I think the underlying problem here is that the WordPress.org plugin repository has always made it easy to publish plugins but much hard to monetize them. That has distorted the economics of developing and maintaining plugins such that users have an expectation — nay, dare I say an entitlement — regarding the ability to use plugins for free ad-infinitum where "free" is not a viable business model for the developer of the plugin.

Had Matt been willing to embrace a model where plugins on WordPress.org could monetize is some form this would not be the problem it is today.

Think of these plugins as 1990's era web startups all looking for eyeballs. Many of those startups learned that just eyeballs didn't pay the bills, and most of them went under. Same is going on here, the difference is that many plugins just get abandoned.

People can complain all they want — and they will — but those complaints ignore the real-world economics at play.

So what is one to to do? 🤷‍♂️