Open Source, Closed Throat Grip
WP Engine footer now reads like the legal equivalent of someone standing in your driveway at 2am screaming:
“I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR I AM NOT YOUR FATHER.
I HAVE NEVER BEEN YOUR FATHER.
I DO NOT CLAIM TO BE YOUR FATHER.
ANY RESEMBLANCE TO FATHERS, LIVING OR DEAD, IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL.”
Meanwhile the actual lawsuit alleges:
“Pay us millions in 5 hours or we will unleash a scorched-earth nuclear response.”
Nothing says “healthy open-source ecosystem” quite like a footer disclaimer long enough to qualify as a Russian novel.
At this point WordPress hosting companies are basically forced to end every webpage with:
“We love WordPress. We support WordPress. We are legally terrified of WordPress.”
The funniest part is that open source used to mean:
“Collaborative software freedom.”
Now it means:
“A federal judge will decide whether your plugin update server survives the week.”