While you are free to write your own book, I think the latter would go a long ways towards resolving the poor public relations caused by your statements and building some credibility for your own work.

I think you are being a little bit disingenuous.
From what I have heard, it sounds like you are taking the guides published freely on the 'Net by people like Podz, copying and pasting them into a document, getting O'Reilly to publish this as a book and profiting from this.

This is clearly theft.

If this is not what you are doing, feel free to set the record straight.

Tom

The simple fact is that WordPress really changed my life, and I have undertaken to help people in my area get the stuff installed. A WordPress advocate, if you will, just as I am a Linux advocate.

And, actually, I gave your name recently to someone who was looking for paid assistance with basic installation and a bit of CSS work. :-)

I too have been told by many people that I should ask for donations, so I put up a button. Total number of clicks from people who read those guides ? None, zero.

Why do you think I now offer zero help for certain aspects of wp ?

Having the label I have probably leads to people thinking that I get something of whatever donations are made. I do not.

The simple fact is that Larry Ayers is a thief.

while I agree with your sentiment, I have a feeling that as soon as a charge was levied for WordPress, 100,000 of those 165,000, at least, would desert it for a free alternative.

I know it is not as simple as that, many people would stay on the free version and not upgrade to WordPressPro – the paid version, but you get my point.

Tom

That said, it's clear that there is, in at least the one case, upset that free tutorials may be used in the compiling of an unofficial guide to be sold for profit. That may be all it is.

On the other hand, there's nothing like sinking your heart and soul into something for years on end without satisfactory recompense. I wouldn't fault anyone in that situation for wanting something extra.

But of course, I'm just guessing.

With that in mind I think it is useful to break the two parts of your post apart. The book and the charging question are separate. I agree with you in many ways: WordPress is software good enough that it could command a high price. But if that isn't where the authors want to take it, that's their call. Of course, people should donate more. Will they? Hell no. The temptation not to is too large.

I have to say that I like the way that WordPress balance their requests for help between the financial and the non-financial. Asking people to help others on the forums, or to contribute to documentation is a lot more realistic a project than expecting everyone to donate money, however useful the latter will be.

I'm sure WP will survive as free to use software. If it does, the reward of the authors is kudos, not cash. But then, that is all they ask for. So it leaves me wondering what exactly the problem is.