This discussion has been locked.
You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

Major Sandboxie News: Sandboxie is now a free tool with plans to transition it to an open source tool

Sophos is excited to announce that we are making Sandboxie a free tool, with plans to transition it to an open source tool.

This new evolution of Sandboxie is one we are enthusiastic about, but that does not mean this was an easy decision to make.  Sandboxie has never been a significant component of Sophos’ business, and we have been exploring options for its future for a while. 

Frankly, the easiest and least costly decision for Sophos would have been to simply end of life Sandboxie. However, we love the technology too much to see it fade away.  More importantly, we love the Sandboxie community too much to do that. The Sandboxie user base represents some of the most passionate, forward thinking, and knowledgeable members of the security community and we didn’t want to let you down.

After thoughtful consideration we decided that the best way to keep Sandboxie going was to give it back to its users – transitioning it to an open source tool.  We will release more information about the open source project as we continue to work on the details.

Until the open source transition is completed we have decided to make Sandboxie completely free.  We have included a FAQ below with more information. We will continue to update this post as additional details become available. 

 

Sandboxie FAQ

 

How do I get a free license?  What features are included?

Sandboxie currently uses a license key to activate and grant access to premium features only available to paid customers (as opposed to those using a free version).  We have modified the code and have released an updated free version that does not restrict any features.  In other words, the new free license will have access to all the features previously only available to paid customers.

 

What if I have time left on my current Sandboxie license?

Regardless of how much time might be left on your existing Sandboxie license, in order to receive the latest updates customers with currently valid license keys will also need to install the latest unrestricted free version .  This will ensure you have access to all Sandboxie features and are using the most up-to-date version of the product.

 

What if I currently do not have a Sandboxie license?

Simply download the unrestricted, free version. No current or previous license is required.

 

When will Sandboxie be released as open source?

We are investigating making Sandboxie open source, however we are still working through the details and timeline. We will update this FAQ when we know more.

 

What license agreement will apply to my existing, paid licenses?  Will the same agreement apply to the unrestricted, free version that will be made available?

The license agreement under which you originally obtained the paid licenses to Sandboxie will continue to apply to those paid licenses until the expiration of the applicable license term.   A new license agreement will apply to licenses of the new unrestricted, free version of Sandboxie made available for download. 

An update EULA can be found here: https://www.sandboxie.com/EndUserLicenseAgreement

 

Will customer support still be available?

As part of our transition to a free and potentially open source product, Sandboxie support will become community based.  The community will include developers directly involved with Sandboxie.




[locked by: Akhilesh@Sophos at 9:23 PM (GMT -7) on 24 Mar 2020]
Parents
  • I first found out about Sandboxie from a member thru another computer forum. I purchased a lifetime membership right from the start. This was many years ago. Sandboxie has always been a part of my layered computer security against intrusions. The news of the decision to make Sandboxie "open source" is disappointing. My lifetime license isn't the main reason but it still stings. Tzuk created a masterpiece software program for internet safety. I understand that he decided to move on for one or many reasons. He may have grown tired of the maintenance or he was made an offer he couldn't refuse. Either way Sandboxie ended up under the Sophos umbrella. To see them write that Sandboxie was never a big part of their business is disconcerting. Why would you make the business decision to by the program and NOT CONTINUE to develop it and support it. It's like Sandboxie was a competitor to Sophos. Sophos saw the chance to buy and eliminate it so they did just that.

    I have read most of the comments especially the ones with all the praise for open sourcing. My concern is with the open source geniuses that will be modifying the Sandboxie code. I'm not implying they aren't competent. My concern is will they collaborate with each other to create a common update or advancement in the program. Or, will this all be done on an individual basis for only their needs? I'm not a code developer but I have to believe it takes time. I can't imagine these people working their full time jobs then coming home and after dinner sit down to write new Sandboxie code. I poked around a bit with coding but I'm not a code developer and probably never will be. We can only hope for the best but I fear the quality control of Sanboxie, an excellent program, is gone.

    One other thing, Windows 10 Pro and up have a sandbox feature. It creates a virtual environment to test apps and programs without affecting your computer. It's located in Windows Features. Here is a FB video describing it:  Windows Sandbox Video

    Regards,

    Terry

    "Every new day is a fresh start!"

  • Terry Ritivoy said:

    One other thing, Windows 10 Pro and up have a sandbox feature. It creates a virtual environment to test apps and programs without affecting your computer. It's located in Windows Features. Here is a FB video describing it:  Windows Sandbox Video

    This is in no way comparable to how sandboxie works, its no replacement for sandboxie.

    It just has a similar name but under the hood its a completely different approach.

     

    > Why would you make the business decision to by the program and NOT CONTINUE to develop it and support it.

    Well they bought the company owning Sandboxie for its other assets, Sandboxie was just along for the ride.

     

    > I can't imagine these people working their full time jobs then coming home and after dinner sit down to write new Sandboxie code.

    Well than you should look on some of my projects on github https://github.com/DavidXanatos I make such tools in my spare time on weekends and so on.

     

    Not everyone gets satisfaction from socializing with other people doing meaningless repetitive rituals in stinky places full of smoke loud music and other unpleasantness.

    People like me prefer to do something meaningful and unique in their free time.

     

Reply
  • Terry Ritivoy said:

    One other thing, Windows 10 Pro and up have a sandbox feature. It creates a virtual environment to test apps and programs without affecting your computer. It's located in Windows Features. Here is a FB video describing it:  Windows Sandbox Video

    This is in no way comparable to how sandboxie works, its no replacement for sandboxie.

    It just has a similar name but under the hood its a completely different approach.

     

    > Why would you make the business decision to by the program and NOT CONTINUE to develop it and support it.

    Well they bought the company owning Sandboxie for its other assets, Sandboxie was just along for the ride.

     

    > I can't imagine these people working their full time jobs then coming home and after dinner sit down to write new Sandboxie code.

    Well than you should look on some of my projects on github https://github.com/DavidXanatos I make such tools in my spare time on weekends and so on.

     

    Not everyone gets satisfaction from socializing with other people doing meaningless repetitive rituals in stinky places full of smoke loud music and other unpleasantness.

    People like me prefer to do something meaningful and unique in their free time.

     

Children
No Data