[FooBarWidget]

Because it's far easier for a manager to say "no" than to say "yes". By not releasing code, he's running less risk than by releasing code. There might be a chance that he missed something and violated copyright somewhere, accidentally leaked some company secret, or accidentally gave competitors an advantage. Saying "no" is the easier choice.

[nightpool]

In case you missed it, there aren't any managers at Valve... http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3871463 http://www.valvesoftware.com/company/Valve_Handbook_LowRes.p...