Hello,
LiberKey is a legal product which becomes more and more popular everywhere through constant innovation and improvement.
And this success has scared a competitor (John T. Haller from PortableApps) who does not hesitate to use permanent defamation.
In fact, at the beginning, there is an incident :
The email from John T. Haller to LiberKeyOn 7/04/2008, we received an email from J.T. Haller (portableapps.com) asking for an immediate halt to the distribution of PortableApps applications for breach of License (Reminder: This involved 14 programs issued from PortableApps among the 212 available at that time in the LiberKey 2.6).
Version 2.6 (which included for the very first time our new technology of software updating via Internet) was released in french AND, for the first time, in english.
The rather aggressive form of this demand was a shock because at no time did our work aimed to harm anyone. We thought instead that we were participating to a larger distribution of software, especially since PortableApps did not present a French version.
Let us be clear: What we do not dispute is that the removal (only to match the capacity of the USB keys at that time) of the directory "Other", which contains the sources, had been a mistake that we suddenly took conscience of.
However, and conversely to J.T. Haller's assertion, at no time, we appropriated the work of PortableApps.
For each of the 14 PortableApps applications:
• original binary launcher was delivered unchanged
• help.html file (which refers to the Website PortableApps) was always present, without any modification
• a simple visit to the forum shows, without any ambiguity, this approach since we were putting links to the PortableApps Website (eg
notepad++).
What was our reaction to this email? Upon receipt of the email, the most appropriate response and consistent with our ethics has been to stop
immediately all LiberKey downloads.
We then developed our own solution of portabilization which was based on a technology totally different from what currently existed in this field.
Once finalized, we released the LiberKey 3.0 and reactivated the download area.
As we had immediately reacted to his request, we were very surprised to observe J.T. Haller's reaction.
J.T. Haller's started a disinformation compaign.It begins with the legality of LiberKey.
The assertions are violent and J.T. Haller starts with an "It's an illegal package". The tone is set. Everyone has seen the development of an orchestrated campaign to undermine the LiberKey. With the help of "copy and paste", without any contact with the LiberKey team to seek clarification on certain points, any Mr Smith posted in comments of articles about the LiberKey, attacks the more virulent than the other.
Based on the keywords "GPL violation", "Illegal" (and we know the impact of such a word), the LiberKey team was denounced as "a bunch of crooks".
One even saw Web "journalists" relaying these accusations without even taking the trouble to contact us ("LiberKey does not answer" seems to be a useful excuse, in fact only one has taken the time to contact us).
These messages had immediate impact: the articles concerning LiberKey were removed and when left, they badly deteriorated our image.
But let us go back to J.T. Haller. Curiously, a few days after posting his claims on his website, the original post has changed. It shows the same date and same time (!?), but obviously advisers have convinced J.T. Haller to calm down. The article becomes "Avoid LiberKey" and one can now read series of "it looks like", "apparently" and "probably". We have archived many of these manipulations, but it would be tedious and unnecessary to list them all here.
In what capacity J.T. Haller has the right to use these classic tricks of the legal propaganda to disseminate the worst horrors concerning the LiberKey?
Who is he to do such things? He has absolutely no mandate from editors whose software are present in LiberKey. They hold copyright and only them have the right to debate of legality when it comes to the use of their product.
As mentioned in our License, we ask authorization to authors when it is requested. Our ethics is established and our direct relationship with the holders of copyright is clear. Our forums illustrate that point.
We were much more surprised when some authors / editors alerted us about anonymous emails they had received about our project. It was a compilation of all allegations from J. T. Haller with often a conclusion: "Boycott them!".
It is important to add that our relations with editors are independent from the type of license. It can be GPL, freeware or others. Every week we receive several requests to add application to LiberKey. It comes from users but often directly from editors with GPL or other licenses.
But it wasn’t enough for J.T Haller. After defamation on legal aspect, he pursued but on a technical aspect .
On the functionalities of LiberKeyIn his posts (forum PortableApps), the "features" of LiberKey are ridiculed. Is it based on an analysis of LiberKey, after installing it? Obviously, not.
For example, J.T. Haller lies when he says that our file association system KeyFilesAssoc is nothing but the CAFE software ("made by others" as he says). A simple installation of the LiberKey would have shown him that our product has nothing to do with the software he mentioned.
To assess technically a product without even having installed and tested it is puzzling.
We really don’t have time to list all these kind of allegations, they are too numerous.
He claims we have done nothing.
But the LiberKey Portabilizer, LiberKey Creator, LiberKey Version Checker, LiberKey KeyFileAssoc, LiberKey Installer, LiberKey Uninstaller, LiberKey Apps Closer, LiberKey Portable Desktop Shortcut, LiberKey Config and much more..., where do they come from?
We can only notice that, in fact, our innovations in the portable field are now followed by portableapps.
Two years ago, we provided a live updater which works.
Considering downloads and updates, we have been serving over 150 millions applications with our own servers (without counting downloads from other sources). Despite PortableApps efforts to halt the LiberKey progression, it seems that users are making their choice.
ConclusionAn honest discussion is acceptable but a smear campaign is not.
John T. Haller, as the leader of PortableApps, is responsible for this shameful campaign.
Repeating the same lies should force us to make systematic responses on each forum. To answer each of these repetitive allegations would be a huge waste of time.
Our goal is to improve our solution for users and not to waste such valuable time.
The LiberKey Project