As usual, I’m completely out of it. Apparently, Automattic, the company (now) behind WordPress, are going to set up a ‘premium’ themes marketplace, and as with anything that affects a lot of people, there are those who are happy and those who aren’t.
In the latter link, there is a bit of a back-and-forth between the two sides, as one would might expect. I think it’s sad that a [use Eddie Izzard tone here] groovy concept such as WordPress can cause upset when the creator announces something new. Matt Mullenweg doesn’t appear to have developed the thick skin that’s needed when you’re a *cough* celebrity *cough* in the web world.
I don’t think it’s a big deal, and I’m all for paying the developers of WordPress after all their years of work, although I would probably like to know more about Automattic as a business before doing anything substantial. I make my own themes, so it won’t affect me (I don’t use WordPress.com anyway).
I wish everyone could chill out and let things happen. If I ever created a theme that I thought was good enough for others to download, I’d probably give it away. I don’t think that day will ever come. Heh.