Open source

What’s open source, and what isn’t.

The shell, installer and tools of the Kilne OS desktop are open source. One component, the runtime, is not, and we explain it here.

What’s open

• The desktop distribution files are licensed under Apache-2.0.
• The shell is licensed Apache-2.0 or MIT.
• The source repository opens at launch. This page links it the day it does.

The one proprietary part: the Kilne runtime

The runtime is the engine that runs your web apps. It’s a proprietary, prebuilt binary from Splenta Inc.. It’s free to use, and you accept its End User License Agreement during install. You don’t need its source to build or use Kilne.

The full license text will be linked here once it’s final.

Kilne Mobile

Kilne Mobile is not open source. The desktop is. We’d rather say that plainly than let one sentence cover both.

Built on other open-source work

Debian, labwc and wlroots, Chromium, React, Vite and Tailwind, and the Geist and Inter fonts, among others. See Legal for notices.