Introduction: To stabilize the WordPress technology ecosystem, the Linux Foundation steps in.
This Friday, the renowned Linux Foundation introduced a new method for distributing WordPress update plugins that are not controlled by any single party, aiming to “stabilize the WordPress ecosystem” after months of internal conflict.
The FAIR Package Manager project is a response to the legal disputes that erupted last year, involving WordPress co-founder Matthew Mullenweg, his for-profit hosting company Automattic, and the WordPress Foundation he controls, in a struggle against competitor WP Engine.
WordPress is a widely used website creation and hosting technology built using PHP. Most elements of WordPress are open-source, allowing companies to host their own instances, but they often rely on commercial third-party hosting providers, which is where the issues arise.
Despite being largely open-source, WordPress is a trademark term controlled by the WordPress Foundation, established by Mullenweg to promote the project. His company Automattic and WP Engine were both created to commercialize WordPress.
In 2024, Mullenweg stated that WP Engine needed to obtain authorization for the WordPress trademark but was denied, leading him to publicly criticize the competitor for insufficient contributions to the open-source project and to take action to restrict the company’s access to WordPress software updates.
This dispute ultimately evolved into an unresolved lawsuit, and employees of Automattic who expressed dissatisfaction with Mullenweg’s leadership were subsequently fired.
The WordPress community expressed concerns over Mullenweg’s actions, resulting in the expulsion of some well-known community members.
The Linux Foundation stated that the FAIR Package Manager is a mechanism for distributing open-source WordPress plugins, “eliminating reliance on any single source for core updates, plugins, themes, etc., by integrating plugins from any source to unify the fragmented ecosystem and establish strong security in the supply chain.”
In other words, it will not be used against the WordPress community as it is not controlled by any single entity.
Jim Zemlin, Executive Director of the Linux Foundation, stated in an article: “The FAIR Package Manager project paves the way for the stability and development of open-source content management, providing more options managed by a neutral community for contributors and businesses. We look forward to the growing user community and contributions to this important project.”
The FAIR Package Manager’s repository succinctly describes the software’s purpose.
The software “is a decentralized alternative to the centralized plugin and theme ecosystem of WordPress.org, designed to return control to WordPress hosting providers and developers. It operates as a WordPress plugin, seamlessly replacing existing centralized services with a unified open-source infrastructure.”
In addition to providing a degree of stability, the Linux Foundation also stated that the FAIR Package Manager can reduce the automatic browser data transmission and telemetry data sent to commercial entities, thereby promoting compliance with the European General Data Protection Regulation, while also supporting modern security practices and strengthening the open-source software supply chain.
Karim Marucchi, CEO of Crowd Favorite, is one of the individual users whose WordPress.org account was closed by Mullenweg, and he welcomed the launch of this software.
He stated in a statement: “Hosting the FAIR Package Manager project within the Linux Foundation can provide neutral and transparent governance. This architecture encourages broad participation and gives organizations the confidence needed to build, adopt, and invest securely.”
Josh Koenig, co-founder of enterprise website agency Pantheon, also expressed similar views.
In an email statement, he said: “This is a very interesting development for the WordPress community. It eliminates a major source of enterprise risk and provides IT organizations with a way to manage the WordPress software supply chain. The same functionality helped Linux win favor with large organizations, and we hope WordPress can achieve similar success!”
The open-source community nurtured WordPress, but issues of centralized control have emerged. As a member of this community, the Linux Foundation has taken on a new responsibility to restore normalcy to open-source. What do you think? Feel free to leave a comment!
Editor: Action in Progress
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