Microsoft Shared Source -- With a Twist

chill writes "Microsoft is now willing to share all the source code to WinCE that they don't license from others. This includes the rights to alter the code and sell the altered code! Of course, they want copies of the changes, but the program is FREE." There's another story at Windowsfordevices.com.

Comments

You know

[fizban]

It's April 10.

Microsoft, like usual, probably made a calculation error in their proprietary calculator software, shifted the digits and thought it was April 1.

Notice: it's just the non-Microsoft parts

[YetAnotherName]

Maybe I'm just trolling, but how much of Windows CE is non-Microsoft? 50%? 90%? Wouldn't it be nice if it pretty much boiled down to something like this in every file:

#include "ms.h"

And ms.h was just:

/* Copyright 1995-2003 by Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. */

Heck, we might find it that most of it came largely from FreeBSD, or something.

Profit

[psyconaut]

1. Get Windows CE source from Microsoft -- FREE
2. Write new code, contribute it back to Microsoft (containing many, many destructive bugs)
3. Microsoft distribute code, many WIndows CE machines crash
4. We offer to fix bugs, for a fee
5. PROFIT! :-)

Re:Profit

[Lxy]

Write new code, contribute it back to Microsoft (containing many, many destructive bugs)

Now that's a feat to behold.. sending code back to Microsoft in worse condition than when you recieved it!

Is anybody actually happy?

[goldcd]

MS releases their entire source to an OS - and you whine about it even more?

Re:Hmmm...

[Anonymous Coward]

This reminds me of the release of Windows 95. Microsoft proudly proclaimed that this release eliminated the dreaded Unrecoverable Application Error. Sure they did. They renamed it General Protection Fault (or maybe it was the other way around).

I use multiple Pocket PC and Windows CE devices and have never had a crash on any of them yet. They don't blue screen either for your information.

Yeah, its now the "mauve screen of death".

Re:...from others....

[DrPascal]

Actually ... it'd be more like:

#include "stdafx.h"

CDC dc;
CBrush blueBrush(RGB(0,0,255));
CBrush whiteBrush(RGB(255,255,255));
dc.CreateCompatible DC(NULL);
CBrush *oldbrush = dc.SelectObject(&blueBrush);

while(TRUE)
{ // Undocumented Win32 GDI function
dc.FillEntireGoddamnScreen(&blueBrush); // Undocumented Win32 GDI function
dc.MakeUpAndDrawScreenDump(&whiteBrush); // Used in core kernel RING0 code only
MakeHardDriveLightFlash();
}

Re:Good thing?

[CoolVibe]

No, it's just Microsoft reinventing open source all over again. Maybe in the distant future you'll see MS twisting itself in so much turns, it'll eventally settle at some BSD-like license.

(oh well.. a man can dream, can't he?)

Holy Temperature Change, Batman!

[E-Rock-23]

Do you meant to tell me that Hell has finally frozen over? Now I don't feel so bad about going there when I die...

I still have reservations about this, even after reading this particular blurb. But it is a step in the right direction. Can't believe I'm saying this, but Kudos to Microsoft.

Blueprints?

[jaavaaguru]

From the article: ...the company is allowing the blueprints to its software...

We don't want the design notes - we want the source code!!!

Re:Good thing?

[Thing 1]

they're hoping to use 'free labor' to submit bug fixes :)

And combine that with their stated "We won't use your code for 6 months" and ... If you find an exploit, and submit a bug fix for it, you can cheerfully go on abusing the exploit for another half a year!

Viral

[Florian Weimer]

Quote from the first article:

But if it is altered to work particularly in one device, with "value-added engineering," the modifier retains ownership of the changed portions, although it must sublicense a copy to Microsoft.

Hey, that's as viral as the GPL! We're almost winning!