www.lycoris.org:
“For all of you who have been questioning this - the Sources and
DevTools will no longer be available for free download. They are
available in Desktop/LX Deluxe or by purchasing Deluxe Direct (media
only, no support) through The Lycoris Store. There is a common
misconception that we have to provide the source code for free under the
GPL. Actually this is incorrect. We have to provide the sources upon
request, and can charge our distribution cost. (Media, postage,
envelopes, cost of maintaining the equipment that the sources reside
upon, etc.) I get e-mails and calls about this every single week. There
has been a good groundswell of support for the company as of late. A
growing number of people realize that in order for us to continue to
develop products, we have to pay for those costs. About half of our
users do not pay for their software. That has a significant impact on
our bottom line. As I said, however, a growing number of people are
starting to purchase PIDs and/or full retail products. We’re committed
to not auditing our users, either.”
Gee thanks
Lycoris.
On a side note, they now provide an ‘evaluation version’ of
the Lycoris OS that requires an uninstall after 45 days (consequences of
non-compliance are unknown at the moment). I’ve checked out betas in the
past on VMWare and was impressed at the polish of the experience. It is
a nice OS for my sister, but for hardcore nix-heads I advise to move
along. Given the pissy tone on the message above I would imagine that
many in the OSS community would have no issues doing so.
-m