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Microsoft Source Follow-Up

shystershep writes "It's official. Microsoft admits that 'portions of the Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 source code were illegally made available on the Internet.' No more details, although it seems clear that it is only a portion of the code. Microsoft is, naturally, downplaying its impact, while everyone else is busy speculating about how serious this could get." A lot of you apparently haven't read yesterday's story. An investigation of the code is already underway.

1,090 comments

  1. Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The Winsock API is included in the leaked source that's something fantastic hahaha.

    1. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what does this mean? is this 'y2k' big?!

    2. Re:Winsock API Included. by diersing · · Score: 1, Redundant
      The Register is running this story.

      C&P for your convenience..

      Yesterday's Windows source code leak tracks back to long-term Microsoft partner Mainsoft, according to Betanews. An analysis of the code finds numerous references to Mainsoft's MainWin product, while a post-crash core dump file provides a possible smoking pistol pointing to a Linux machine likely to have been used by Mainsoft technology director Eyal Alaluf.

      Mainsoft tells the world that Mainsoft has unprecedented access to Microsoft Windows source code enabling the industry's highest level of Windows compliancy on Unix - quite.

      The company was one of two Unix-Windows interoperability specialists which had access to Windows source code under the WISE (Windows Interface Source Environment) programme, the other being Bristol. This three-cornered relationship and the circumstances which led Bristol to mount an antitrust suit against Microsoft are covered in possibly excessive detail here. But the rise of Linux and its growing perception by Microsoft as the threat means that almost four years on this old argument is acquiring renewed relevance.

      As regards yesterday's escape, the circumstantial evidence would point to it having been an everyday story of cockups among coding folk. Companies licensed to build products via access to Windows source code are going to be using Windows source code, and it seems inescapable that they are going to put this source code on machines in order to use it. Prior to Microsoft deciding that source code was so darned important and secret that it was going to make a big deal of letting people look at it and spin it up into a Linux countermeasure, source code was just stuff, and we very much doubt Mainsoft staff felt the need to don bunny suits and submit to strip-searches prior to working with it.

      You work with other people's source code because you have a need and a licence, and if you don't have a licence you don't work with it, because what you've used will show up in the products you build and you'll get fingered and sued. And if you are offered unlicensed access you're smart not to even look at it, because simply knowing how the stuff works compromises your ability to produce products independently, and renders you difficult/dangerous to employ in the relevant field.

      That is why source code tends not to leak - it is not because it's kept in a big safe, no matter what Microsoft's marketing people tell us to the contrary.

      Back at the partner with the source code licence, time passes, machines with the code on board change users, change owners, people lose track of where they put all the darn copies, what happened to the darn machines until... oops. It meets someone who knows what it is and they post it.

      If this supposition is even partially right then we presume that the someone in question is at least aware of the possibility that it might be possible to construct an audit trail based on where a particular PC went, and that they could therefore find themselves in some considerable trouble over the matter. But as far as the rest of us are concerned, it's important to hold onto the fact that this leak is only important because Microsoft claims its source code is hugely important secret sauce/coke formula.

      Whereas it's not really, it's just stuff, and not all of the stuff either. There's an outside chance it could give you information about how you could screw up the world's Windows installations, but the world's virus writers appear to be doing that splendidly without recourse to source access, and carrying on without such access is probably quicker than trying to benefit from it. Finally, this is very important: If you propose to continue working in the IT industry, and somebody offers y

    3. Re:Winsock API Included. by Chester+K · · Score: 5, Funny

      The Winsock API is included in the leaked source that's something fantastic hahaha.

      Even better, all of the rendering engine and interface code for Internet Explorer is in the leaked source.

      --

      NO CARRIER
    4. Re:Winsock API Included. by Copperhead · · Score: 5, Insightful

      So, can someone write a patch to make IE properly support PNGs?

      --
      Your reality is lies and balderdash and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever. - Baron Munchausen
    5. Re:Winsock API Included. by noisehole · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Clues to the source code's origin lie in a "core dump" file, which is left by the Linux operating system to record the memory a program is using when it crashes. Further investigation by BetaNews revealed the machine was likely used by Mainsoft's Director of Technology, Eyal Alaluf.

      right, betanews revealed it.. damnit. they could've at least credited me ;)
      bastards

    6. Re:Winsock API Included. by smileyj68 · · Score: 1

      Amen to that, brother. I'm sick and tired of having to use cludgy workarounds to make my alpha-masked images look good in IE.

    7. Re:Winsock API Included. by Dave_bsr · · Score: 3, Funny

      again, slashdot detective work finds the truth... g/j

      --


      Who is this Anonymous Coward character, how does he post so much, and why is he always such a whore?
    8. Re:Winsock API Included. by Short+Circuit · · Score: 1

      There's a kluge workaround? Do tell!

    9. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The real problem is now MS is going to say this is why they don't like the DOJ's penalities of making them release more code.

    10. Re:Winsock API Included. by JebusIsLord · · Score: 4, Interesting

      or equally important, make it anchor CSS images properly?

      --
      Jeremy
    11. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Anyone else notice that the GNU PNG library was in the root directory? it looked as if it were put there by mainsoft devs though. but it was funny to find richard stallmans name associated with windows source code

    12. Re:Winsock API Included. by bangular · · Score: 5, Interesting

      There is actually a lot of network related code in there. Microsoft while trying to downplay, it can't deny that 13 million lines have been released. It doesn't matter the total size of windows and whether this is 1% or 25%. The old addage is you can count on one mistake for every thousand lines of code. Look at programs that are just a few thousand lines of code that have exploits. I'd say at the very least, we are looking at 20 buffer overflows in the code. Obviously not every single one will be found, but you can count on a few. Espically since people will be looking mighty hard. With comments like "this may be off by -1, but I'm not sure", I think we are almost guarenteed some buffer overflows.

      This will also give the daring souls willing to look at it a chance to tell us if there is GPL code. Rumor is GNU style Makfiles (which isn't illegal) and parts of gnu autoconf (which I suspect is illegal, if they actually include it in the OS).

    13. Re:Winsock API Included. by Kremit · · Score: 4, Informative

      I've used the one available here a few times.

    14. Re:Winsock API Included. by AzrealAO · · Score: 5, Informative

      Rumor is GNU style Makfiles (which isn't illegal) and parts of gnu autoconf (which I suspect is illegal, if they actually include it in the OS).

      Of course there are. This source code leak came from a company who ports Windows software to Unix.

    15. Re:Winsock API Included. by TwinkieStix · · Score: 3, Interesting

      It is "kludgy", but not too bad. Check out this page for how to easily get alpha transparancies in your pages. Check out Dredg's Online Store for a real world example.

    16. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      pointing to a Linux machine likely to have been used by Mainsoft technology director Eyal Alaluf.

      Eyal Alaluf! http://www.mainsoft.com/images/exec_profiles/Eyal. jpg

    17. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Someone already wrote a patch.

    18. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's nothing, so is Solitaire... Think of the possibilities...

    19. Re:Winsock API Included. by October_30th · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You do realize that you're now, after viewing the Microsoft code, forever so tainted that you cannot legally work on any free software project without exposing yourself or your employer to a lawsuit?

      --
      The owls are not what they seem
    20. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


      his will also give the daring souls willing to look at it a chance to tell us if there is GPL code. Rumor is GNU style Makfiles (which isn't illegal) and parts of gnu autoconf (which I suspect is illegal, if they actually include it in the OS).

