Concerns about creating a WordPress plugin.
Hi everyone,
I don't know if I will get much by way of responses here but it's worth a try in case any of you have ever worked your way through the concerns I am having about creating a WordPress plugin.
My concerns lie mainly in the area of having to use the same license that WordPress is under. Namely the GPL.
Now I don't want this thread (assuming I get any responses) to go down the path of an all out, no holds barred, argument over whether WordPress is right to require that or not. So please...don't go there.
Regardless of what may or may not be legal of them to require in that regard I want to create my plugin with the GPL license and to post the plugin in the official WordPress plugin depository.
So having gotten that out of the way let me describe my concerns.
Under the GPL, anyone who downloads the plugin gets the source code (mostly written in PHP, HTML, and CSS with some Javascript thrown in).
All the source code.
Under the GPL any other web developer can take my plugin, offer it to clients, and offer to modify the plugin to better suit their client needs for a price...without my ever seeing one penny for my hard work in creating the plugin.
For that matter someone can simply take my plugin and create a website around it and offer it for free from their website.
Modify it, distribute it, change it's code, do all kinds of things with my plugin. They can even charge for it if they can figure out a better way to make money from it than I can.
For those of you that may not realize it the GPL allows all that!
No surprise there - at least for me.
Given that I don't like working for free I prefer to create a plugin that will allow me to make some income.
It's going to be a free plugin.
Connecting to a service like Facebook (just an example - there are already lots and lots of Facebook related plugins).
The way I plan on making money from it is:
- create an ebook explaining all about the service and offer it for sale at my website.
- offer to customize the plugin to better suit specific website uses and needs.
NOTE: I realize that no one is going to buy an ebook about how to use Facebook LOL. I used Facebook as an example service but that's not the service I have in mind.
My concern is this.
Have any of you that have created a WordPress plugin found the necessary GPL licensing to be problematic for you with respect to people running off to do things with your plugin code, even make money from it themselves, where it leaves you out?
I am not really all that interested in discussing theory but am rather more interested in hearing from actual plugin authors as to what their actual experience has been.
Any input would be most appreciated.
Thanks.
Carlos
I don't know if I will get much by way of responses here but it's worth a try in case any of you have ever worked your way through the concerns I am having about creating a WordPress plugin.
My concerns lie mainly in the area of having to use the same license that WordPress is under. Namely the GPL.
Now I don't want this thread (assuming I get any responses) to go down the path of an all out, no holds barred, argument over whether WordPress is right to require that or not. So please...don't go there.
Regardless of what may or may not be legal of them to require in that regard I want to create my plugin with the GPL license and to post the plugin in the official WordPress plugin depository.
So having gotten that out of the way let me describe my concerns.
Under the GPL, anyone who downloads the plugin gets the source code (mostly written in PHP, HTML, and CSS with some Javascript thrown in).
All the source code.
Under the GPL any other web developer can take my plugin, offer it to clients, and offer to modify the plugin to better suit their client needs for a price...without my ever seeing one penny for my hard work in creating the plugin.
For that matter someone can simply take my plugin and create a website around it and offer it for free from their website.
Modify it, distribute it, change it's code, do all kinds of things with my plugin. They can even charge for it if they can figure out a better way to make money from it than I can.
For those of you that may not realize it the GPL allows all that!
No surprise there - at least for me.
Given that I don't like working for free I prefer to create a plugin that will allow me to make some income.
It's going to be a free plugin.
Connecting to a service like Facebook (just an example - there are already lots and lots of Facebook related plugins).
The way I plan on making money from it is:
- create an ebook explaining all about the service and offer it for sale at my website.
- offer to customize the plugin to better suit specific website uses and needs.
NOTE: I realize that no one is going to buy an ebook about how to use Facebook LOL. I used Facebook as an example service but that's not the service I have in mind.
My concern is this.
Have any of you that have created a WordPress plugin found the necessary GPL licensing to be problematic for you with respect to people running off to do things with your plugin code, even make money from it themselves, where it leaves you out?
I am not really all that interested in discussing theory but am rather more interested in hearing from actual plugin authors as to what their actual experience has been.
Any input would be most appreciated.
Thanks.
Carlos