Hello, world.
The moment we’ve all been waiting for: the WordPress Foundation is now public. As they say, slow cookin’ makes good eatin’.
We finally have all our ducks in a row, proper tax status, and the beginnings of a non-profit mission to work toward.
So, welcome! Please have a look around the site to learn a bit about what this first iteration is going to set out to do. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them — but read all the pages on the site first. 
Congratulations!
WordPress has been my blogging and publishing platform of choice for several years. The software is a functional form of art that spurred the creation of a global community.
Press on!
Awww YEAH!! Great work, and can’t wait to donate.
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I have to say, this is definitely a move in the right direction. It marks a commitment to the philosophy that has made WordPress a beacon of free software and open development across the world unifying to create something of true benefit.
Thanks for taking this step, and I am looking forward to seeing what comes as a result.
Great! Hoping this will be a great place to discuss and contribute to something amazing!
Congratulations you guys!
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What good news ! As a WordPress user, I’m very happy to read this and I wish all the best !
Wonderful news, I look forward to seeing the foundation do a great deal of good in this world – Spirt of Gutenberg 2010, taking names and kicking down walls!
Congratulations to the WordPress Foundation team!
I really hope you all reach your objectives bringing Open Source software to a new level.
Congratulations!! I love WordPress! Good luck!!
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This is great guys! Thanks for all that you do. You’re going to go down in history for your contributions to world communications. I came to donate – but the page isn’t ready yet – I’ll check back!
Blessings!
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Congratulations, by the foundation and the 3.0-alpha. Success.
Congratulations Matt!
GO OPEN SOURCE, GO!
Hi Matt – just wanted to send a thank you for your vision and work.
Given the fabulousness of WP, you probably have lots of people to tap, but if you can use any consulting on the “non-business side” from someone who’s been running a 501(c)3, I’m happy to give back.
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Congratulations on starting this Foundation and on laying such principals for human creation and sharing of content and knowledge.
Another Milestone in WordPress Path. Thanks for this.
Congrats Matt and thanks. How do I get involved with the Foundation? I’m squarely behind you on the philosophy behind the foundation. The WP community has so much to gain here, what a great move.
Today there’s not that much, but some opportunities should open up soon and we’ll post about them to this blog, so subscribing is the best bet.
Thx Matt. Will do.
I tell everyone I know that WordPress is like Microsoft, Google, Twitter, Facebook: game changing technology.
There’s no question in my mind!
Hi Matt,
I will say Thank you, great to read this. Open Source is the best. Good idea to merge MU with WP and all what you do for us.
Sorry, I can’t good english, i have more to say, can’t…..
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Congratulations!
Matt, congratulations on your launch! WordPress is a “most outstanding” communication tool that has allowed a techno-clueless guy like me get away with producing a half decent website (or three) with comparatively little effort.
Given how much you and WordPress have given to me (and others) through such outstanding and simple software … together with the contributions of so many other theme developers and outstanding programmers who share their work so openly (I take my hat off to all you guys) …. apart from contributing funds to good causes in this space from time to time, how else can technically incapable people like me contribute more to the cause?
I’m sure you’ll share the answers to my question in due course as the foundation grows. I look forward to tracking your progress.
Cheers!
Will there be any initiatives around making amazing gourmet tacos? Or how about the perfect formula for Fizzy Pop?
On a more serious note, congrats to Matt and the WordPress community. I look forward to continued growth and being along for the ride. In my eyes, this is definitely a step in the right direction!
Congratulations! I’ll be happy to support the foundation any way I can. Better get that donation page up soon!
Congratulations on the WordPress Foundation. This will definitely be something to follow in the future and it is about time.
Someone mentioned about having some board and Matt, I agree with you. We really do not need another Wikimedia Foundation (WMF)… too much bureaucracy. I follow their list and it gets insane sometimes.
Bravo Matt! It’s about time
Methinks there’ll be enough Jazz artists to last through all the WP versions till I grow old but not quite senile … still setting up WordPress sites and lurking around in the .org forums.
Onwards and Upwards!
