Python programs always open source?

[sjdevnull at yahoo.com]

Guy Fawkes wrote:
> I was wondering if Python programs always need to include the source code
> with the program itself. I'm asking this because I don't want my program to
> be open-source and so far all the Python programs I've seen included the
> source code.

You can include the source code but still not be open source; it's not
unusual for python programs to have licenses prohibiting the
modification or redistribution of the source code.

> Is it possible to make an executable with only bytecode?

You can import and use the .pyc files with a few caveats.  They're
pretty trivial to disassemble though, so it's rarely worth it; just
make clear what's allowed (and what's not allowed) in your license.