      I myself took a brief look at it. There are files in many directories called "gnumakefile", but they appear to have been automatically generated by some other tool... it's entirely likely that they were never even used. I recall seeing no autoconf stuff. There were some files in Internet Explorer's source for building it on Unix, but that isn't really news, IIRC.

    21. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about just using a different browser?

      Duh.

    22. Re:Winsock API Included. by br0ck · · Score: 5, Informative

      Mainsoft has released a short statement which sounds like an admission that the code did indeed come from them.

      Statement to the Media Regarding Microsoft Source Code Leak
      Mainsoft has been a Microsoft partner since 1994, when we first entered a source code licensing agreement with Microsoft. Mainsoft takes Microsoft's and all our customers' security matters seriously, and we recognize the gravity of the situation.

      We will cooperate fully with Microsoft and all authorities in their investigation

      We are unable to issue any further statement or answer questions until we have more information.

      From Mike Gullard, Chairman of the Board, Mainsoft Corporation

    23. Re:Winsock API Included. by PhraudulentOne · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah and a document that lists internal and external FTP servers (which are probably dead now) with such cryptic accounts as:

      username: South

      password: Park

      Seriously.

      --
      You create your own reality - Leave mine to me.
    24. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, condering that IE is based on NCSA Mosaic [according to Help->About], this isn't very newsworthy..... The rendering engine has been available for years!

    25. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why is there any interest in Windows source code? It's bad software and always has been. If you were to try to use it to write your own, you'd just be making more bad software. Granted, if you want to write bad software, then Microsoft's code will help.

      You want to write well, then make sure you read well written works.

    26. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      g/j.... what does that mean?? Global Justice??

    27. Re:Winsock API Included. by t0ny · · Score: 1
      That is why source code tends not to leak - it is not because it's kept in a big safe, no matter what Microsoft's marketing people tell us to the contrary.

      Source code tends not to leak? Since when? Im sure Debian, Valve, and others can attest to the falacy of that statement.

      Now, you can make whatever goofball claims you want regarding how MS regards their source code, but one thing is very true- it is, indisputably, THEIR source code, so if they dont want to share it with the world at large, such is their perogative. Some may not agree with their position, but they should, regardless, respect thier position.

      Finally, this is very important: If you propose to continue working in the IT industry, and somebody offers you a look at the source, just say no. Remember - if you learn too much about the internals of Microsoft products, you may find yourself unable to work for anybody except Microsoft. Yike

      That is, quite possibly, the dumbest statement Ive ever heard. Good thing the hack author works for something like The Register, and isnt burdened by things which could hinder a real journalist. Like the truth.

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    28. Re:Winsock API Included. by netsharc · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Someone probably can, but what are the chances Microsoft will take it? And since the source code isn't complete, you can't just re-compile IE and distribute your own version. :)

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    29. Re:Winsock API Included. by moonbender · · Score: 1
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    30. Re:Winsock API Included. by markxsd · · Score: 2, Funny

      Head for the hills Eyal. Wild Bill's in town and he's raising a posse to come and getya...

    31. Re:Winsock API Included. by Endive4Ever · · Score: 1

      Prior to Microsoft deciding that source code was so darned important and secret that it was going to make a big deal of letting people look at it and spin it up into a Linux countermeasure, source code was just stuff, and we very much doubt Mainsoft staff felt the need to don bunny suits and submit to strip-searches prior to working with it.

      That's bullshit revisionist history. A baldfaced attempt to say Microsoft is the sole 'evil closed source' entity.

      Many companies, for many years, have kept the source code to their products a trade secret. Remember, one of the big things Kevin Mitnick was prosecuted for was having a stolen copy of the Solaris source code.

      Yellow journalism, but then, it's The Register after all...

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    32. Re:Winsock API Included. by moonbender · · Score: 1

      Source code tends not to leak? Since when? Im sure Debian, Valve, and others can attest to the falacy of that statement.

      "Source code tends not to leak." is not equivalent to "Source code never leaks." The fact that it sometimes does doesn't invalidate the former statement. Considering how many software projects there are, hardly any source code is leaked, therefore it arguably tends not to leak, for the reasons stated in the article. Many people in the earlier Slashdot topic on this expressed their surprise that this was the first major code leak of any recent MS operating system, considering how many people had access to it.

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    33. Re:Winsock API Included. by cshark · · Score: 1

      It sounds like it's the whole win32 compatibility layer. I could be wrong, but doesn't this mean that reverse engineering Windows interfaces for Linux suddenly just became a whole lot easier?

      --

      This signature has Super Cow Powers

    34. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, but is enough code to make a dll and distribute that?

    35. Re:Winsock API Included. by FxChiP · · Score: 1

      Or even more important, just give it complete, nearly bug-free support for all of CSS so that you don't have to do little JavaScript hacks for mouse-overs?

    36. Re:Winsock API Included. by t0ny · · Score: 1

      Thus, by applying that logic, we can say that money tends not to get stolen: after all, the amount of money possessed far outweighs the amount of money stolen.

      --

      Manipulate the moderator system! Mod someone as "overrated" today.

    37. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Took you long enough. People on IRC were discussing Mainsoft at least 3 hours prior.

    38. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Internet Explorer 5.0 and MSHTML are in fact in the tree.

    39. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      IE 1 was based on Spyglass, the current rendering engine bears no resemblence to NCSA Mosaic at all.

    40. Re:Winsock API Included. by MegaFur · · Score: 5, Funny

      Microsoft tainted me a long time ago--as it did with all of us, merely by existing.
      Show me the source, Sam.

      --
      Furry cows moo and decompress.
    41. Re:Winsock API Included. by complexmath · · Score: 1

      Actually, IOCP under Windows is arguably the best multiplexing IO design out there. It trumps most high-end versions of poll that are so popular on the Uni*es. And while this is probably technically kernel code, it does have hooks in the Winsock API.

      How did such a snide comment ever get modded up to 5, anyway?

    42. Re:Winsock API Included. by Josh+Booth · · Score: 1

      Not really, because once the Wine developers see and use it, their entire project is tainted and Micro$oft can sue them to hell. However, it would be rather ironic if it contained source code from the Wine project itself.

    43. Re:Winsock API Included. by FxChiP · · Score: 1

      Dude, you REEK of ASTROTURF!

    44. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The crypto code is there too. Microsoft will have fun fixing this disaster.

    45. Re:Winsock API Included. by forlornhope · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Please correct me if Im wrong, but doesnt IE have plugin support so it can use an external plugin to load certain data types? Why hasnt someone made a png plugin to IE that fixes this. I mean CSS I can understand because it effects the entire page and Im sure IE wont let you have that much control, but png? that should be easy.

      But then again, that would make sense and this world has a way of doing the oposite of what makes sense.

      --
      "We Don't Need No Truthless Heros!" - Project 86
    46. Re:Winsock API Included. by LoadWB · · Score: 3, Funny

      Later statement will reveal that their Windows 2000 Server VPN fell victim to an exploit of the six-month old ASN.1 vulnerability, which their automatic update hadn't fixed yet. Ergo, Microsoft is responsible for the leak of their own source code :)

    47. Re:Winsock API Included. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's true. Money tends not to get stolen, so it's a big deal when it is.

    48. Re:Winsock API Included. by 24-bit+Voxel · · Score: 1

      If that is the case, perhaps the next president will see to it that the software industry gets regulated. This is long overdue in my opinion. I'm sure the insurance companies agree with me.

    49. Re:Winsock API Included. by Musashi+Miyamoto · · Score: 1

      Wouldn't it be awesome if the leak of the source code led to hundreds of unofficial "patches" that improve things within Windows? It would be hard to downplay open source if a large number of people started using the improved "open-source" versions of windows.

