Importance

February 13, 2004

Good News - MS Windows Source Code Leaked

Ed Felten on his Freedom to Tinker blog breaks some incredibly good news - Windows 2000 and Windows NT4 source code has been leaked on the internet (Windows Source Code Leaked?). Microsoft has apparently confirmed the leak, according to the AP wirestory on SecurityFocus.com (Microsoft source code leaked over Internet) Though Felten is rightfully worried that malware authors will have a field day, there are a number of positive developments that can occur because of this (in no particular order):


This is just a partial list, I am sure, of positive uses for the source code. Readers are kindly requested to submit more ideas.

There is also an interesting copyright question here. If I have a "license" for the executable version of MS Windows, is it a copyright violation for me to keep a backup copy of the source code? Am I violating copyright if I play with the source code at all?

Posted by Ernest at 5:03 AM
  Comments

Here's a couple:

  • Make the goddamn blue screen of death actually say something useful;
  • Fix all the damn bugs!
  • Posted by joe on February 13, 2004 03:59 PM | Permalink to Comment

    seems to me that all you communist open source idiots are happy that companies are being robbed left and right. I don't think we would all be cheering if the private specs for the new porcshe 911 were leaked and someone was coming up w/ ways to make your car blow up.

    chuck

    Posted by charlie on April 3, 2004 12:06 AM | Permalink to Comment

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