Recently, we informed you about a growing conflict concerning the source code to Lycoris’ Desktop/LX. This led to accusations being thrown both ways, leaving many users in the dark on whether or not the source code will ever be released. This article tries to explain what’s really going on, and lists the facts.
while the source should b available, i forsee a branch in the future. or perhaps several branches. thouse lycoris peeple are a diehard group.
Mandriva has not fumbled here, the Lycoris Management team has dropped the ball. Mandriva, just like always will release all of their code including the Lycoris changes under the GPL. What may or may not have happened to the original Lycoris code base has nothing to do with them, because they were not in control of the original code.
Mandriva has not fumbled here, the Lycoris Management team has dropped the ball. Mandriva, just like always will release all of their code including the Lycoris changes under the GPL. What may or may not have happened to the original Lycoris code base has nothing to do with them, because they were not in control of the original code.
You are mistaken. Under the GPL, if you don’t ship the source with the binaries (which was the case with Lycoris if I remember correctly) you have to keep the source available for a minimum of three years. This was/is a legal responsibility that Lycoris had/has to follow.
When Mandriva aquired Lycoris, they aquired all of their legal responsibilities along with the assets. It is now Mandriva’s responsibility to make sure this source code is available.
Just like if a company is being sued, and you aquire that company, you are now being sued. Same idea. You can’t aquire the assets and rights of a company, but not aquire the responsibilities along with it. If this were possible, Company A could aquire Company B, breach all of Company B’s contracts with other parties, and not have to worry about it.
Top 10 Windows Freeware tools for 2005: http://windows.czweb.org/show_article.php?id_article=222
really, they’ve said they’ll do it, so why doesn’t everybody shut up about it already and wait three months until they do it.
Patience…some people say it’s a virtue.
Take them at their word, and reign fire upon them if they don’t follow through in three months time.
that no one cares about these 2 lame distros.
The article is inaccurate in stating that Mandriva must have the code because of Discovery / LX. The press release states that it incorporates Lycoris _technology_, not Lycoris _code_. There is no Lycoris code in Discovery / LX – just Lycoris graphics, and re-implementations in new code of ideas from Lycoris. The _ONLY_ person who has the code in question is Joe, and the only place he has it is in storage. No-one at Mandriva has (or ever had) the code in question.
All the source for the free software in Discovery / LX is already available at your friendly local Mandriva mirror.
Lycoris’ Iris whas not GPL and whas not distributed , thats probably the main thing you forgot to mention , also Lycoris whas a one man show “Joseph Cheek”.
“Lycoris was a growing company with a solid user base and even recognition in various marketing channels.”
Thats a fabricated lie , If that had been the case they still would exist today , there user base whas less then sustainable for long term viability and groth and they where getting out pretty much faster then they where getting in marketing channels.
” Lycoris’ Desktop/LX was sold on computer systems through stores like Wal-Mart and various devices”
Do your research properly , Microtel decided to include them on there line up but dropped them too. There the one selling at Walmart. ( Mandriva , SuSe , Linspire and Lycoris got distributed at one time by them at walmart )
“the company still faced growth challenges, and sought to be acquired by Mandriva, formerly known as Mandrakesoft. Mandriva decided to integrate Lycoris’ Desktop/LX with their own desktop to enhance its own desktop interface for consumers and expand its market share in the United States.”
Another load of crap , they where near bankrupty and add no sustainaible community at all , so “Joseph Cheek” decided to see if someone whas wanting to acquire them he seeked many other distribution to acquire them ( him )and they all refused before making an offer to Mandriva , Mandriva Bancilhon is prooving that he follow the GNU/Linux market and saw a possible opportunity there , the cost whas really ridiculous for what they where getting , so they decided to acquire Lycoris. Now Mandriva FKA ( Formely known as ) Mandrake is the #1 desktop player in the US market and as been for years , Lycoris dont help Mandriva share on the US market at all.
“a failure on Cheek’s part to make the Iris code available could leave his new employer, Mandriva, with a black eye. So for now, the community will have to watch and wait.”
Please stop the bulshit Mandriva as once again is name pulled tru the mud for something they have little control over ,
Mandrakelinux is the base for :
Annvix • APODIO • Ayrsoft icon • blackPanther OS • EduLinux • HKLPG Linux • LinuxConsole • LINUXO Live! • Mandows • MCNLive CD • PCLinuxOS • SAM Mini-Live-CD • vnlinuxCD • Turkix
If they where not compliant with the GPL all the above would have been impossible at all. Mandriva also beat SUSE to a pulp because they ( SUSE ) where not GPL ( Novell as found that to be such a problem that it whas the first thing they changed when they acquired them , also copying the OPEN development of Mandriva ) and really offering free version they have been doing so since there creation in 1998 ( 7 Years ) .
Mr. Bayne is trying to acquire Mandriva newly acquired **closed source ** technology now , at no cost and witout waiting for them to be ready to release them, that they acquired from lycoris , who happen to have add Mr. Bayne in its employment in sales , to start and have some lycoris user jump to is new project and try to ride of the work of “Joseph Cheek”.
Lycoris whas a badly run company who’s flaw are now clearly showing. I trust Mr. Bancilhon and Mandriva they have a track record of doing the job and making due on there promises.
It’s the law (period)
You appear to be off-base on several points.