      IE could be released with all of the features that Mozilla has that it is missing.

    50. Re:Winsock API Included. by joto · · Score: 1

      Actually, it isn't so much revisionist history at all. Microsoft truly was one of the pioneers of closed source commercial software, back in the days when BASIC was their main product. On the other hand, there's little doubt that it would have happened anyway, and in the mean time, it has become the standard way of doing it.

    51. Re:Winsock API Included. by Tukla · · Score: 1
      I'm sure the insurance companies agree with me.

      And that's a good thing?

    52. Re:Winsock API Included. by Endive4Ever · · Score: 1

      Microsoft was one of the many small companies selling binary software packages to the early 'personal computer' enthusiasts. Not that much of it was 'open source' unless you're talking about the BASIC programs people ran using Microsoft's interpreter that everybody typed in from magazine articles, etc.

      CP/M certainly wasn't 'open source', nor were the commercial packages of the time, like WordStar, Electric Pencil, etc.

      You've watched that bit of falsehood that Bruce Perens did in 'Revolution OS' more than you should.

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      ---
    53. Re:Winsock API Included. by jaypatrick · · Score: 1

      all your source code is belong to us

      --
      what's a sig?
  2. source out on the open by Jotaigna · · Score: 2, Funny

    maybe open source developers get a chance to fix some bugs it may have ;)

    --
    "The quality of life is inversely proportional to the number of keys on your keyring."
    1. Re:source out on the open by dtfinch · · Score: 3, Informative

      Groklaw has warned that anyone who gains access to the Windows source, whether or not they actually read it, may legally impair their ability to make contributions to open source resembling anything that exists in Windows.

    2. Re:source out on the open by lord_nightrose · · Score: 0

      I believe they've already done that. Perhaps you've heard about it already? It was released (with hundreds of imrpovements) under the name "Linux".

      --
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    3. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, but the developers really screwed up the UI with that release.

    4. Re:source out on the open by AnonymousNoMore · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Thats a good point.

      1) Leak unimportant proprietary source and bait competing open source developers to download.
      2) Initiate legal action against "tainted" developers contributing to open source projects.
      3) Continue to PROFIT!!!

    5. Re:source out on the open by Frymaster · · Score: 5, Interesting
      access to the Windows source... may legally impair their ability to make contributions to open source resembling anything that exists in Windows.

      windows developers have had access to gpl'd source for well over a decade... but that hasn't legally impaired their ability to make their products.

      any legal action against opensource projects by microsoft relating to these leaks will still have to demonstrate that:

      1. the opensource code was copied from the leaked nt code
      2. the nt code wasn't boosted from opensource projects first
    6. Re:source out on the open by djh101010 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I mentioned that yesterday and was called some sort of IP alarmist. THIS IS SERIOUS - if you now or in the future contribute your own IP to the open-source world, don't look at Microsoft's source code. You won't learn anything useful, and more importantly, you need to be able to truthfully say "I've never seen it, and specifically and intentionally avoided getting a copy of it or looking at it".

      The odds of coming up with something vaguely similar to their stuff is high enough that it's not worth being accused of copying their work. The best defense against such an accusation is to have never seen their work.

      If I were a tinfoil-hat kind of person, I'd wonder if this isn't some sort of SCO-ish related thing.

    7. Re:source out on the open by QEDog · · Score: 5, Funny

      I want someone to change de Blue Screen of Death by a Red Screen that says "Switch to Linux!"

      --
      "There is no teacher but the enemy."-Mazer Rackham
    8. Re:source out on the open by Krunch · · Score: 5, Informative

      The link to the Groklaw's article is here.

      --
      No GNU has been Hurd during the making of this comment.
    9. Re:source out on the open by s4m7 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Billy in the land of the underpants gnomes:

      Step 1: 'accidentally' release windows source
      Step 2: Secretly hire unafiliated programmer to copy blocks of windows source to OSS projects (comments intact)
      Step 3: Sue IBM/RedHat/Novell into the ground
      Step 4: Profit!

      --
      This comment is fully compliant with RFC 527.
    10. Re:source out on the open by cr@ckwhore · · Score: 1

      Groklaw has warned that anyone who gains access to the Windows source, whether or not they actually read it, may legally impair their ability to make contributions to open source resembling anything that exists in Windows.

      Yeah, words can make a good threat ... except the counter-argument in court would only need to be 2 words long ... "prove it". Go ahead, prove that *I* have seen the source. Good luck with that. Code similarity is not proof. Case dismissed.

      --
      Skiers and Riders -- http://www.snowjournal.com
    11. Re:source out on the open by cybercuzco · · Score: 2, Insightful

      $5 says that this was an intentional leak on microsofts part. Its not the whole source, so theres no real danger to microsoft, but there is a significant danger to the open source community. Look at what SCO has been doing. How long before microsoft claims that some of its IP from the "leaked" code is in linux, and starts suing? Everyone in the OSS community needs to be super careful not to get tainted by looking at this code

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    12. Re:source out on the open by jruschme · · Score: 5, Insightful
      The Groklaw warning echoes thoughts I had as soon as I heard the comments on the radio about how a competitor could use MS's IP in a competing product. That said, the conspiracy theorist in me wonders if it's possible that Microsoft orchestrated the leak themselves in the hopes of polluting one or more Open Source products (e.g., Linux Kernel, Wine, etc.) and then later launching a series of SCO-style lawsuits. Think about it...
      1. Release portions of an older baseline which have already been fixed/replaced (to minimize the hacker potential), but are algorithmically distinctive enough to be recognized if they were used in another product.
      2. Wait for a well-meaning open source user to submit one of the pieces as a patch to the Linux kernel
      3. Scan new kernels for distictive algorithm. When found
      4. Launch expensive lawsuit at RedHat, Lindows, et al. Demand injunctions against distribution, damages, etc.
      Or maybe, I've just read too much SCO-IBM coverage here. --John
    13. Re:source out on the open by Alrescha · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "any legal action against opensource projects by microsoft relating to these leaks will still have to demonstrate that:

      1. the opensource code was copied from the leaked nt code
      2. the nt code wasn't boosted from opensource projects first"

      The defendant will have to prove that the code was boosted. Microsoft is under no obligation to try to prove a negative.

      A.

      --
      ...bringing you cynical quips since 1998
    14. Re:source out on the open by bark · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I remember reading that Steve Balmer and Bill Gates specifically FORBID any MS employees from reading / accessing GPL'ed code unless given express permission from somewhere high up.

      They had their "don't touch gpl" rule in place for quite a few years now. But they can access BSD licensed code and incorporate them freely.

      Just because they had access doesn't mean MS employees are out to break the law ...

      it works in reverse too. To microsoft, all this free linux code floating around on the net is a huge temptation for its employees to cut some corners and potentially land ms in big legal trouble ... sounds familiar to all these conspiracy theories floating around about the leaked win2k source, doesn't it?

    15. Re:source out on the open by LordK2002 · · Score: 1
      Groklaw has warned that anyone who gains access to the Windows source, whether or not they actually read it, may legally impair their ability to make contributions to open source resembling anything that exists in Windows.
      To be honest I think this warning is probably overstated, since in order to prove infringement by an open-source contributor, MSFT would have to prove:
      1. That the contributor accessed or had access to the leaked source.
      2. That the actual contributed code contains material that is copyrighted by MSFT
      IANAL but it would seem to me that simply saying "you saw the code and contributed this open-source feature that resembles ours, therefore you must have copied our code" would not hold a lot of water in a copyright-infringement case.

