Movable Type 3.0 for free, a wish or a dream?

In my post yesterday about a couple of good reasons to move from Movable Type to Wordpress I expressed a wish for the future addressed to the people who created Wordpress. But they are actually doing a great job.

I mentioned that bloggers should consider a litte bit the radical income differences that some people experience in their every day life. Some have lots of things and money, some others have a job and an income that helps pay bills while many others have no jobs or are poorly paid.
Matt and Loic's comments have made me think a little bit more about this.
Since Wordpress is a General Public License software it means that it is unlikely that they will charge for their software in the future.

That means that my recommendation and wish should actually be addressed to Six Apart and the representatives of Movable Type.
I wish that they will consider geographic income differences when they come up with new upgrades of their software.

As a young, admirable and friendly company they could perfectly charge a different amount of money for the people in "Third World" countries, or just make it a free ride for them. Everybody would understand it. It is a known fact that it requires a hell of a lot more working hours to earn a 100 dollars in Bolivia than in the US or Europe.

Is that good business? I hear people asking me while reading. I will say that it may be. It is probably not so profitable in quick cash money, but it will be a solidarity gesture and will lower the access barriers that regular citizens have to technology innovation in the those countries. That alone I considered a social investment. I will bet that it will benefit Six Apart and every citizen in this planet.

Companies are part of civil society. Loic Le Meur's blog actually reminded me that any company have public duties and "citizens" roles to play.

In a World of growing inequality and difference this is not so much to ask. And it will probably be a very good example for many other companies to follow.

Open source and class distinctions

Jill Walker is moving (or has moved) her blog from Movable Type to Wordpress. I admire that because it means some extra work, new knowledge and a change of habits. I am planning to do the same for the same IMPORTANT REASON: Wordpress software is an active participant of the Web Standards and Open Source Initiative.

My other reason is solidarity. I shared the worries of some of my friends and colleagues from Latin America and Africa. For them is not so easy to afford the new Movable Type software. Do people know that hosting alone is much more expensive in "Thirld World" countries that in the "Western World of Opulence and Honey"? Just to mention another one of the many Internet Access Barriers?

Wordpress should consider this. And if in the future they want or need to charge for their software, they should remember that not everybody in this planet is "white, male, rich and famous" :-) as some bloggers and developers seem to assume ;-)

Solidarity with others means adhering to the mission of Internet's most biting WaSP!