Chris Pearson and Matt Mullenweg clashed over GPL in an interview conducted at Mixergy.

The license adopted is one that covers Thesis for its WordPress components as well as Pearson’s own work into the product. So, you cannot redistribute Thesis as it currently is. You can only redistribute the parts that are WordPress code and API.

It boils down to the fact that Pearson can deliver a product that he can only offer, rather than adopting GPL for the whole theme and possibly losing business.

For me, I think this is a fair compromise. I am very sure it was a hard one to deal with and while I am certain there are a few developers grumbling that they cannot work with the entire code, at least they can work a little more with what is there. It is not an easy decision when changing software licenses because it can effect a lot of people.

However this protects Pearson’s work and also honors WordPress. Kudos to Chris Pearson!

I will say that for those who have been supporters of GPL software, this comes as great news! It is great that Matt Mullenweg stepped up to the plate to take on this issue.

What are your thoughts?

I am not a Thesis user. I have designed for Thesis, but I have no love of it. Frankly, it bites. I wrote about Thesis before, and even though I offer a free and simple skin, I still have no love for it.

Thesis does not enhance SEO in any way. In fact, here is what Matt Mullenweg retweeted from @studionashvegas on Twitter.

The whole shebang started before the above Twitter re-tweet between Matt Mullenweg and Chris Pearson, and it spurred on a lot of conversation.

WordPress allows people to alter its code, fork off the code, develop plugins, develop themes, redistribute it, and more. That is how open source is so great. WordPress allows for people who are web designers and developers to take something and improve upon it. However, they (WordPress / Automattic) have been steadfast in not supporting WordPress related software that does not also allow much in the favor of open source and GPL.

Thesis allows people to download the product for an enormous fee. In fact it is nearly $30 more for a single licensing fee than some of the top premium and more pleasing themes out there in the WordPress theme market. The majority of people that use Thesis really are not that different from each other aesthetically in design. This is not some megalomaniac type statement. Look around, it is so obvious. It really is a shame when the product needs more flexibility rather than revamping tidbits of code and offering developers an expensive price that offers VERY little other than multiple installs.

Why bother when the WordPress default TwentyTen theme has so much more potential to be customized and even looks better than Thesis.

For designers and developers who have been in the field of freelancing or offering free themes, Thesis is not something to embrace as a nice product. It is like the annoying premium plugins that end up being a pain to customize. You have to learn their product because they decided to not go with WordPress and tinker with making a ridiculous amount of coding to make hooks that really are not even necessary. They still end up doing the same thing as putting functions and filters in your theme and your theme’s functions.php file.

There are people using Thesis that still have to use gobs of plugins. Do yourself a favor and shop wisely for a WordPress theme if you are going to buy premium themes. Many of them not only offer as many options as Thesis, but go above and beyond in design.

It is a product that works and a lot of people have embraced it, but really, how many hard core WordPress designer and developers would loyally use it, let alone recommend it? Not many that I have seen, especially with the amount of freelance work I get just fixing code on work by other web designers, including a few Thesis related projects. And by the way, I do not see many of those type of projects listed on the freelance boards.

Legality:

I go back to my point I said earlier about Thesis still using WordPress to execute its functions and even though there is a huge argument over GPL, I am not in total agreeance with Why the GPL does not apply to premium WordPress themes. The Thesis product is a derivative much like most WordPress themes, according to Mark Jaquith. It is like if I make my own theme, write a bunch of unique hooks, but those hooks actually operate off of the WordPress core. It is a roundabout way of operating a site. The core is not hacked or altered in any manner.

To learn more about GPL, here are a few resources:

• About GPL and WordPress
• GNU Project

What are your thoughts?

There really are not that many custom Thesis themes out there. Of course, they are also known as skins. For me, I like to use the custom CSS, the custom configuration file, and also Thesis OpenHook.

My first custom Thesis “skin” is more of a step by step tutorial. So, before I go into this tutorial, here is what the result SHOULD look like. Plugin installed for the navigation is WP-PageNavi. Layout includes an author’s box and a simple custom comment area.

(Right click on image to open larger screenshot preview)

This tutorial is a bit long, so I broke it into 6 parts. It really does not matter what order, but this was the order I thought would be best. You are welcome to adjust whatever you wish.

Here is the download link for the images included with this simple skin/ theme.

Wow! I never thought I would get the time to do this, but I finally have – after 5th customization I have done for a client who wanted Thesis. At first, it was a pain to learn all of the hooks. I know how to code and I know WordPress. (You would think after being neck deep in it for about 7 years now.)

However, I was not impressed. I could care less that Thesis is geared for SEO. After all the awesome people in the blog community sharing how to make your site more SEO-friendly, plus the fact WordPress already comes SEO friendly out of the box, it was a no brainer. . . do not waste money when you can do it yourself or get a theme from another company that gives more flexibility on how you can customize your theme.

After looking at the Thesis Showcase, even you would not be impressed. The sites do not have much difference in design and seem cookie-cutter. Unfortunately, FamousBloggers.net has not been added to the showcase as it goes far beyond what has been featured there. If more sites were shown to be of the same calibur as FamousBloggers.net, then I think people would be inspired to try more. The few skins out there are nice, but do not demonstrate much flexibility. And the premium skins – not much there either.

I admire a lot of people who have taken the time to put together a marketable product for WordPress users because it means they care and know how rough it is when you just want to put a site up, but do not know how to. I want to see Chris Pearson design the Thesis site itself in a way that is inspiring for other developers and designers to strive to meet and beat. I admire that he put the time, imagination, knowledge, and money into building Thesis, but there is so much that could be done than delivering a product and just giving a forum and the bare minimum on tutorials.

Is the WordPress community itself like that? – NO WAY!!!

Of course there are plenty of sites that offer tutorials for Thesis, but they do not reach the depth that designers and developers who want to go that extra step. In a way it is both sad and disappointing.

Unfortunately, because of social media and branding, people are looking for more than just SEO, Usability/Accessibility, and Support. They are looking to have a unique presence online.

You can get an awesome theme at Themeforest for $27-$50 and the developer will even answer your questions. There are lots of free themes in the WordPress theme directory that you can even change to suit your own needs.

I am not totally writing Thesis off. For anyone who will sit and read any of the tutorials available out there on Thesis, great – it is for you. For those wanting a more dynamic website, go elsewhere, especially if you are a business or an individual trying to brand yourself properly without having the “blog” feel.

I will be offering some free Thesis “skins” in the future here at WPAddict.net, but I am focusing on more about putting together a decent theme to offer for free that can be a blog and a dynamic site.

I know there may be people responding who are Thesis users and that is fine. I am not bashing Thesis, but asking you as users to strive to reach beyond the cookie cutter and rock your site out so it looks better than the other Thesis themes out there.

Your thoughts?