      Patent infringement is another matter of course, but then you can infringe patents whether or not you see the code so this would not appear to be of much relevance.

      K

    16. Re:source out on the open by j-turkey · · Score: 1
      Code similarity is not proof. Case dismissed.

      While you and I believe this, only time will tell whether or not the court system feels the same way (ala SCO).

      --

      -Turkey

    17. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is obvious that YANAL.

    18. Re:source out on the open by JudgeFurious · · Score: 2, Funny

      I always thought that being "out to break the law" was a requirement for employment at Microsoft. Obviously I was wrong.

      It must be just something you need if you want to move up into management.

      --
      Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
    19. Re:source out on the open by CowboyMeal · · Score: 1

      This would go to civil court, so no one would have to "prove" anything. The jury is supposed to make their decision based on the "preponderance of the evidence"

      --
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    20. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If this is the case, presumably anyone who has ever worked at Microsoft as a developer would be excluded from contributing to any open source project touching on similar ground. The generalization of that seems to be that anyone who has ever worked on a commercial piece of software should never work on an open source project that has any functional similarities.

      Sorry, but that's insane. Our inspiration comes from our experiences, and that's how we grow as individuals and a race. As Sir Isaac Newton once wrote, "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants".

    21. Re:source out on the open by jtrascap · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I like the way this guy thinks - and I think this too.

      Let's do some math..and since we're talking conspiracy theory here, we only need to use addition!

      * MS "kills off" the old OSs, but not enough corp users move
      * MS goes security nuts and publicizes ever patch. Let's not mention that some patches take 6 months to come...
      * Release the code through a "trusted partner" - MS supports lots of partners which, via programming, politics or press, support the beast in return.
      * Frightened CEOs scream - CIOs look at updating to XPee vs. training staff on Linux and OpenOffice. Looks ok, until...
      * Frightened CEO's PowerPoint presentation doesn't work right

      SOLUTION:
      * CEO - "Upgrade!"
      * MS = PROFIT!

      C'mon - add to the panic...It's Fun!

    22. Re:source out on the open by BigumD · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Five bucks huh. Really betting the company on this one, aren't you?

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      --The space between my ears was intentionally left blank--
    23. Re:source out on the open by nvrrobx · · Score: 4, Insightful

      While you are absolutely correct, he with the most money wins in the US court system.

      Microsoft will just sue you into oblivion, and when you run out of money, they'll have won.

    24. Re:source out on the open by aoteoroa · · Score: 2, Insightful

      windows developers have had access to gpl'd source for well over a decade... but that hasn't legally impaired their ability to make their products.

      The GPL allows you to read the source code, learn from it and incorporate ideas into your own proprietary code. What you may not do is copy GPL code into your project.

      GPL code is like a book in a library you can check it out read it, learn from it, but you may not copy a chapter republish it and try to make money off the original authour's work with out his consent.

    25. Re:source out on the open by Phragmen-Lindelof · · Score: 1

      If M$ is willing to spend lots of money on a questionable case, you would still need to find lots of money to defend yourself; you might go broke before you won the case. The fact that M$ might have a "reasonable" argument for IP theft could allow it to file suits against open source; the fact that M$ would probably lose might not matter very much.

    26. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "2. the nt code wasn't boosted from opensource projects first"

      Here's a thought, what if GPL'd code is found in the Microsoft source code?

      Might be more than a little embarrassing...

    27. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Step 3: Sue IBM/RedHat/Novell into the ground

      I think you meant -

      Step 3: Sue IBM/RedHat/Novell into the ground and destroy Linux.

    28. Re:source out on the open by SamSim · · Score: 2, Informative

      You can. The first part, at least.

    29. Re:source out on the open by passion · · Score: 1

      OK, so what if you were create a script that would download tons of open source projects, and then hand that to a non-technical friend who could also download the Windows source code. Then the script could search for patterns in the windows source that were lifted directly from GPL material without affecting anyone who might want to make future contributions to GPL projects.

      --
      - passion
    30. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Y ANAL? Y NOT?

    31. Re:source out on the open by operagost · · Score: 0, Redundant

      Even, no ESPECIALLY, in criminal court, the burden is on the prosecution to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. They present evidence and the defense attempts to refute it. If the prosecuting attorney walks in, points to the defendant and says, "He did it!" it won't mean a thing even if the defense does nothing.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    32. Re:source out on the open by zemkai · · Score: 1
      While you and I believe this, only time will tell whether or not the court system feels the same way (ala SCO).

      I guess I'm just old... didn't USL attempt this "viral" trick in the UCB case? The whole "if you've seen any Unix code you're contaminated" thing?

      -ZK

    33. Re:source out on the open by the_mad_poster · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Windows kernel gets the kernel GPL'd

      How can a site so full of OSS supporters have so many people so ignorant of how software licensing works? Yes, if they were found to be infringing the GPL they COULD GPL the whole kernel, but that would be stupid. They would just pay damages for infringement and remove the GPL code from future releases. This "viral licensing" bullshit is so idiotic, I can't understand how it got started. I blame SCO.

      --
      Alito: A vote for Alito is a punch in the eye to put that bitch back in her place!
    34. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      no, no, no. blame Microsoft! that "viral licensing" phrase comes from their press, I believe. They may be backpedaling on that real soon now!

    35. Re:source out on the open by spitzak · · Score: 1

      I remember reading that Steve Balmer and Bill Gates specifically FORBID any MS employees from reading / accessing GPL'ed code unless given express permission from somewhere high up.

      That's just publicity FUD. You can be pretty certain "permission" is very easy to obtain. They are not stupid and they know quite well that the GPL does not "contaminate" but they have to make this farce announcement so the PHB's don't realize they are full of shit.

    36. Re:source out on the open by SirTalon42 · · Score: 1

      They could improve WINE to the point that Win32 apps would run just as good as if they were on windows. Thats easy to do: 1.) Take AOL cd 2.) Take a hammer 3.) Smash repeatedly 4.) Smash more 5.) Burn No AOL user would notice the difference

    37. Re:source out on the open by j-turkey · · Score: 1
      whole "if you've seen any Unix code you're contaminated" thing?

      I'm not sure how it went down, but I'd believe it. Any company with an interest in developing "like" software has to take "clean-room" precautions or they're open to some sort of litigation. Win or lose, when it goes to court, a defendant usually hurts financially (unless there's an agreement otherwise).

      --

      -Turkey

    38. Re:source out on the open by BenBenBen · · Score: 1
      Go ahead, prove that *I* have seen the source.
      As Groklaw sort-of said, I suddenly realised that people have to be very careful as to what they admit in a lot of places now.. Imagine you are sued, and they produce a "Haha M$ suxx0r" post or one referencing a comment from the immediate period after release, when I'm sure a lot of people have downloaded it or at least looked at the directory listing. Specifically, imagine a MS lawyer-cluster producing it.
      --
      The Slashdot Paradox: "100% Overrated"
    39. Re:source out on the open by 19usc2462bH · · Score: 1

      In this case "we" have the Microsoft source. If someone says that code was lifted, "we" can point to the two code sets (one leaked, one free) and show that it's completely different.

      SCO is more like "You took something that belongs to us"
      What?
      "We're not telling, but you better give us loads of moolah."

      One problem would possibly be un- or sub-conscious copying (not sure what the difference is, not sure which is the correct term).

