their widget in front of the 3 million+ WP.com users.) The free WordPress is an invaluable testbed for Automattic. In deed, Automattic’s CEO recently noted that the WordPress software enabled the startup to turn a profit where other new companies see only red ink.
The other reason why WordPress won’t go commercial is history. WordPress became the Microsoft of blogging through Six Apart’s inept changes of Movable Type licensing, allowing angry MT users to adopt WP in droves. I don’t think Automattic has such a short memory.
So, the question of whether WP will go commercial is an interesting point for debate and certainly will crank up the blog hits, but in the end won’t get beyond these comments.
Comment by Austin on 13 May 2008
@Utahcon, that’s what Automattic does, with their VIP WordPress.com hosting.
Comment by that girl again on 13 May 2008
You mean like what happened to Movable Type?
A large part of WP’s current success can be attributed to the momentum generated by people switching from MT back in the day. They are where they are now because most people on the internet refuse to pay for stuff they can get for free. You get the occasional person who insists on paying or donating (or claiming that they’re willing to pay,, which is not the same thing at all) because it gives them warm fuzzies and/or lets them show off that they can afford it, but overall they’re a minority. Even Automattic mostly prefer to use free themes and plugins from the community and utilise volunteer support rather than paying other developers or hiring more staff.
Comment by Jeffro on 13 May 2008
Thanks for the comments everyone. It’s pretty obvious that WordPress.org will never have a price tag attached to it, but I thought it would make for an interesting discussion
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