WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg has announced that WordPress is taking over a plugin developed by hosting provider WP Engine. The plugin in question is Advanced Custom Fields, which helps WordPress users customize their edit screens more easily. It will now be updated and rebranded as Secure Custom Fields.
Mullenweg stated that this move was necessary to eliminate commercial upsells and address a security issue. The team behind Advanced Custom Fields responded by expressing their disappointment, stating that the plugin has been taken away from them without their consent, something that has never happened in the history of WordPress.
While Mullenweg and WordPress claim that similar situations have occurred before, they emphasized that this was a rare occurrence brought on by legal disputes with WP Engine. They also cited WordPress’ plugin guidelines, which allow the platform to make changes to plugins in the interest of public safety without developer consent.
WordPress is a widely used free and open-source content management system, while companies like WP Engine and Mullenweg’s Automattic offer hosting and commercial services for WordPress users.
Last month, Mullenweg criticized WP Engine in a blog post, calling it a “cancer to WordPress.” The criticisms included the lack of support for revision history and concerns about the company’s branding confusing customers about its relationship with WordPress.
Both WP Engine and Mullenweg have exchanged cease-and-desist letters, with WP Engine claiming that Mullenweg threatened extreme measures unless they paid to license the WordPress trademark. As a result, WP Engine has been banned from updating the plugin on WordPress.org, limiting its ability to provide automatic security updates.
WP Engine has provided a workaround for users who still want to update the plugin and continue using Advanced Custom Fields. However, this workaround is only for free users, as pro users will receive updates through the ACF website.
Looking ahead, Mullenweg mentioned that Secure Custom Fields will be offered as a non-commercial plugin, and developers interested in contributing to its maintenance and improvement are encouraged to reach out.
This situation highlights the complexities of the relationship between WordPress developers, hosting providers, and the broader WordPress community. It serves as a reminder of the challenges that can arise in the open-source ecosystem and the importance of maintaining transparency and collaboration within the community.