    40. Re:source out on the open by Eccentrica+Galumbits · · Score: 1

      There's one way to stop MS going on an SCO style rampage (and if they suffer from this I'm sure they will): Any OSS project coder *needs* to read this code, to make sure nothing ends up looking like MS code. (Okay this probably wouldn't change anything) But... perhaps MS thought of this already, perhaps the real plan is that reading all that awful code will taint OSS coders ability to write the quality code that we're used too...

    41. Re:source out on the open by Richard_at_work · · Score: 1

      No it doesnt, it gets them a legal warning that they should either Opensource the kernel, or remove the code. It doesnt make anything opensource by default. And do you really think that opensourcing the windows kernel will help WINE all that much? Considering most of the win32 API is buried in DLLs and not the kernel, i wouldnt have thought it would help them all that much.

    42. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > $5 says that this was an intentional leak on microsofts part.

      Considering that The Register's already ID'ed the leaky company, you lose:

      "Yesterday's Windows source code leak tracks back to long-term Microsoft partner Mainsoft, according to Betanews. An analysis of the code finds numerous references to Mainsoft's MainWin product, while a post-crash core dump file provides a possible smoking pistol pointing to a Linux machine likely to have been used by Mainsoft technology director Eyal Alaluf."

      http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/35564.htm l

    43. Re:source out on the open by hazzey · · Score: 1

      "it works in reverse too. To microsoft, all this free linux code floating around on the net is a huge temptation for its employees to cut some corners and potentially land ms in big legal trouble ... sounds familiar to all these conspiracy theories floating around about the leaked win2k source, doesn't it?" The only that you are missing is that the only way that it could be proven that MS stole code would be to have a source code leak. Whereas in the OSS world, everyone can readily see.

    44. Re:source out on the open by cr@ckwhore · · Score: 1

      That was an "I" in the 3rd person used to illustrate the point. I personally have not seen the source.

      --
      Skiers and Riders -- http://www.snowjournal.com
    45. Re:source out on the open by HoppQ · · Score: 1
      I blame SCO.


      No no no! Blame Canada!
      --
      My sig will be released in 2015 third quarter. Rating pending.
    46. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Except, of course, such code would be subject to copyright laws, and as such Microsoft would be required to a) point out the infinging material, and b) ask to have it removed.

      I'm reasonably certain that most projects would immediately remove said code. McBride misread the law: it says MITIGATE, not LITIGATE. Of course, that means that you can't put up toll boths and charge for licenses, but oh well...

    47. Re:source out on the open by Space_Soldier · · Score: 0

      Oh, shut the hell up, look at it, study it, the fucked up. If you are afraid that you might be subjected to a lie detector, use a sociopath to read the code. The can pass lie detector tests 'cause their heart beat doesn't change when they lie.

    48. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I blame Canada.

    49. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lame... very lame.

      These 1...2...3...4 Profit "jokes" weren't funny the first time and they aren't any funnier this time (which is what? At LEAST the 2500-th time on here).

      If you're trying to be funny at least TRY to be original.

    50. Re:source out on the open by Ironica · · Score: 1

      Yeah, words can make a good threat ... except the counter-argument in court would only need to be 2 words long ... "prove it".

      In a criminal case, yes... you need to prove "beyond a reasonable doubt." This would be civil, where it's just a preponderance of evidence. If they can show more evidence that your code is similar to theirs than you can show that you haven't seen or copied their code, you lose.

      --
      Don't you wish your girlfriend was a geek like me?
    51. Re:source out on the open by cr@ckwhore · · Score: 1

      ... and then such a case could turn the other way ... counter-sue and everything is reversed. It would be my pile of evidence and their turn to prove that I saw their code, and if they can't, they lose.

      --
      Skiers and Riders -- http://www.snowjournal.com
    52. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "windows developers have had access to gpl'd source for well over a decade... but that hasn't legally impaired their ability to make their products."

      That's true, but then, there isn't an army of lawyers at the beck and call of GPL software developers, just waiting to ruin their competition through legal action.

    53. Re:source out on the open by Ironica · · Score: 1
      To be honest I think this warning is probably overstated, since in order to prove infringement by an open-source contributor, MSFT would have to prove:
      1. That the contributor accessed or had access to the leaked source.
      2. That the actual contributed code contains material that is copyrighted by MSFT

      No, MS doesn't have to prove anything. It's a civil matter, and they just have to come up with more (credible) evidence than you can. They also just have to convince a judge or jury which likely knows nothing about programming, so showing that several lines look pretty similar (because, duh, there's not too many ways to do it) is probably enough.

      Civil cases are decided on a preponderance of evidence, NOT proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
      --
      Don't you wish your girlfriend was a geek like me?
    54. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Only on Slashdot...Oh man....

    55. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "This "viral licensing" bullshit is so idiotic, I can't understand how it got started. I blame SCO."

      I blame the schools. And the parents. If the schools would teach critical thinking courses and the parents themselves would think critically, most people wouldn't fall for this crap.

      WHY DOESN'T ANYONE THINK ABOUT THE CHILDREN!?

    56. Re:source out on the open by Ann+Elk · · Score: 1

      I believe win2k/private/ntos/ke/bugcheck.c is the file you need...

    57. Re:source out on the open by axafluff · · Score: 1

      If I were a tinfoil-hat kind of person, I'd wonder if this isn't some sort of SCO-ish related thing.

      As a pastiche based on your argument and considering close-to-entertaining tinfoil-hat thoughts:

      You won't learn anything useful, and more importantly, you need to be able to truthfully say "I've never thought as a tinfoil-hat wearer, and specifically and intentionally avoided getting impressed by tinfoil or looking at it".

      So repost, the otherwise nice post, with the last line dropped.

      IANANativeEnglishSpeaker/Writer/Thinker, so drop the sado grammar spelling fetischism

    58. Re:source out on the open by axafluff · · Score: 1

      Please allow me to launch a sado grammar spelling fetishist first-strike preemptive almost american daisy cutter response:

      fetishism

      (but my memory is short, this may be wrong as well :)

    59. Re:source out on the open by micromoog · · Score: 1
      Civil cases are decided on a preponderance of evidence, NOT proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

      Exactly right. This is why O.J. could lose a civil wrongful death suit even after he won a criminal murder case.

    60. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lets see now ... why would I want to look at, let alone copy, M$'s cr@p code? Yes, to see how NOT to do it! But could they then sue me for writing different code on the grounds that I had used their IP to my advantage - by finding out what to avoid?

    61. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This "viral licensing" bullshit is so idiotic

      As the author of that troll, I now know I succeeded in pissing you off! You didn't reply to it at the time, but it's been simmering in your brain for half a week now! AHHHAHAHAHA! YHBT YHL HAND

    62. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      You are an alarmist. Look, I worked for Microsoft. I had easy access to the source code for every program they ever produced. I saw (or could have seen) it all. I wrote some of that code myself, and had to understand a lot more of it very deeply.

      I've since contributed to free/opensource projects. Have they come after me? No. Will they? No. Am I the only one in this position? No.

      Reading the code does not "taint" you, regardless of what "experts" like Groklaw say. Yeah, sure, MSFT is big and they can sue us into oblivion, whatever. They could do that without any cause, reason, or justification, if they wanted to. The point is that having read the NT source code doesn't expose you to hypothetical attack from MSFT any more than just existing does.

      A programmer reading source code is like a musician listening to music. Yeah, right, George Harrison got sued for "accidentally" copying that one song... That's ONE SONG, out of millions. Any others? That case is interesting because it's so incredibly unusual.

