The situation has raised the question of who actually controls the WordPress plugins.
WP Engine expressed outrage at the actions of WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg, who "appropriated" the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin, developed by the WP Engine team since 2011.
Advanced Custom Fields is a complex plugin with over 200,000 lines of code that is updated regularly. In the last 2 years, since joining WP Engine, more than 15 plugin updates have been released.
Changes made to the ACF distribution under the plugin's unique identifier (slug) in the WordPress.org repository are called by WP Engine a violation of the principles and values of open source. According to the ACF team, Mullenweg's actions led to the replacement of millions of plugin installations with code that was not approved and reviewed by ACF developers.
Updated plugin page in the WordPress directory
WP Engine has assured customers using WP Engine, Flywheel hosting, and ACF PRO that nothing will change for them and they will continue to receive the latest updates and innovations from the ACF team. However, the free version of the plugin on WordPress.org is no longer controlled by ACF developers.
Users who manage sites with the free version of ACF on other hosts are advised to perform a one-time download of version 6.3.8 from the advancedcustomfields[.]com to stay safe in the future and continue updates through the WordPress admin panel. The same process can be applied if the plugin has already been updated to a modified version of "Secure Custom Fields".
WordPress representatives said that WP Engine, being in the directory, automatically agrees to the rules according to which WordPress has the right to block access to the plugin old and add a new developer, among other things.
WP Engine emphasized that Mullenweg's actions pose a serious threat to the entire WordPress ecosystem. The founder's attempt to single-handedly take control of this open platform, which was created by the efforts of many plug-in developers and contributors, is a violation of trust and a violation of the principles of openness and honesty of the community.
This situation is the apogee of the confrontation between WordPress and WP Engine. Earlier, the site's management blocked the hosting provider WP Engine from accessing its resources. Mullenweg stated that WP Engine will not have access to the platform's resources, including themes and plugins, until legal issues are resolved.
The open confrontation between WP Engine and Automattic began in September, when Mullenweg publicly accused WP Engine of profiteering and called the company a "WordPress cancer". According to Mullenweg, the company does not contribute enough to the community, although both it and Automattic earn about half a billion dollars annually.
Amid the allegations, WP Engine sent a letter to Mullenweg and Automattic demanding that they stop spreading such claims. The letter alleges that Automattic threatened WP Engine with "disruptive measures" if it failed to comply with the requirements, including paying a percentage of gross revenue. In response, Automattic also sent a cease and desist letter to WP Engine, accusing the company of infringing on the WordPress and WooCommerce trademarks.
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WP Engine expressed outrage at the actions of WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg, who "appropriated" the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin, developed by the WP Engine team since 2011.
Advanced Custom Fields is a complex plugin with over 200,000 lines of code that is updated regularly. In the last 2 years, since joining WP Engine, more than 15 plugin updates have been released.
Changes made to the ACF distribution under the plugin's unique identifier (slug) in the WordPress.org repository are called by WP Engine a violation of the principles and values of open source. According to the ACF team, Mullenweg's actions led to the replacement of millions of plugin installations with code that was not approved and reviewed by ACF developers.
Updated plugin page in the WordPress directory
WP Engine has assured customers using WP Engine, Flywheel hosting, and ACF PRO that nothing will change for them and they will continue to receive the latest updates and innovations from the ACF team. However, the free version of the plugin on WordPress.org is no longer controlled by ACF developers.
Users who manage sites with the free version of ACF on other hosts are advised to perform a one-time download of version 6.3.8 from the advancedcustomfields[.]com to stay safe in the future and continue updates through the WordPress admin panel. The same process can be applied if the plugin has already been updated to a modified version of "Secure Custom Fields".
WordPress representatives said that WP Engine, being in the directory, automatically agrees to the rules according to which WordPress has the right to block access to the plugin old and add a new developer, among other things.
WP Engine emphasized that Mullenweg's actions pose a serious threat to the entire WordPress ecosystem. The founder's attempt to single-handedly take control of this open platform, which was created by the efforts of many plug-in developers and contributors, is a violation of trust and a violation of the principles of openness and honesty of the community.
This situation is the apogee of the confrontation between WordPress and WP Engine. Earlier, the site's management blocked the hosting provider WP Engine from accessing its resources. Mullenweg stated that WP Engine will not have access to the platform's resources, including themes and plugins, until legal issues are resolved.
The open confrontation between WP Engine and Automattic began in September, when Mullenweg publicly accused WP Engine of profiteering and called the company a "WordPress cancer". According to Mullenweg, the company does not contribute enough to the community, although both it and Automattic earn about half a billion dollars annually.
Amid the allegations, WP Engine sent a letter to Mullenweg and Automattic demanding that they stop spreading such claims. The letter alleges that Automattic threatened WP Engine with "disruptive measures" if it failed to comply with the requirements, including paying a percentage of gross revenue. In response, Automattic also sent a cease and desist letter to WP Engine, accusing the company of infringing on the WordPress and WooCommerce trademarks.
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