Re: A fork or WPMU that integrates BP and has simpler useability for end users
As Open Source projects, anyone is free to fork any of the WordPress family of products as long as they adhere to the GPL licensing. In fact, WordPress itself started as a fork of another blogging platform.
However, Automattic will not fork its own products. With Andy as the only full-time Automattic employee working on BuddyPress, there is already too much for him to do with the current BuddyPress product, not to mention that forking your own product is basically creating a competitor.
Forking is not a task that should be taken lightly. Successful Open Source projects require a lot of supporting infrastructure: from a project repository; to an up-to-date and maintained project website; to a core team of developers; to a community that springs up and supports the project fork; to a support forum to offer help to users. These are just a few of the many requirements of creating and growing a healthy OS project.
But that should not stop you or anyone else who feels they have a different vision for the future of the platform to fork it and take it in a different direction.