      The upshot is as long as you don't literally copy large (or otherwise obviously unique) sections of code you're OK. That's with respect to copyright of course; trade secrets are another matter. Can trade secrets still be enforceable after they are leaked? If so, then you shouldn't even reuse any algorithms or concepts from the code you read. But that still doesn't mean you can't read it and continue to program. Learning from Microsoft's mistakes is certainly not infringement or violation of anything.

      Now, this all says nothing about actually obtaining the code. That's probably copyright infringement for everybody, not just programmers, regardless of what you do with it afterward.

    63. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Talk about a viral license... just merely possessing the windows code and never even looking at it can contaminate a programmer for the rest of their lives? Wow, that is a lot worse than the GPL.

    64. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No not a "switch to linux" instead make a you are logged in as root all the time when you're using windows blablabala. To fix the problem either switch to linux,bsd or Mac os X

    65. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Errr, Microsoft called it viral.

      Microsoft license spurns open source

    66. Re:source out on the open by BoneFlower · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure MS could take on IBM. MS has more cash to throw around, but if IBM plays their cards into a heavy delaying action, MS won't have the staying power. IBM simply has more assets to burn through if they handle the situation carefully, and from what we've seen wtih SCO, they know how to fight a major court battle. If MS could force the case to go quickly, they might have an edge by throwing more money at it, but IBM can throw money at it longer if they play their cards right. Especially if MS takes on IBM and others with largely similar claims, the coordination that would be arranged on the IBM side would destroy MS. MS vs IBM would be an even fight overall(mass cash to move for the short term vs mass assets to hold through teh long), but add in Red Hat, Novell, and whoever else, and MS will lose.

    67. Re:source out on the open by Thomas+Shaddack · · Score: 1

      Isn't it EXACTLY what anonymity/pseudonymity was designed for?

    68. Re:source out on the open by antiMStroll · · Score: 1
      "I blame SCO."

      Why? SCO claims the presence of SCO code in a GPL product makes all of it proprietary. Much more bizarre.

    69. Re:source out on the open by antiMStroll · · Score: 1

      The solution seems simple: a group of third-party software auditors working for OSS who are familiar with the leaked code but can't submit or consult on patches. This also demonstrates intent on the part of OSS developers to avoid contamination. In fact, it's probably high time anyway, MS code leak or not.

    70. Re:source out on the open by Thomas+Shaddack · · Score: 1

      This can happen to you regardless if you actually saw the code. You can't reliably prove you didn't ever see $whatever.

    71. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Indeed. IBM is a powerhouse to be reckoned with, and Apple, while not huge, is a noteworthy ally. Microsoft doesn't have that kind of push.

    72. Re:source out on the open by iNetRunner · · Score: 1
      I want someone to change de Blue Screen of Death by a Red Screen that says "Switch to Linux!"
      Wouldn't they still need to run the source through some unprotected buffer detector or some-such and come up with a list of hundreds of exploits and then wrap the thing into a "distribution" and let it loose? *j/k.. hmm.. also why just the bsod? it could be the hint of the day and clippy might suggest it too!*
      --
      Store with salt
    73. Re:source out on the open by nyseal · · Score: 1

      It MAY have?

      --
      [SIG] Remember Mattel handheld games?
    74. Re:source out on the open by kevin7kal · · Score: 1

      I think MicroSoft would have more to lose than gain from this leak, in terms of crippling the developers of open source software vs. opening themselves to bug exploits.
      MS still has the leading edge in the IT industry as far as the amount of market share they have goes. For the conspericy theorists, this probably sounds like a very plausable action, but in reality, it wouldn't be.
      If it were not a real leak of code, but a "honey pot" so they may catch and dispose of potentialy threatening coaders, yeah... but that's pretty far fetched.
      Yes, I would definitely heed Groklaw's warning not to look at the code if invited too. Not only because it could ruin your value in the open source community, but that it may end up like Indiana Jones(Marian, don't look at it..)and rip you apart and melt you and other stuff.
      MicroSoft as ruthless, I buy it!
      MicroSoft as devious, we haven't seen it yet...I think that the really let it slip somehow and they have a significant portion of code floating around that may just give people a good reason to switch to XP or their future release of Windows, or to Linux, Mac, or something else.

    75. Re:source out on the open by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, actually I was going more for "funny" than "insightful". Given MS's tendency to implement novel features that were originally pioneered in competing yet ultimately commercially unsuccessful products, I was goofing on the idea that MS might have stolen a business concept pioneered, but as of yet commercially unsuccessful, at SCO.

      Inciteful or Insightful? It's such a thin line sometimes ;-)

  3. What they said... by lord_nightrose · · Score: 0

    The text of the statement:

    Statement from Microsoft Regarding Illegal Posting of Windows Source Code

    REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 12, 2004 -- On Thursday, Microsoft became aware that portions of the Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0 source code were illegally made available on the Internet. It's illegal for third parties to post Microsoft source code, and we take such activity very seriously.

    We are currently investigating these postings and are working with the appropriate law-enforcement authorities.

    At this point it does not appear that this is the result of any breach of Microsoft's corporate network or internal security.

    At this time there is no known impact on customers. We will continue to monitor the situation.

    --
    This is not part of my post. It's my signature. I bet you're disappointed.
  4. Source of the leak by cyt0plas · · Score: 5, Informative

    There are a number of empty .eml files in the archive. While their FTP server looks like (didn't check) it is running a vulnerable version of wu-ftpd , it seems more likely Nimda got to them first.

    I wonder what the final MS press release will name as the cause. "Evil Linux Hackers", perhaps?

    --
    Contact Me (got tired of viruses emailing me).
    1. Re:Source of the leak by lord_nightrose · · Score: 0

      It's also possible that the development team was sent e-mails about specific project details, and they just dropped the files in the corresponding directories.

      Examples:
      11-18-01 14:27 win2k/bsc/tcp-ip tutorial.eml
      11-18-01 14:27 win2k/copy of named pipe implementation.eml
      11-18-01 14:23 win2k/private/eventlog/elfclnt/registry_log_messag es.eml

      However, there are 2,137 of them, and they all contain 0 bytes of data. Seems a bit bizarre, no?

      Also, here's something rather funny:
      07-26-00 22:00 win2k/private/ntos/w32/ntuser/client/msgbox.c

      Hooray! Now we can figure out how to pop up a message box!

      --
      This is not part of my post. It's my signature. I bet you're disappointed.
    2. Re:Source of the leak by ackthpt · · Score: 5, Funny
      I wonder what the final MS press release will name as the cause. "Evil Linux Hackers", perhaps?

      Haha! How about 'Evil Worm Which Exploits Security Holes We Deny Exist Distributes Code'

      Nah, I can't see them fessing up to something like that.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    3. Re:Source of the leak by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The cause was "A hole in security which would allow a hacker to run code on the host machine."

    4. Re:Source of the leak by bluewee · · Score: 0

      I think the correct nomenclature, is "terrorists"...

      --
      [blue] - The Ministry of Information approved this message...
    5. Re:Source of the leak by MarkVVV · · Score: 1

      who let the code out! Who, who who who who?! ;)

    6. Re:Source of the leak by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      While their FTP server looks like (didn't check) it is running a vulnerable version of wu-ftpd...

      You mean there's a version of wu-ftpd that not vulnerable??!! Please let me know where to find this mysterious version. :)

    7. Re:Source of the leak by Chan · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I think it is far more likely that all the .eml files were left behind by a virus/worm like nimda. I've seen something like that happen before. They may be zero length because of an antivirus scanner or shield utility.