Mr. Bayne is trying to acquire Mandriva newly acquired **closed source ** technology now
Actually, Mr. Bayne was NOT the initiator of this issue. Another member of the Lycoris Community was. In fact, that member’s ‘original’ complaint was that there was no ‘written offer’ for any of the source code for Iris products or the OS itself (if I recall correctly).
None of the items that are in Iris are, or ever were proprietary. There are ALL open-source programs & apps. The only difference in them is that the compiled Iris content was optimized & tailored to run efficiently with Desktop/LX. Without the source code and scripts, current users are unable to update content on their own.
When the issue came up, its quite possible that Mr. Bayne’s only motivation was to help bring this matter into compliance with the GPL. He publicly stated that he’s NOT using any of the former code for his own purposes and has no intention to.
Mandriva as once again is name pulled tru the mud for something they have little control over
Mandriva had no control over it? Are you implying that a company such as Mandriva ‘purchased’ assets from Lycoris WITHOUT ever seeing source code or other items of interest?
Mandriva sold, yes ‘sold’ the final version of Desktop/LX (Desktop/LX Gold) exclusively through their own on-line store.
It think its impossible that they did this blindly.
User: Where’s the source code?
Mandriva/Lycoris: Ummm… my dog ate it.
User: Really?
Mandriva/Lycoris: That’s our story & we’re sticking to it.
“Mandriva had no control over it? Are you implying that a company such as Mandriva ‘purchased’ assets from Lycoris WITHOUT ever seeing source code or other items of interest?”
Yes.
“Mandriva sold, yes ‘sold’ the final version of Desktop/LX (Desktop/LX Gold) exclusively through their own on-line store.
It think its impossible that they did this blindly.”
Why? It would hardly be economically worth rebuilding the entire product from code, reduplicating it and paying for a whole new bunch of boxes etc to be made when 2006 was just around the corner. What we sold on the website were the boxed copies Lycoris had left over. No need for us to have the source to do that. And we didn’t.
The code is in jcheek’s possession. As I understand it it’s either in storage in the U.S. or already in the process of being shipped to Paris, where Joe is moving. No-one’s dog ate it, but neither Joe nor anyone else at Mandriva has access to it in either case.
Anonymous,
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/8291
Mandriva will do the right thing , the code will be availaible because they will have opened it up. Because thats what they always do :
Mandriva code that they own or make is always GPL.
I whont dignify you story inventing by a point by point answer.
AdamW, your comments indicate that perhaps Mandriva wasn’t in control of a product that was sold ONLY on the Mandriva web site. A product that “should” have been under Mandriva’s control, since Desktop/LX Gold was clearly announced in July 05, well after Lycoris was acquired by Mandriva per the official announcement on 15Jun05.
I always felt Mandriva, even when they were Mandrakesoft, was exceptional and set the standard for other to follow when it came to complying with the GPL. But they seem to be stalling and not wanting to adress the current issue at hand.
“What we sold on the website were the boxed copies Lycoris had left over. No need for us to have the source to do that. And we didn’t.”
Once again, Desktop/LX Gold was announced well after Lycoris was acquired by Mandriva. What this eludes to is that Mandriva ‘distributed’ a product that did NOT comply with the terms specified by the GNU GPL. This does not sound like a reputation that anyone would want to hang on their wall, does it?
Furthermore, as stated in an erlier post both here and by the originator of this matter, there was never ANY written offer, as specified by the GPL for source code for Lycoris Desktop/LX, Iris (On-Line, or the Iris 350 CD).
“The code is in jcheek’s possession. As I understand it it’s either in storage in the U.S. or already in the process of being shipped to Paris, where Joe is moving. No-one’s dog ate it, but neither Joe nor anyone else at Mandriva has access to it in either case.”
AdamW, I’m all for waiting for the source. I have never had any issue with waiting the three months that Joseph said he needed. In fact, I know Joseph Cheek and , and I never had any doubt that he’ll make good on everything he said he would. I always thought this was just an unfortunate oversight that was discovered at the wrong time (with Joseph’s stuff in storage due to an international move).
AdamW, your comments have me with the impression that you are somewhat high on the Mandriva hierarchy; especially since you stated “we” when talking about Mandriva. Could you provide a little clarification on this?
If Joe Cheek is so protective of the source code for a now-defunct product that he won’t even comply with the law and release it (he’s been asked for this code for over a year now), then the question we should really be asking is, what is he hiding?
I wouldn’t put it past Joe Cheek to have stolen bits and pieces of proprietary code and violated many licensing agreements with distributable software in the making of his product. It was the way he operated.
It can´t be possible that only Joe Cheek and nobody else but him have access to that damn source code. What if the janitor working at the Lycoris HQ accidentally stepped on the server with the only copy, dropping it on the floor? 🙂
Honestly, I can´t believe that nobody else could access it. And there is also this fact that people on the community have been asking the source code of the apps for ages without answer. If it is true that people haven´t even received an written offer to get the source code, than it is worse than they paint it to be.
Even if that Rus guy were being a crook trying to leverage other people hard work; well, he is entitled to do it legally as per the GPL terms. So what? What could be possibly holding the proper release of this code? And please, don´t regurgitate that “it must be on its way” line… It´s crap!
However, I do think that Mandriva does not have anything to do with this mess. Seems like they were just caught in the middle of the fire and they already steeped up and told that they will release whatever there is to release to comply with the GPL. Seems more like Joe just messed up and is trying to gain time to know what to do.
What´s the position of the FSF about this?
DeadFish Man