MaxBlogPress Plugins Pulled From WordPress Repo
I don't know how many of you are familiar with the plugins created by MaxBlogPress but after numerous complaints in the WordPress support forums they have been yanked from the WordPress plugin repository.
I've never used any of these plugins but after doing some research they do add some usefulness to your site. The problem with these plugins is that once they are installed they require the user to provide an email address to MaxBlogPress in order to activate them. This is not disclosed during the download/install process and only becomes apparent once the plugin is actually installed. To make matters worse, users complained about receiving large-scale spam after providing their email addresses.
The people behind the plugin state users can opt-out of the lists they become subscribed to at any time but that is not the point. The point is the forced opt-in.
I have no problem whatsoever with plugin or theme authors trying to make money but this is not the way to do it. Either sell the plugin as premium (paid for) software or offer it for free with a paid support model behind it or something similar. Failing to inform users beforehand they need to provide an email address in order to activate and use the plugin seems like a shady practice.
It too bad. As I said earlier they do seem to add good functionality.
You can read more on this story at WordPress Tavern and WarriorForum.
Len has been blogging for over 10 years and is a rabid WordPress fan. In addition to blogging here you can find him at WeblogToolsCollection.com where he is a moderator. He also hangs out at the WordPress support forums lending a hand where he can. You can find his political scribblings at RiteTurnOnly.com
I use their Max Banner Ads as well as thier Ping Optimizer...I have seen an increase in spam posts, but they are caught by Akismet. I'll keep an eye on this story.
James Fisher´s last blog ..Usenet Newsgroups and Their Workings
Yeah this is turning into quite a controversy. I think this is the last we'll see of those plugins in the repo. Even if the author changes his docs so that users know of the opt-in beforehand they still won't be allowed back in the repo. The only way it'll happen is if the opt-in is completely dropped. I haven't even touched upon the fact the plugins contain a "call home" feature.
It probably won't matter anyway since some of the plugins are being forked by another party as we speak. These versions will be "clean".
Well, I will keep using their Banner Ads plugin until I have time to find a replacement.
James Fisher´s last blog ..Usenet Newsgroups and Their Workings
There's nothing inherently dangerous with the plugins themselves. They are well coded and do add useful functionality.