WordPress MU

Just been thinking about the GPL. Obviously wordpress.com is running an altered version on multi user wordpress.

According to the GPL, anyone who contacts the wordpress.com team should be able to recieve a copy of this code... shouldn't they?

It's more complicated than that. WordPress.com isn't distributing binaries of a product called "WordPress" or "WPMU" that users need to run to access the services of the site.

Instead, the code sits in one place and users access the functionality of the software by visiting the site in their web browsers. At no time is code distributed, they are accessing a service.

Here's a few pointers to further reading:
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#WMS
http://www.devchannel.org/webserviceschannel/02/05/21/2245226.shtml?tid=1
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/09/30/0627234

That's not to say that more code will be released, it will. These things take time to do however.

Wow Doncha. Just the kind of info i wanted.

In the slashdot article, they mention that GPL was expected to close the loophole and be released in early 06. I assume it didnt then? Or is wordpress still released under GPL2?

That's expected in version 3.0, and at least one "beta" releases of the license is out but it's a hot topic so I don't know what GPL3 will finally say. Here's the FAQ I missed last time about the GPL and web servers:
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#UnreleasedMods

WordPress is currently under GPL V2. It would be perfectly possible for it to remain under V2 after the release of GPL V3. I provide a little more detail at:
http://changingway.net/archives/612

I know this is an old thread, but this is fairly relevant.

The Affero General Public License is a fork of the GPL which requires you to distribute your changes, even if the modifications are sitting on your own server.

If WordPress was released under the AFGPL, Automattic would be forced to release the source to WP.com.

The following is the clause that the AFGPL adds to GPLv2:

If the Program as you received it is intended to interact with users through a computer network and if, in the version you received, any user interacting with the Program was given the opportunity to request transmission to that user of the Program's complete source code, you must not remove that facility from your modified version of the Program or work based on the Program, and must offer an equivalent opportunity for all users interacting with your Program through a computer network to request immediate transmission by HTTP of the complete source code of your modified version or other derivative work.

*chuckle* Guess we'll never see it (or anything that I'll ever write) released under that lisence. ;)

If WordPress was released under the AFGPL, Automattic would be forced to release the source to WP.com.

Sure, but every single person who has contributed code would have to agree.

I suspect the various Automattic employees wouldn't, for example.

Not to mention, that:

a) They own the code to begin with.
b) They would have to license it as such.

Yeah, OK. And Michael Waltrip is going to win at Pocono, too.

I suspect the various Automattic employees wouldn't, for example.

And the hundred or so who have submitted patches as well to regular wp.

And, even if everyone did agree, WordPress.com would never be forced to release their code. The code they're using would still be GPL2 - they just wouldn't be able to use new contributed code from that point onwards.