Demystifying The New MT License Options

While the new licensing model for Movable Type is a LOT easier to understand it's not without it's complications.

On the download page there is a basic license overview, but it still leads to confusion!

There are now 4 versions and 3 products, which seem to be as follows:

• Movable Type - license now open source and suited to "hackers" and developers who want to get "down and dirty" with the code.
• Movable Type Pro, which has two licenses
  
• Blogger - covers just about anyone that is not an incorporated company (ltd, llc etc.,)
• Business - any incorporated business entity
• Movable Type Enterprise - for big business. Its main "upsell" would appear to be support for database engines such as Oracle and MS SQL server. Obviously the Enterprise version also comes with support options and fees.

Byrne Reese, the MT product manager, has posted an explanation of the differences between "business" and "blogger" use over on the MT forums

So, in essence, you can opt for MT Pro even if you are making a fortune from affiliate advertising etc., as long as you aren't an incorporated entity.

That's pretty cool, as some of the community solution parts of the MT platform really negate the need for any other backend when building out a community site.

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