This morning I was pacing between my kitchen and my lounge, waiting for my coffee to brew. It takes 5 minutes and I like to think about my day ahead in this time.
So there I was, pacing, sipping my sparkling water (to wake up my body) waiting for my coffee to brew when, just as I was walking passed the corridor, I turned my head and saw my sister-in-law rushing to the bathroom.
Naked.
And that’s exactly what WordPress plugins are normally like. Completely naked, for everyone to see.
Unlike my sister-in-law, seeing a WordPress plugin naked like that means you can steal it. (Hey, maybe in caveman times, it was the same with sisters-in-law. Who knows?)
But my point is that if you get a plugin made for you to sell, your plugin will be naked, for everyone to see. And steal. And resell.
And there are 2 ways you can deal with it.
- You can “clothe” your code using something called IonCube. It’s a PHP encoder that kinda puts “clothes” on your plugin. Some web hosts don’t support it. Which is like wearing clothes to a nudist beach. You’ll get kicked out. (Your client will see ugly errors on their website if their plugin is “clothed” on a nudist beach, er web host.)
The problem is that this can increase refunds. Of course, they can ask their web host to install IonCube. Which is like asking for an exception at the nudist beach except that most web hosts will gladly install IonCube for you because it’s their job but the nudist beaches probably won’t let you be clothed on their beach. Yay web hosts. - Or you can let your plugin roam around naked and focus on selling it instead of worrying about somebody stealing it.
(It’s illegal to sell your sister-in-law. You’ve been warned. But if it were legal… and moral… she might be easier to sell if she were naked.)
Which option is right for you kinda depends on your priorities.
What’s more important to you? Protecting your ideas or decreasing refunds?
And if you don’t have a plugin to sell (or giveaway as a lead magnet)? Email me and I promise to wear clothes when I reply.
PS: The lesson here? Wear clothes to the bathroom when you’re sleeping over somewhere. Just sayin’.