Since the start. Forget working with them, it's a rough go to even try and communicate with them.
And that goes back to mailing list days, creating a personal grudge against Gnome so firm that I haven't used it since the early 2000s.
Thankfully there's KDE for my general use and a wide variety of lightweight options for other uses.
Tool libraries are libraries, not rentals.
So no, they aren't saying renting is the same thing as a library. They are saying libraries offering more services are a great way for you to save money by not buying a tool you only need once or for a day here and there over the years.