[wp-forums] How To Handle Links/Recommendations to non-GPL Themes/Plugins

[Chip Bennett]

See reference topic, here:
http://wordpress.org/support/topic/looking-for-the-right-templatetheme

To spare a click-through: a user recommended/linked to a non-GPL-compatible
Theme (the IMHO "worst-offender" type, that claims Theme is licensed under
GPL, and then adds (the usual) extra-GPL restrictions).

This was Mika's response:

Clarification - You can link to a non GPL theme/plugin, there's nothing
wrong with that. You can't host it on the repository on wordpress.org, and
you should put up a warning that the plugin's in GPL-Vio and, as such, most
people won't help you with it, but we're not going to link-nanny that far
down the rabbit hole. (I suppose we could use non-gpl as a tag, like we use
nsfw ;) )

But I'm going to drop them a line pointing out the theme's license.txt is in
violation of GPL.


And I reiterate my concern:

My problem, in this particular thread, is that a non-GPL-compatible Theme is
being*recommended for use*. Such recommendations, when taking place in the
official WPORG support forums, gives the imprimatur of endorsement.


She suggested we bring it here for discussion, so, here we are: what is the
best/appropriate way to handle such situations? She suggests a "non-GPL"
topic tag, which is an idea I like. However (and laying aside my own
beliefs, for the sake of adhering to WPORG philosophy when contributing to
the WPORG forums), I do believe that the average user will not parse the
difference between an "official" WPORG recommendation and an
arbitrary-forum-user recommendation. Anyone who finds such a thread as the
one above will likely see the recommendation, click through the link, and
think that the Theme they then download is endorsed by WPORG, via the WPORG
forums.

Thus, I see this scenario as contrary to the principle of only promoting
100% GPL code from the WPORG site.

Also, if we *are* to police such links/recommendations, what is the
best/most efficient way to do so? In this case, I "modlook"ed the topic,
which solicited Mika's reply. Is a "non-GPL" tag appropriate? Does a mere,
in-topic reply in lieu of tagging suffice?

So, what are your thoughts?

Chip