      --
      (nil)
  5. Of course! by NeoThermic · · Score: 5, Interesting

    >>Microsoft is, naturally, downplaying its impact

    Of couse they are. They don't want to admit that its 203MB of files, they will just say its a small fragment.

    Makes me wonder about all the weird e-mail files in the zip though...

    NeoThermic

    --
    Use my link above, or to view my server, NeoThermic.com
    1. Re:Of course! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      They don't want to admit that its 203MB of files, they will just say its a small fragment
      I'd call one half of one percent a small fragment, wouldn't you?
    2. Re:Of course! by serfx · · Score: 2, Informative

      yes that torrent file was only 205 meg's
      Yet if you read yahoo news, they acctually mention that the amount of souce code that was "released" was acctually closer to 650meg. you can read it here.
      making todays statements mostly obsolete, or just re-hashes of older comments (wow its already a re-hash, noi pun intended)

    3. Re:Of course! by Mr2cents · · Score: 1, Redundant

      I wonder how many bugfixes MS will receive as a result of this..

      --
      "It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton LaVey
    4. Re:Of course! by grub · · Score: 3, Insightful


      None.

      Submitting a patch would suggest you've seen their source code. You may be opening yourself up to legal problems. No, I want the black hats to look at it, after all Microsoft are the ones that claim closed source is more secure.

      --
      Trolling is a art,
    5. Re:Of course! by Santos+L.+Halper · · Score: 1

      From one of the articles in the story: Econium's Winell said he hopes those that posted the code are identified and prosecuted. "Unlike Linux desktops, which is like the wild wild west and not controlled and enhanced all the time, Windows users have come to take a quality controlled operating system for granted and not have to worry about a bad release," Winell said. "We hope that Microsoft can swiftly identify how the code got released, prosecute the perpetrator and build a barrier/security patch to protect against intrusions."

      --

      "Ask not for whom the bone bones. It bones for thee." --Bender
    6. Re:Of course! by anti-trojan · · Score: 1

      I think they are referring to the uncompressed size.

    7. Re:Of course! by __past__ · · Score: 1

      Why would you want that, even assuming that making Microsoft look bad would somehow be more important then the security of thousands of users and the internet as a whole? If something like that would happen, they could just sell it as a demonstration of the bad things that happen when source code is publicly available, like that of certain other systems...

    8. Re:Of course! by xanadu-xtroot.com · · Score: 1

      Say it with me!

      Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, Developers, YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!

      http://www.ntk.net/media/developers.mpg

      --
      I'm not a prophet or a stone-age man,
      I'm just a mortal with potential of a super man.
    9. Re:Of course! by SirTalon42 · · Score: 1

      i have a feeling winell drinks a lot...

    10. Re:Of course! by austad · · Score: 1

      How many people submit patches for linux 1.4?


      None. It went from 1.3 to 2.0. There is no 1.4.

      --
      Need Free Juniper/NetScreen Support? JuniperForum
    11. Re:Of course! by grub · · Score: 1, Insightful


      If something like that would happen, they could just sell it as a demonstration of the bad things that happen when source code is publicly available, like that of certain other systems...

      It would demonstrate that closed source pushers are concerned with secrecy and profits.

      If closed source is more secure, as MS and many others maintain, then they shouldn't be as concerned about the black hats looking at the source as they are how the source was leaked. Source code can be open and secure, much like any decent cryptographic system.

      --
      Trolling is a art,
    12. Re:Of course! by snake_dad · · Score: 3, Funny
      From that Yahoo article:
      "Thor Larholm, senior security researcher at Newport Beach, Calif.-based PivX Solutions, said the Windows source code file being traded on the Internet appears to be roughly 660 megabytes in size, about the size of one CD-ROM's worth of data. That is far short of the estimated 40 gigabytes of data that makes up the entire 40 million lines of code in the Windows operating system."

      I hate those languages where an average line of code has one thousand characters...

      --
      karma capped .sig seeking available Slashdot poster for long-term relationship.
    13. Re:Of course! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The 203 MB zip expands to 660 megs of (mostly) text.

    14. Re:Of course! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Someone should use the Al-Queda technique to smuggling out the full MS source code. Do it in small enough chunks that it passes by unnoticed and then reassemble the whole thing outside of Redmond and unleash it in the underground. Email here, email there, or something.

      On second though I don't really care, KDE, etc has been good enough for me for a long time, but just think that would be funny.

    15. Re:Of course! by hobit · · Score: 1

      Personally, I hate languages where people use comments....

      This would be about a 10 or 20:1 ratio on the comments to code in terms of bytes, but I'd be shocked if the real ratio wasn't at least 3:1.

      --
      As Nietsche famously said, "If you stare too long into the Abyss, 1d4 Tanar'ri of random type will attack you."
  6. The watermarking was probably successful by Srividya · · Score: 0, Insightful

    There is a utility "cb" for re-making C code which would have been good to use for Mainsoft if person there was trying to avoid identification!

    Also probably cutting comments out.

  7. So the question is by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Has anyone actually built this code? Will it actually be useful to anyone? I could see how having enough of the code available might allow someone to create a version of windows 2000 that would work with plex86, which would be exceptionally exciting. Just how much of the code is there anyway? It's reputedly a ~200MB archive which also contains assorted tools needed to compile from the source, so only so much of that can be code. 200MB of pure source code would seem like it was probably enough to assemble most or all of Windows from.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    1. Re:So the question is by MoonFog · · Score: 4, Informative

      Actually, it's supposedly only 15% of the source code. See here.

    2. Re:So the question is by LighthouseJ · · Score: 1

      I think the files are called "ring 0" and therefore can't run by itself, you need much more of the code. You're not going to see any rogue Windows distributions, but some seedier programs might get a leg up on finding out some secrets in the source code. I won't be surprised if more powerful worms came out of this.

    3. Re:So the question is by minus_273 · · Score: 1

      RTFA the code was intended to make windows program compatible with unix flavors. It is not the windows source but the source for some code from win 200 sp1. The code is only 600mb (size of 1 cd) when uncompressed and apparently the entire windows source is 40GB.
      So, no, the code will not build windows.

      --
      The war with islam is a war on the beast
      The war on terror is a war for peace
    4. Re:So the question is by ldm314 · · Score: 1

      If you had actually read the article you would have seen the line:
      References to MainWin can also be found throughout the leaked source files, which do not compile into a usable form of Windows.
      which clearly states that some had at least atempted to compile it.

    5. Re:So the question is by GoofyBoy · · Score: 4, Funny

      I can't wait for the Windows 2000 Phantom Edit version

      --
      The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
    6. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are the sources of wsock32.dll!!!!
      The Winsock API :)

    7. Re:So the question is by Xpilot · · Score: 5, Funny

      Has anyone actually built this code?

      Gandalf: No! Don't ever use it!

      Frodo: How do we know it's source to the One OS of the Dark Lord?

      Gandalf tosses a CD-R into the burner, and burns Windows.Source.Code.w2k.nt4.wxp.tar onto it. When the CD is done, there are glowing fiery letters on it.

      Frodo : I can't read the fiery letters.

      Gandalf : There are few who can. The language is that of Redmond, which I will not utter here. In the common tongue, it says "One OS To Rule Them All, One OS To Find Them, One OS To Bring Them All And With The NDA Bind Them"

      Frodo: Take the source code Gandalf!

      Gandalf : Noo! Do not tempt me with it! I dare not take it! Not even to keep it safe! You must understand Frodo, that I would be tempted to use this source code, for good. To disclose hidden API's, help the WINE project. But through me, all of open source would be tainted, and the LawyerWraiths of The Dark Lord will sure destroy us.

