MemeMachineGo!

A couple of days ago, I spent a while looking at some reactions to the new Movable Type license agreement and prices.

Basically, 6 Apart, the company that owns and develops Movable Type, wants to actually make money. This isn’t very surprising — MT has made inroads as a content management system for commercial sites and businesses; they’re no longer a couple working out of their home, but a business with employees; hey, who doesn’t want to make money?

Geeks are very attached to their tools, though, so suddenly being told they can no longer continue to use MT as they see fit, while remaining on the upgrade path, without paying a substantial sum created a big furor. A lot of people felt betrayed, given that there had been previous assurances that MT 3.0 would be a free upgrade, and, while there is a license allowing free use of MT 3.0, it’s limiting. The limit is inconsistent with how a lot of people have been using MT, chiefly because it allows only one author. My blog, for instance, is disqualified, because Jym participates. And the jump to non-free use is pricey, starting at $70 (less one’s prior donations.)

So there were immediate accusations that they’d sold out, become Microsoft, were “evil” (yes, that precise word.) And a lot of other people shouted down the accusers down for over-reacting.

Meanwhile, there were also cases of people saying things to the effect of: “MT’s a good product, and I’ve been happy to use it and to have donated in the past, but the new licensing and pricing don’t make sense for how I use it, and I’m going to look into alternatives.” And they’ve been shouted down, too, by Six Apart defenders, denouncing them with accusations of entitlement and freeloading.

Basically, it was a microcosm of partisan politics, and I was reminded of most of the left/right bickering I see.

For myself, well, I’ve been happy to use and to have donated to MT in the past, but right now, I don’t see myself staying with MT 2.661 forever, and I don’t see upgrading to MT 3.0.

And, for the record, by “silly monkeys” I mean the whole damn human race, myself included.