We are happy to report that the domain Drupal.com has been generously donated by Cedric Johnson of the OpenDomain.org organization. The domain had been obtained by OpenDomain.org as part of their effort to become involved in open source projects by buying expensive domains and letting projects build websites with them. According to Cedric Johnson, “We don’t sell domains nor do we transfer them. Instead, we buy domains so organizations that share our view of responsible open sourcing can use them for free in promoting these open technologies. It’s a different way to contribute to open sourcing, and it’s the kind of collaborative spirit that made the Internet possible.” In the case of Drupal.com, the domain has been transferred directly to Dries, free of charge, as an outright donation to the Drupal project.

OpenDomain.org has asked that the domain be used to create a website which focuses more on the commercial side of Drupal than Drupal.org is able to. The exact nature of that site has not yet been decided.

On behalf of Dries and the Drupal community, I would like to thank Cedric Johnson and OpenDomain.org for their generosity. By deciding to donate the Drupal.com domain in this manner they have shown a genuine desire to help the Drupal project.

I would also like to add that when news of the Drupal.com acquisition first appeared here, I was among the most vocal skeptics of OpenDomain's intentions and methodologies. In the time since then, my interactions with Cedric and OpenDomain.org have been conducted professionally and in a friendly manner, and the outright gift of Drupal.com to Dries has put any criticisms I may have had to rest.

Update: Sept. 30 18:00

As per Dries comment below, I want to clarify that the domain was donated to Dries, personally, and that the commercial requirement was not part of the final agreement.