Crossword Big Picture Goals
7 snips
Feb 3, 2026 A lively debate about plugin piracy, GPL redistribution, and how that complicates sustainable business models. A shift to the WordPress project’s bold goals for 2026, including contributor momentum and release planning. A cautious discussion of AI’s role in tooling and whether content-generation belongs in the platform. A provocative idea about evolving WordPress into an operating-system-like platform.
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GPL Piracy And Malware
- Luke described GPL “null” sites that sell premium plugins cheaply but often bundle malware, creating real problems for users.
- Jonathan noted some authors simply link to the GPL version to avoid users installing modified, unsafe copies.
Publish A Safe GPL Copy
- Make your GPL-licensed plugin available openly (e.g., GitHub) so users can get a safe copy without paying pirate sites.
- Offer no support or updates for the copy to preserve premium value while reducing harm from modified versions.
Access-Only Models Lack Viability
- A business model that depends solely on restricting code access is fragile under the GPL.
- Jonathan argued sustainable models add service or server components rather than gatecode access.