If I am remembering correctly, it is a ifferent group of people, different company (albeit from the same country). Boonex came on the scene when it purchased the Barracuda script from AE. It was a free offering from AE, and when Boonex took it over, they initially charged a licence fee for it.

Eventually, they purchased the AE dating script, and changed its name to Dolphin. Shortly after, Boonex made the daring and innovative move to open-source.

I was one of those who paid for AE, and I see more was not dismayed at all. For me, at least, he change in attitude by the developers more than made up for any loss of exclusivity.