Could you clarify the GPL philosophy : is it GPLv3 ?
According to Richard Stallman, GPLv3 will foster more cooperation and sharing within the free software community.
Thanks & Keep up with the great job you’ve all been doing.
Good question — I don’t really understand the major changes in v3 enough to comment intelligently. Hopefully I’ll figure it out.
Awesome idea you’re pushing through with this WP Foundation. But, I do can figure out that this will confuse confused people even more to pinpoint the differences between WP.COM, WP.ORG and now the WPF.org haha.
very much appreciated initiative. we want more from wordpress foundation…
“Foundation” has four popular meanings. One is a charitable/educational organization. The second is a solid structural support base. The third is a philosophical underpinning. The fourth is a primary layer of makeup that goes directly on your skin. I hope this foundation can embody the first three meanings for WordPress.
Well done. But don’t think this means you can stop looking for busses when you cross the street, young man.
Lovely new theme. We look forward to WP 3.0 and all innovations.
Grats and a great step for WordPress and the open source community.
The foundation was announced earlier this evening at WordCampBoston 2010 to appreciative applause. We’re all looking forward to what you’re cooking up to rock the world. Keep it coming!
Thank you Matt!
This raised my trust for WordPress as the perfect platform for all kind of digital projects to about 110%.
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Just curious — who owns the copyright on the source code for the WordPress project today? Is it you personally, Automattic, Inc., or some other entity? Will the copyright on the project be transferred to the WordPress Foundation?
Copyright is maintained by the original contributors of code, and licensed under the license of WordPress. (Which makes it highly unlikely we will ever change licenses.)
Without a single copyright holder, it would be hard for some entity to grab the code base through acquisition and damage the project and community, as some fear for MySQL with Oracle’s acquisition of Sun. It is also hard to see how any company could exert undue influence on a distributed copyright project like WordPress. Even if Automattic were to be acquired by a community-hostile company, it seems to me that the damage to the project itself would be minimal. The trademark is a valuable bit of I.P. worth protecting of course. But I’m unclear on what the Foundation is trying to guard against, since the usual “evil company acquires popular project and kills it” scenarios don’t seem plausible for WordPress. You say “People and businesses may come and go, so it is important to ensure that the source code for these projects will survive beyond the current contributor base…” but I can’t figure out how the Foundation provides additional protection against you being hit by a bus – the example Jane Wells used at WordCamp Boston yesterday. (And despite the protection we’ve got now with the Foundation, I think we’d all still prefer you not be hit by a bus!)
So what is the reasoning for the Foundation? I think its a fine idea, but I’m just trying to understand how it protects the WordPress community, and from what danger. Thanks!
You hit the key points: trademarks and centralized community resources.
Matt,
Thanks so much for your visionary work on WordPress. The fact that the foundation will carry on that work speaks to your prowess as a social entrepreneur.
Awesome, well done WP Foundationers!!!
Congrats to the WordPress community. Matt, this is a long standing desire that you have had and it is coming to fruition very nicely. Where should people go on the web who wish to contribute money to the foundation? I know mine won’t be on the order of WordCamp NYC, but I think the power of having thousands of people contribute $5 and $10 to maintain this foundation will be very powerful. Again, congratulations on the foundation’s creation.
This’ll be the page where we collect donations and talk about the plans for them:
http://wordpressfoundation.org/donate/
But it’s not quite ready yet.
I have used WordPress since it’s beginning and continue to do so. Anyone who doesn’t just doesn’t “get it”. Every release just brings more and more great features and functions. This foundation just proves that not only has WordPress been the leading groundbreaking platform but still is the leader in treading new ground. Kudos to you.
Keep up the great work.
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Hey guys slow down already! I just found WordPress 6 weeks ago and you’ve gone and opened a Foundation!! LOL, unbelievable I missed out on this for years — must have been in a digital-coma or something. Been headlong into it for 16 hrs a day 7 days a week. Loving it, will make a contribution once you can accept.
How easy is this!
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Congratulations on going public, and on your first tweet.
Congratulations!