We discover what all this is happening and coast along in the community after this decision. With an article that has sparked immediate protests from many developers, the development team of Joomla! announced that the JED, from July 2009, will contain only extensions released under the GNU / GPL license.

(For those who can not remember what it is, here's an article by submitting the JED that I will explain)
Basically what was decided?

•    Extensions will be made redundant under the GNU / GPL (2.0 or 3.0)
•    Will clearly be all open-source
•    Can still be submitted extensions commercial (fee)
•    July extensions within the GPL should not be "converted", otherwise will be removed
•    fork was introduced a new policy on fork

And we explain what all this means.

GPL extensions: a step toward the collective

Open-source: Encompass only LPG propose extensions to the general public and only open-source model: anything encrypted code or owner, then.
Is closing the doors to anyone who has closed to the community so far: the unavailability of source code is a problem that computer science has condemned to years of slow development in the past, so the decision was to exclude from the visibility of extensions . joomla.org all those who do not contribute to making information technology a science like any other. libera e aperta. free and open.

But you're really killing the business of commercial developers?

It might seem, in reality, no, absolutely.
Here we are talking about components, modules and plugins: we are forgetting that those who are "Gongolo" long, with Joomla!, Are the main commercial template which, in most cases release their products for a fee, with GPL.
Why?
Why have learned that the concept of membership could bring them at least the encrypted code, only that users would have appreciated them more.
Then, in reality, it would be unrealistic to think a template is not open-source can not edit HTML or CSS!
Good or bad, however, the commercial developers (or at least a fair share) have been launched against the DevTeam (comments to the item, and official forum): some critical deficit of freedom and those who do not want to know to open their extensions.
Was the owner would not have reached such a CMS developed and used, ergo a few - instead of thousands - I would use, so there are very few who develop commercial extensions, simply because no one wants, not using the CMS.
So we need only wait for the commercial developers to adapt to new business models, such as (by necessity and not for policies of others) had to make the manufacturers of templates.

In July 2009, each extension will not be released under GPL license from JED will be eliminated, resulting in loss of vision at very high.
Many have suggested the idea to open a commercial JED, but that seems to be very little to implement, since the majority of users of Joomla! tied it on open source, but also very free, a JED extensions interested to pay a small branch  Joomla!.
There are 5 months to "convert" their extensions, the time needed for:
•    Rewrite the code
•    Launch programs membership
•    GPL release free versions of its limited extent with characteristics
In short, good or bad, you still have the means and time to continue its business model.

New policies on the fork, the jewel of this "reform"

What is a fork?
E ' "collect" a project and improve it, or divert from its standard development: in practice, for what we are talking about us, is to take an extension and adaptation to our needs, modifying the source code (of course) and then release it by specifying that this is a project based on a previous work, re-adapted.
Now the publishers have approved of JED an excellent plan for fork:
•    should have a name completely different from the original project
•    should start with the numbering of the versions different from that of the original project
•    should have explicit references to the original project
•    must show tangible changes
Which means that the usual clever taking My_extension (version 5.2) and transformed into My_extension EXTENDED (version 5.3) by changing only one parameter backend will now be forced:
•    to change name of your extension
•    to change the version number
•    making changes to more "heavy"
This provides protection to all those who see "rip" their own project, seeing that some developers take, alter a few lines of code and publish it on the JED with the same name and the words "pro" or "extended" or so way.
Of course it is also true (and would say especially) for commercial developers.

In essence, what has changed?

What?
Say it all.
E 'changed the way we deliver projects, has changed the way we tolerate the computer closed, has changed the way we look at commercial solutions are not open-source: This is certainly the most courageous and ingenious that might have been expected from the team for Joomla!.
At last someone has prohibited the termination of the code, finally someone has forbidden to obscure their work: this is a step forward, collectively, this is a step towards finally freedom.
And to all those who may fear the idea of having ruined the business sector extensions could only reply that at the supermarket on every food is well described by where arrivals and what is composed, not to ingest something that there should be a genius.
We would also have the ability to load code on our website that there should be a genius, entitled to see (and in many cases pagandolo well).
Why should science be different?