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. š
Congrats! Interested to see what the plan is for the Foundation.
Congrats !!!!!
Hello Matt and team. As an eager follower I am excited to see the ducks as they come rolling out. This is a radical initiative — I love it! The way I see it the WordPress Foundation is in line with and empowers the current revolution in communication.
Wishing this initiative the best! Happy New Decade!!
This is a long time in coming. Congratulations!
I was wondering about the WordPress logo. WordCamps readily use the logo for creating t-shirts, posters, etc. Will you post some guidelines about the copyrights and rules regarding the use of the logo?
Also, maybe WordPress Foundation could provide grants for schools or non-profit organizations to fund the migration of their current site, or the creation of a new site, in WordPress?
The best guideline for the logo right now is if you’re not sure, to ask. We explicitly permit WordCamps to use and abuse the logo as long as they fall within the guidelines and philosophies of what WordCamp is.
Good idea on the grants.
This is a great move! I think it would be interesting to see a blog post about what is the connection/hierarchy between the for-profit WordPress.com and this new WordPress Foundation.
Sure, as a quick summary: they’re completely separate, but share a similar name and my involvement. One is for-profit, the other non-profit. They both have similar goals in terms, but the Foundation can take a long-term multi-decade approach to solving these problems without regard for short term profit, market conditions, or shareholders. I’ve always had a vision for two simultaneous approaches to the WordPress way, the heart and the mind, but it’s just now coming together.
Well good you waited to found the long-term multi-decade approach _after_ you merge in so much code from the MU project that short term profit from wordpress.com can go on unhindered while being backed up by the foundation. Nice made move, respect.
I’m not sure if I understand — we’re bringing MU in Core because it’ll become a lot better as a result. It has been relatively neglected when compared to core and we want to bring it up to WP standards and open up MU functionality to a much wider audience as just another feature of WordPress. The merge is ongoing, however, and if you’d like to help out please join in the discussion on Trac.
Will this Foundation be responsible for the long-term viability of the multiuser blog that so many of us share: http://wordpress.com/ ?
In other words, will this Foundation ensure that wordpress.com posts will be there forever? I have speculated about this issue before.
Short answer: no. For long-term content preservation issues you should check out Archive.org and the Long Now Foundation. (Two of my favorites.)
Great, very interesting! š
Indeed, as FireFox made web more accessible for reading, WordPress made web more accessible for writing.
There is no best content generically publishing structure than blog structure, and WordPress is the best, most simple and most free and open content management and publishing system ever made!
WordPress is quickly grown as the first CMS option for most scenarios, and in next years I believe it will be the best for practically any specific need.
It is really nice to see that it will now be maintained by a foundation (and not a corporation or a few named persons).
BTW, gratz for having wordpressfoundation.org already running on beta 3.0 with the new 2010 theme š
First post, first comment?
What’s up with the header graphic and references to Toronto and Fukoka? just curious.
It’s a Wordle created by the latest posts on the WordPress development blog.
The theme looks nice… can’t wait for WordPress 3.0!
Go open source go!
I’m glad WordPress is doing this. You guys do an amazing job with WordPress and the community loves and support this project like no other.
Hello, Matt,
It’s great to hear that another noble effort was launched.
Congratulations for this launch, Matt!
A much waited Moment. Its here. The WordPress foundation. Another great initiative by Matt Mullenweg
Congrats on launching the Foundation. Considering the size and quality of membership of the WordPress community, only great things can be expected to come from the project.
Great work guys! After being a WP user for many years now- it is great to see how much you have developed. All the best in 2010 and beyond!
Very curious to see what’ll come of this Matt, but my gut feeling is that this is another step in the right direction. Congrats!!
Congratulations Matt and The WP Foundation Team!
It’s nice to know that you are thinking of such efforts on behalf of the WordPress community. Now if only some nonprofits could figure out how to leverage WP a little better than we do, we’d be off to a great start.
