The dispute between WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg and internet hosting supplier WP Engine continues, with Mullenweg saying that WordPress is “forking” a plugin developed by WP Engine.
Particularly, Superior Customized Fields — a plugin making it simpler for WordPress customers to customise their edit screens — is being taken out of WP Engine’s palms and up to date as a brand new plugin referred to as Safe Customized Fields.
Mullenweg wrote that this step was obligatory “to take away industrial upsells and repair a safety drawback.”
The Superior Customized Fields group responded on X, describing this as a scenario the place a plugin “below lively growth” has been “unilaterally and forcibly taken away from its creator with out consent,” which it stated has by no means occurred “within the 21 12 months historical past of WordPress.”
“This important neighborhood promise has been violated, and we ask everybody to contemplate the ethics of such an motion, and the brand new precedent that has been set,” the ACF group wrote.
Each Mullenweg’s weblog submit and a reply from WordPress declare that comparable conditions have, in actual fact, occurred earlier than, although Mullenweg added, “This can be a uncommon and strange scenario introduced on by WP Engine’s authorized assaults, we don’t anticipate this occurring for different plugins.”
Additionally they pointed to WordPress’ plugin pointers, which give WordPress the fitting to disable or take away any plugin, take away developer entry, or change a plugin “with out developer consent, within the identify of public security.”
Some background: WordPress is a free, open supply content material administration system utilized by many web sites (together with TechCrunch), whereas corporations like WP Engine and Mullenweg’s Automattic supply internet hosting and different industrial providers on prime.
Final month, Mullenweg revealed a weblog submit criticizing WP Engine as a “most cancers to WordPress.” His criticisms lined all the things from WP Engine’s lack of help for revision historical past to its investor Silver Lake, however he additionally instructed that its “WP” branding confuses clients, making it sound like the corporate is formally linked to WordPress.
Stop-and-desist letters have gone each methods, with WP Engine claiming Mullenweg threatened to take a “scorched earth nuclear strategy” except the corporate paid to license the WordPress trademark.
WordPress banned WP Engine from accessing WordPress.org, briefly lifted the ban, then imposed it once more. This primarily prevents WP Engine from updating the plugin via WordPress.org — so it will probably’t supply automated updates to handle safety points.
WP Engine has, nonetheless, revealed a workaround for customers who wish to replace the plugin and proceed utilizing ACF. (It says the workaround is just obligatory for ACF’s free customers, as professional customers will proceed to obtain updates via the ACF web site.)
Shifting ahead, Mullenweg wrote that Safe Customized Fields shall be obtainable as a non-commercial plugin: “If any builders wish to become involved in sustaining and bettering it, please get in contact.”
