Starting with Movable Type 6, registration for the Movable Type Open Source (MTOS) license will end and a new license will be introduced.
The MTOS GNU General Public License (GPL) will remain valid for users who registered for the license prior to the Movable Type 6 release.
Although the GPL will no longer be available, the Movable Type open source code will remain accessible through Github.
MTOS GPL began with Movable Type 4, partly as a way to show our gratitude for the Movable Type community. One of our greatest hopes at the time was that by offering an open source version of Movable Type, it would ease the burden on developers when creating and distributing plugins and themes. The MTOS GPL increased open source distribution far more than we anticipated, and it became a popular license among Movable Type community members.
Although MTOS GPL will no longer be available, GitHub will remain open and accessible to all, regardless of Movable Type license ownership, and Movable Type staff will continue accepting and reviewing feedback submitted through GitHub. In this way, we hope to keep evolving Movable Type as an open source product.
In an effort to help our users take full advantage of the stronger API designed specifically for Movable Type 6, the Data API and Chart API Javascript libraries will be offered as the MIT License. Access to and
use of the Smart Phone application, Loupe, will also be included with this license. Developers will now be able to distribute products that include the Javascript library, as well as Loupe modification applications and plugins.
Movable Type would not have evolved into the product it is today without the continued support from our community. We hope this change will make it easier for both developers and users to personalize Movable Type into a stronger and more efficient blog and website management platform and we look forward to hearing your feedback.
For more information about the license changes coming in Movable Type 6, visit Clarifying Changes to Movable Type Starting with MT6.