[PearPC] easier to use." In response to the article, MXS stated that the edition tested by Wired had been a "very bad...premature version" that "is not CherryOS," and that one of the CherryOS programmers had since been fired for directly grafting elements of PearPC code into the release. A competing emulator, PearPC been released the year before under the GNU General Public License, which allows commercial products to use the software for profit under "certain conditions, such as acknowledging previous work." Kryeziu stated PearPC had provided the inspiration for CherryOS, but "not the work, not the architecture. With their architecture I'd never get the speed I got." He argued that some similarities between CherryOS and PearPC were a result of "the fact that they were designed to perform similar functions," and that "there are some functionalities that can only be done a certain way, and names are going to be similar or identical." Wired senior editor Leander Kahney posited that if the final CherryOS release did contain PearPC code, PearPC would be unlikely to sue Maui X-Stream for "a cut of any profits since open-source codes are protected more by an honor system than any legal basis." By October 22, Kryeziu stated to Wired that he'd been contacted by Apple Computer for an undisclosed reason that "wasn't bad." CherryOS 1.0 release After a delay, CherryOS 1.0 was released in its final form on March 8, 2005. Maui-X Stream initially offered a free copy for evaluation on its website, with 14 boot allowances and five free days per copy. According to MXS president Jim Kartes, within the first few days the free version was downloaded 100,000 times. Stated Kartes to the Mac Observer on March 8, 2005, "there has been a lot of misinformation about this product... I think we have proven those skeptics wrong." Initial reports of certain computers encountering slow speeds and glitches were explained by MXS as "expected," as "it's got bugs. That is why we're offering a free trial download. If it doesn't work, they shouldn't buy it.... we will use the testing of consumers to improve its stability and performance." Kartes extrapolated that after development, somewhere between "60% and 70% of all PC owners" would be able to use the CherryOS product. MXS announced plans to market CherryOS throughout the summer of 2005, but withheld specifics on when it would be released for sale. BetaNews.com reviewed