# Why FluentCleaner Classic is not open source - yet

FluentCleaner Classic is free to use, but its source code is not public right now. That is a deliberate choice and not a contradiction.

The modern WinUI version of FluentCleaner is open source. `FluentCleaner.Core` is open source too, including the shared parser, models and common infrastructure used by both editions. Classic's runtime localization files are also public, so anyone can inspect, improve or add a translation without recompiling the app.

That provides transparency where it matters while giving Classic room to grow on its own terms.

## Classic is my playground

Classic started as a small side project and quickly became something close to my heart. It is where I can try ideas without turning every experiment into a public roadmap, a debate or a promise.

Keeping it closed for now gives me:

- freedom to change direction without breaking expectations
- less pressure to explain unfinished work
- more time for building and less time managing contributions
- full control over quality, identity and official releases
- space to experiment before an idea is ready for the modern edition

Classic may occasionally move ahead of Modern with new features. The best ideas can later make their way into the open-source edition once they have proven themselves. In that sense, Classic is both a finished product and a creative lab.

## Open source is more than uploading code

Publishing a codebase also means reviewing contributions, supporting forks, handling unsafe modifications and dealing with builds that may still carry the FluentCleaner name. For a one-person project, that responsibility can easily consume the time and energy that would otherwise go into the product itself.

There is also a practical reality in the current AI era: public repositories can be copied, repackaged, impersonated or absorbed into commercial training pipelines with little context or respect for the original work. Classic is not an AI-generated app assembled from prompts. Its direction, design decisions and final implementation are deliberately curated by one developer. I want it to develop a clear identity before deciding how much of it should be opened.

This is not a rejection of open source. Modern and Core already demonstrate that. It is simply a different choice for a different edition.

## What transparency looks like here

- The shared `FluentCleaner.Core` code is public.
- The modern FluentCleaner application is public.
- Classic translations and their metadata are public and community-editable.
- Classic has no advertising, telemetry or hidden background services.
- Official builds are published through the FluentCleaner GitHub releases.

The Classic UI and its edition-specific source remain private for now.

## What happens next?

No permanent decision has been made. Classic may become open source later, parts of it may be shared gradually, or it may continue as a closely maintained companion to the open modern edition.

Time, and the direction the project takes, will decide
For now, keeping Classic private gives me less pressure, more creative freedom and the chance to build something distinctive before the world starts making copies of it.

**Closed today does not mean closed forever. It means Classic gets the space to become itself first.**