Best wishes!
Well done! Just this sentence makes me want to learn more and more about the Code that builds this house call WordPress:
stable platform for web publishing for generations to come.
All the best.
We are happy now. The site is nice. Theme really rocks. Thanks all. Great WordPress.
This is why I love WordPress. You, it, the community, care about the greater good.
Great news for WordPress!
Thanks for the greatest software on the web.
Congratulations Matt and all! What you are doing with WordPress is a beautiful thing! You have changed so much for businesses — large and small, for profit, and non-profit. Thank you for the contribution your work makes every day in the lives of people around the world.
Nice work Matt and Jane! Love seeing this kind of stuff going on.
Congrats for the new website launch! I hope it succeeds widely in its mission!
Given the turn in MySQLs status this week, and WPs interdependance, how does that effect “stable platform for web publishing for generations to come”
Thanks for all you do!
We will ensure that WordPress supports whatever the most robust and widely available database of its time is, with easy migration through the WXR format.
I thought the WordPress foundation was going to be the organisation running WordPress.org.
Or is that part of this sites job, running the other site?
No plans for that currently, though it is a possibility someday but for now it’s easiest to have the website separate and on its current path. The Foundation is going to focus largely this year on education and dissemination of the best learning material.
Is the learning material related to some of the cool ideas about a developer portal kicked around on wp-hackers last month?
Very exciting and congratulations on the launch! Good news for all WordPress users.
I can see that I should take a closer look at some of the projects being run. BuddyPress and bbPress sounds useful to me.
Congratulations and best of luck!
WordPress changed my world, and now it is set to change THE world!
This is wonderful!
Very good initiative, good luck to the foundation!
Congrats and thank you!
My primary income is from WordPress work, so kudos to you for helping creators/families everywhere.
Happy to see this taking off and I got a bunch of questions. (The answers to the questions will probably come in due course but I’m impatient =)
1) Any plans to make all the people involved at decision level with the foundation and their role public?
1a) Will documentation of decisions, meetings be made public and easily accessible?
2) You write that you will support projects and ensure that stuff lives on.
2a) Who decides what gets support and what does that mean exactly?
2b) Which projects are suppose to be “owned”, if any, by the foundation?
2c) What will the foundation control, if anything, in terms of projects? Projectroles, websites, servers etc.
2d) Will the foundation put up any rules for openness of the organization and decisions in the projects it decides to support?
That was all for now. More questions are sure to arise as more news are published.
All good questions! Look for more in future blog posts, but the short answer is that the Foundation is a contributing organization, not a governance organization. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Because of the bureaucracy inherit in a non-profit, we’re trying to keep the Foundation narrow and laser-focused on a few key areas where it can have a major impact. Direction ais being driven by me, and will be probably until I get old and/or senile.
“Until” you get old & senile? Hmmm…
š
Congrats on getting off the ground! Looking forward to a whole lot of WordPress in the future.
WordPressåŗéä¼ēęē«, 让WPēØę·ęäŗēسå®ēäæé.
Congratulations!
All the best wishes to WORDPRESS, I love it!
I wish you all the best in this endeavour.
WordPress is an invaluable tool for so many project on the web nowadays, it is honestly difficult to imagine the web without it.
I am pleased to see you laying down a solid foundation to allow future generations to benefit as we have been able to.
Congratulations Matt!
Look foward to hearing more about the Foundation and how it will make a difference in growing the WordPress community!
I saw you for the first time in person at the Orlando WordCamp at Rollins College.
Great and important mission that needs a high-powered advocate such as yourself and WordPress. I think what we’ve seen from Google’s “new China approach” entrepreneurs and businesses can make a difference. I would like to do my part by staying up to date with any and all developments. Will there be a way to get automated notices of news, projects, or blog posts.
AWESOME! Love this.
Congratulations!
This is a terrific development.
“The software should provide a framework for translation to make it globally accessible to speakers of all languages.”
