crouse
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 Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2024 10:16 pm Post subject: Jason Spisak of Lycoris |
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November 23 2024
Jason Spisak of Lycoris
USALUG: What is your name? How are you a part of the Open Source Community?(recently and past)
Jason Spisak: Jason Spisak. I have contributed to many open source projects, in small ways for the last 5 years. For example, the graphic on the left hand side of KDE3's krfb server 'Desktop Sharing' application was created by me because the maintainer needed something there. I also was very active in the Zope (http://www.zope.org) community and helped them test their early versions of the Zope server as well as give back some tutorials and answered mailinglist questions, like so many open source advocates. Zope is going to COMDEX, by the way! Very happy about that. I also wrote up a short article for LTSP on how to build a fanless PC a while back. In short, the past has lead me to my most recent addiction, um, job. Working for Lycoris, bringing Linux into the mainstream on the desktop.
USALUG: How are you involved with the Lycoris distribution of Linux?
Jason Spisak: I am a co-counder of Lycoris and am responsible for the branding. That means everything from the t-shirts and press, to the icons goes through me.
USALUG: What is Lycoris's main market aimed at? Why?
Jason Spisak: The mainstream desktop market. Anyone using Windows 95, 98, NT, 2024 or XP.
USALUG: Does Lycoris run under the GPL license?
Jason Spisak: No, but portions of the work inside the operating system are. Just like Apple's OSX has a Darwin, an open licensed core, Desktop/LX runs on Linux and the GNU tools. We've also created many tools from scratch, such as the Network Browser and My Linux System. While not GPL licensed, the source is freely available, and open. It's being used by a few projects I believe. Just like Real Networks has a license for their Helix player that isn't GPL, but open none the less, Lycoris enjoys giving those things to the community.
USALUG: What is your view on the Open Source Community and the Free Software Foundation?
Jason Spisak: The Open Source community is a vibrant place. Lycoris sprang from same vibrance. We have a profound respect for the FSF and the uphill battle they fight for open systems. That is one of the reasons we chose Linux as the basis for the OS and not a proprietary core. We believe thetime of the closed, proprietary document formats, and OS core are a relic of the past.
USALUG: I looked on your website, and tried to download a version of Lycoris. I looked and looked, but I have to pay fifty dollars to buy it. All major distributions of Linux are offered in media form, and sold for a price to support the community. Until recently, all or nearly all of these distributions also offered a free downloadable version. Before Red Hat halted on the production of Red Hat Linux it was selling and providing free versions of its distribution. With many questions, I shall attempt to make them few, What makes Lycoris a product that people are going to pay for rather than download a free distribution?
Jason Spisak: Actually you are incorrect. You cannot download Suse, Lindows, Xandros for free and there are probably a few others. But beyond that, Lycoris is not a Linux distribution. Desktop/LX is a desktop operating system. We have created a cohesive whole out of many parts. We mind the dependencies, trimmed down the application set, simplified the interface. Lycoris has put a lot of work into making a viable desktop product that an average, non-techincal user can sit down with and be productive right away. That's what people pay Lycoris for. To make sure everything works. To not have to worry about downloading and compiling. To not have to use the CLI. To not have to worry about library revisions. Lycoris is available for the non-technical user. Essentially, the non-Linux user.
USALUG: Do you still consider Lycoris an Open Source operating system?
Jason Spisak: Yes. The source is open. Period. The icons are not GPL, nor are other graphics and branding. That is how we distinguish our product in the marketplace. But the source, especially the changes we've made to GPL programs, is all available and open. We've submitted over 2500 patches back to the KDE project.
USALUG: The main thing that makes the Open Source community so successful is the input from the user and the fact that they can change it at will. Putting a price tag and sealing the box closed on Lycoris do you feel that the quality and stability of Lycoris is perhaps at risk? Why?
Jason Spisak: Actually the quality of the operating system is increased by limiting the input process on the code level. That's the difference between a small project and an operating system. The OS actually has to manage 1000's of smaller projects working together to give a pleasant user experience. The open source world is great at making stand alone software, but there is very little cross-compatibility testing. For example, the creators of a given CD burning software don't check to see if their GPL program breaks the automounter for external media drives. If it works for them, it's fine. You can't get away with that in an operating system like Desktop/LX. Lycoris manages all the interoperability between the many GPL programs that break each other, or do not coexist well. Lycoris makes it a coherent whole, and a joy to use. That's no easy job.
USALUG: Was the initial goal of Lyoris to bring in revenue? The majority of Linux users know that Linux is an Operating System known for its freedom through its code and financially. Those companies that go into business with Linux and have expectations of cashing in rarely do. Do you feel that you as a company can survive with the steep competition of your _free_ competetors?
Jason Spisak: There is no 'cashing in' on what is free. That's impossible. It was never our intention to simply resell free software. Lycoris adds value to free software, we simplify it, add capabilities in the form of licensing for MP3 playback for example, we support it and we market it well. All of these things take time, effort, and are worth paying for by the average user who is unfamiliar with Linux, compliers and just wants to get their work done.
USALUG: Lastly, If Lycoris is a "Closed Source" company and no longer takes input from individuals other then their own, what makes your company different than the tyrant of Microsoft?
Jason Spisak: Wow. That's a pretty loaded question. Lycoris takes an amazing amount of input from outside sources. We are always soliciting ideas from customers, and even non-customers. When you stop learning, you stop growing. Lycoris has lot of learning to do. Just this week, we learned that our uses see the importance of a downloadable source ISO image as important. So we're taking the extra time to make it available. For free. This week there was a thread on our forum entitled "If I ran Lycoris I would...". That's an incredible amount of open dialog for a company to have with it's community. We openly acknowledge that there are things we can learn in the open for all to see. Can you imagine what Microsoft would do to a thread like that on their company forum? probably never let it see the light of day. Lycoris is a very different company. We've promoted members of the community into employees. We wish we had more money to do just that actually. Community members are always asking for new software titles, and just this week we released Solitaire Ace in direct response to a community request. Lycoris represents a healthy balance between community responsibility, openess, and profitable enterprise in a competitive world. It's not easy to do, and we certainly welcome feeback.
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