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