I love this point number 5 of your philosophy.
Said speakers — and I am one of them — will thank you with translations.
Thank you so much for drawing developers’ attention to the fact that not everybody is born speaking English.
Exciting news and an ambitious task, for sure. The link for Buddy Press on the Projects tab doesn’t seem to work, though.
Best wishes for the new foundation.
Woot! I am stoked to see this. This is freaking genius. A non-profit with the goal or preserving the code for future generations. You are a true testament to the FOSS movement.
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.
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!
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!!
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!
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.
š
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.
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….. š
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? š
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. š
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 š
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. š
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%.
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!!! š
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.
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!
Congratulations on going public, and on your first tweet.
Congratulations! š
Thank you for your work and your wonderful WordPress. Italians love you š
I am one of many who is very, very grateful. Thank you.
Congratulations on getting the foundation off the ground! Here’s to WordPress 3.0.
A new deal begins today !
Congratulations! WordPress just keeps on moving.
Well done!!
Congratulations! I’ve used WordPress for almost a year now and it’s been a blast. I migrated to WP after working with Dot Net Nuke for years. DNN is good but compared to WP, it’s slow and cumbersome. And I also love just how easy it is to add plug-ins and widgets. Excellent work!
Best of luck!
Congratulations. Brilliant move and a sign of WordPress’ maturity as a platform and transformational technology.
WordPress is a fantastic platform. As a recent convert I am pleased to see the many many diverse ways that it can be employed. My WordPress site has transformed the way I view websites and what Design Credo suggests to its customers.
A genuine good luck.
Andrew Butler Topsham, Exeter, Devon, UK
Congratulations. I’m using Worldpress for most of my develops and designs and I hope it continues for ever!
Great News, Happy to see WP scale new heights. Open Source is the Future.
Congratulations, Matt! This is another giant leap for WordPress.
WordPress is a great tool, free at point of use and functionally rich. What more needs to be said… Those involved should be proud.
Congratulations WordPress !
You Rock! Thank you so much for this most important and contributory platform. Your work is a testament to all that’s right about the web. Kudos and best of luck.
Congratulations. Poland loves You!
I hope we see more non-profits like this.
You can all be immensely proud of what WP has done for the world!! Very few bits have software had this kind of impact.
The sad thing is that your lives must be so hard trying to keep ahead of the hackers that know if they can exploit WP, their installed base is so massive – you do a great job and don’t let them get you down.
Thank God for having a brilliant mind who spearheaded wordpress. Kodus and all the best in the coming years…
This is a great WordPress Blog. What theme are you using?
We’re using Twenty Ten, the new default theme that will ship with WordPress 3.0.
Each day that passes, I become more enamored with my WordPress blog capabilities…
Thank you for your work and your passion, without them, many things would not have been possible!
I’m a Freelance Web Designer and I work exclusively with WordPress. I mean, why bother with anything else? It’s the most powerful, easy to configure, CMS with so many awesome Widgets and Plug-Ins that you’d be silly not to use it. Thanks for all the hard work!
Congratulation for the new foundation, and really good philosophy based on it, i hope it gets the same popularity and community as WordPress CMS.
good luck.
I’m a total Kook to WP but I am rapidly falling in love with all things WP.
I’m not sure if this is the right place to Thank folks but…
Thank You so much. WORDPRESS is GREAT! You folks Rock!
Pete
Nice ! Hope you grow bigger and better always.
Congratulations! A new deal begins ,WordPress just keeps on moving.
To all at WordPress Foundation, thank you for your wonderful work!
Keep the good work!
Greetings from Malaysia..
Thank you for all the hardwork creating WordPress.org. There’re no words to describe how WordPress has taken easy web management to a whole new level! You guys are simply BRILLIANT!
Congratulations on the foundation. I attended my first wordcamp in Philly about a month ago. It’s something I highly recommend to anyone who had never attended one.