but louisd'or was never launched, why?
While we don't presume to speak for crypto_zoidberg, we can speculate on numerous reasons why he chose not to launch it as a separate project.
First: Our understanding (from researching early BBR and LD threads) is that it was originally going to be a separate project, then at some point the repository was changed to private. From there it most likely became a testbed where cz and co have been actively working on it since his hiatus from BBR. Upon his return to the thread he stated he would be merging the work he's done into the BBR codebase.
My work is related to BBR codebase, which means that everything i do now gonna be migrated to BBR.
Unless proven otherwise we can assume his "related work" is the concepts from the LD project.
Second: Launching a currency project and successfully building a lasting community around it is no small feat. BBR is already listed on the two major altcoin exchanges and already has name recognition within the crypto community. In todays world, without major distribution on these exchanges a project is basically dead in the water. Even more so given Poloniex's currency controls that have a large amount of BTC trapped on the exchange.
Third: There are early Dash, XMR and Shadow whales who've taken up positions in this project. In our view, it can bridge a gap between the three by offering something that appeals to all communities. If LD were launched as a separate project it would alienate the investors who've been holding and supporting the project since its inception.