Just yesterday, the beta version of Movable Type 4 was released sporting so many new features and a brand new look. I have tried MT but that was years ago and since they started charging for licenses, I moved away and never tried it again.
Along with this new version, they also announced the Movable Type Open Source Project (MTSOP) which will allow 3rd-party developers to create their own GPL-version of MT and modify it for their own use.
I believe this move is a step to gain back more support and interest for MT considering the industry is all eyes at WordPress and Automattic. I reckon that if they didn’t fork it like this, they’ll bleed off all their paid clients someday. Well, it’s beter for everyone and maybe this MTOSP could draw back more users back to MT.
I think MT is 2 years too late. They lost the battle when they went “for pay” years ago. The return open source is just a last minute attempt to revive their dying business.
‘Maybe’ is the key word. Like in any market, those who stake a claim and do it first, usually will be seen as the leader in that market, and those who come in late into the game will be seen as copycats..
In order for MT to really gain on WordPress, if at all possible, they need to add additional funding sources to jumpstart this open source bid..