This is developing fast. Updates are underlined.

Please read this here. Essentially it means that the platform on which our server is running, will not be developed further by the original team. What does this mean?

• We will most likely not be able to upgrade to 1.8
• We will be able to continue running with what we have, but for the time being, but there will be no updates, no changes, no new versions of the game. No new blocks, no new features. It’s a 100% standstill.

The only valid option for us to work with future versions of Minecraft are the following:

• Someone picks up the work and develops the code further, despite the issues about licensing that is described in the article above. There is still the spigot community, but they have only worked with an optmized bukkit code, and it’s questionable if they will be able to pick up the additional work that is not done anymore by the bukkit guys (Twitter says they won’t Sorry, misread that, they will).
• Mojang takes over the Bukkit work and makes it available under a proper license, since there are only very few servers that actually work without it. (seems that this is a valid alterantive as we can see here and here)
• Mojang finally releases a proper plugin-system which attracts the most important developers that make this server what it is, namely the creators of Websend and Worldguard to work with it. The risk is however that the gap between the end of Bukkit and the first proper native plugin-system for Minecraft will be so far apart that the plugin devs stop working and do not pick it up later anymore.

The main problem finally is that the biggest features that make this server run are the lots and the custom code that we have on the server. Without the protected lots and the work that I put into the system the server basically boils down to a vanilla minecraft server where the only protection that we have against idiots would be a tough whitelist test – all using a manual whitelist approval instead being able to automate stuff.

What will I do?

Well I will keep the server up and running as long as possible. I put 3 years of work into it and will not just drop it like a hot potato. But I will slow down/stop the work on preparing for 1.8 for the time being until I have a reason to believe that there will be actually a possibility to ever get this version.

Seing the mojang team will take this over, there is a high chance that this will continue. The question is if this will speed things up or slow them down. So far, so good, we will see what happens. Please continue building. Nothing to see here.