Following Edge

Last week, I wrote a WordPress plug-in (PHP software) to help out Ampersand (aka Barry) at Alas (a blog). Yes, this is the same Barry that's drawing the banner for this site.

"Alas" frequently focuses on feminism, same-sex marriage and liberal (even ultra-liberal) topics. The blog's accurate focus on these issues, and its open and thoughtful nature, have led to it being a platform for lengthy discussions amongst readers. In order to support this discussion, Ampersand had provided a "Recently Commented Posts" list on the side-bar so that readers could easily follow where new discussion was happening. Unfortunately, the plug-in he was using wasn't written with the mindfulness to efficiency that is required when your site has more than 42,000 comments, as "Alas" does. As a result, his web hosting service had to take the site off-line a few times, ultimately resulting in the total removal of the list.

The problem was really right up my alley since I have some experience with WordPress on this blog and an almost ridiculous focus on efficiency when I write software. After waiting a while to see if other volunteers would be able to write the plug-in, I wrote the "Efficient Recently Commented posts" plug-in last week and helped Ampersand get it set up on "Alas". You can see it on the right side of every page at "Alas" or under "Posts with Recent Comments" in the side-bar here.

I felt very good about my work on the plug-in and wanted to share it with others. Normally, I release my non-work projects like this under the GNU General Public License (GPL), which has gotten a lot of press in the last few years and which gives anyone the right to use the software, and gives anyone the right to modify or enhance it so long as they only distribute the modified (derived) work under the GPL license. It's a very generous license that ensures access to the software and ensures access to improvements to the software.

But, I haven't released the plug-in under the GPL, because the WordPress folks say that I must release it under a GPL-compatible license. I know that they're wrong. The GPL FAQ says that plug-ins must be licensed under the same license as the program, unless the plug-in links dynamically. Without even getting into whether a PHP script links dynamically, the issue of the program's GPL license is only at issue if I modify or distribute the original program under its GPL license, combining the new code and the old as part of a "combined work".

For something like my plug-in, where I am the only copyright holder (since it is a 100% original work with no part of it written by anyone else), there is no connection to the GPL that can require me to license the plug-in under the GPL, or any other license. It upsets me that they want to use their misunderstanding of the license to require people to be generous, instead of just asking people to be generous with their plug-ins. It's as if you made something for someone and planned to give it to them, but when they saw it they say "You have to give me that, because you owe me". It changes one's perception of the situation, perhaps.

I suspect that I'll eventually get over being pedantic and childishly irked at their demand, and license the plug-in under the GPL. For now, I'm festering and licensing it for free on a very restrictive basis, just because I can.

Andrea (another great feminist, liberal (oops) progressive blogger) added the plug-in to Shrub.com as well. It's really rewarding to see software I wrote helping people use these sites.