      Frodo : But it cannot stay here!

      Gandalf : No, no it can't.

      Frodo : What must I do?

      Gandalf : It must be sent to the fires of /dev/null, where it will be undone, and we will be kept safe from the Lawyers of Evil.

      So remember folks, don't download it, or look at it, or attempt to build it! It is evil, and answers only to the hand of The Dark One.

      --
      "Backups are for wimps. Real men upload their data to an FTP site and have everyone else mirror it." -- Linus Torvalds
    8. Re:So the question is by VelocityBoy09 · · Score: 5, Funny
      Has anyone actually built this code?

      I did. 200 megs of compressed source, 22 hours of compiling, and all I got was "Notepad.exe"

    9. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      You're lucky. You've got yourself a half decent text editor there. Imagine if you'd taken 200 gigs of compressed source, 22 days of compiling, and found that you only ended up with emacs.

    10. Re:So the question is by cozziewozzie · · Score: 5, Interesting

      15% of what? They seem to be very vague about this. The link you mention claims it is 15% of the operating system. Does it mean 15% of Win2K or 15% of all Windows code (95+98+ME+NT+2000+XP+2003+CE)?

      Furthermore, the most of the code in a given operating system belongs to the drivers. If it's the important 15%, then it could be completely irrelevant that you don't have the 85% that deal with graphics cards and similar.

    11. Re:So the question is by i_r_sensitive · · Score: 1
      RTFA.

      From the last linked article...

      The leaked code includes 30,915 files... ...Dated July 25, 2000, the source code represents Windows 2000 Service Pack 1. Analysis indicates files within the leaked archive are only a subset of the Windows source code...

      And...

      References to MainWin can also be found throughout the leaked source files, which do not compile into a usable form of Windows.
      --
      "Talk minus action equals nothing" - Joey Shithead, D.O.A.
      "Talk minus action equals /." -
    12. Re:So the question is by Naffer · · Score: 1

      If I had em, I'd give you 5 moderator points for that one!

    13. Re: So the question is by Black+Parrot · · Score: 5, Funny


      > Actually, it's supposedly only 15% of the source code.

      They'll be in trouble, if it's the 15% that works.

      --
      Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
    14. Re:So the question is by MoonFog · · Score: 3, Informative

      From the article:
      The Windows 2000 code is a 203MB chunk that expands to about 600MB - enough to fill one CD.

      Microsoft has said that this represents about 15% of the total source code for the operating system. It is not enough to recreate the operating system.


      What's vague about this ? I agree they don't say WHICH 15%, but it's clearly win2k they are talking about.

    15. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually I think this is quite funny. If there were a 6 this would get it...

    16. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm curious... How could the NT4 source that was leaked as well represent the Windows 2000 Service Pack 1?

      I'm not sure that we are getting the whole truth here.

      But there is no way in hell that I'm going to try to touch it and find out.

    17. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have looked at the code, and thought about building it. However, amazingly the entire thing seems to be VB 4, and I don't have a copy!

    18. Re:So the question is by confused+one · · Score: 4, Informative

      It's reportedly Windows 2000 Service Pack 1. That's why it's not complete -- it's the code necessary to create the components of the service pack

    19. Re:So the question is by drinkypoo · · Score: 2, Insightful

      IF the 15% they're talking about is some tools like mmc, then it's useless. If the 15% they're talking about is the kernel and the hal, then it's amazingly useful. If it's the Win32 API, then similarly, it's amazingly useful.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    20. Re:So the question is by cozziewozzie · · Score: 1

      My point is that we don't know what they mean when they say "15% of the operating system":

      Microsoft said it did not yet know the source of leak, or how many people have access to it on the net, but confirmed it accounted for about 15% of the total code it uses.


      But Microsoft said that was unlikely since the code comprised of relatively small proportion of the total source code.

      Microsoft has said that this represents about 15% of the total source code for the operating system.

      Those statements are quite vague. The article talks about Win2K, but Microsoft never said it was 15% of Windows2000, just that it's 15% of "the system". Who knows what they mean by that.

    21. Re:So the question is by i_r_sensitive · · Score: 1
      I could speculate that W2KSP1 is nothing more than recycled NT4 code... That is appealing, though probably not accurate.

      In any case, I agree, I'm nowhere near curious enough to bother finding out.

      --
      "Talk minus action equals nothing" - Joey Shithead, D.O.A.
      "Talk minus action equals /." -
    22. Re:So the question is by HiThere · · Score: 2, Informative

      Funny? Insightful would be better.

      I agree the form is of a joke, but the message is the more important part:
      So remember folks, don't download it, or look at it, or attempt to build it! It is evil, and answers only to the hand of The Dark One.

      Unfortunately, sending one copy to the fires of /dev/null won't solve the problem. Somehow this needs to be guarded against without looking at it. In this, it's more like a basilisk than the ring, but a mirror won't answer this one.

      --

      I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
    23. Re:So the question is by Pope · · Score: 1

      Dang. At that size I would have at least expected "WordPad."

      --
      It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
    24. Re:So the question is by mikesmind · · Score: 5, Funny
      So remember folks, don't download it, or look at it, or attempt to build it! It is evil, and answers only to the hand of The Dark One.
      Genesis 3
      1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
      2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
      3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
      4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
      5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
      6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

      The account continues in verse seven if you don't know how it turned out. I agree with Groklaw's advice. Leave it be!
      --
      www.mikesmind.com - www.daddyworkathome.com - www.freetofarm.org - www.tenfoottable.com
    25. Re:So the question is by ssimpson · · Score: 1

      I think the files are called "ring 0"

      I think not - the files include (for example) the source to calc.exe, the source to all of the OpenGL screensavers, the source to many of the GINA modules, the code for all of the common controls etc.

      In fact, I'm yet to see any "ring 0" kernel code or device drivers.

      I agree with your point about new worms though - it should be nice and easy for crackers to find the millions of buffer overruns now....

      --
      "Mary had a crypto key, she kept it in escrow, and everything that Mary said, the Feds were sure to know."
    26. Re:So the question is by JudgeFurious · · Score: 1

      An awe inspiriing post VelocityBoy09. Thank you for todays best laugh.

      --
      Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
    27. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1
      Looking at the file list (only the list of files, I have no desire to see actual source), there's some fairly interesting looking files in the archive.


      There appears to be a fairly large MSHTML tree:

      /win2k/private/inet/mshtml/src/

      Not to mention WinInet...

      /win2k/private/inet/wininet/

      ...XML stuff...

      /win2k/private/inet/xml/

      ...PKI...

      /win2k/private/ispu/pkitrust/

      ...NTVDM and WOW...

      /win2k/private/mvdm/ /win2k/private/mvdm/wow16/ /win2k/private/mvdm/wow32/

      ...Winsock...

      win2k/private/net/sockets/winsock2/

      A huge amount of NT Kernel stuff... Just a cursory glance shows stuff like LPC, 64/32-bit thunking layers, memory management, not to mention GDI, Kernel and User...

      win2k/private/ntos/w32/ntgdi/
      win2k/private/ntos/ w32/ntuser/
      win2k/private/ntos/w32/ntuser/kernel/

      ...And that's not even including everything under the shell hierarchy. There appear to be common controls, all the control panels, the Windows shell, the explorer, the briefcase, it goes on and on.

      In short, to my very untrained eye, this looks like the "important" 15%. And, as a consequence, a very direct risk to basically the entire software stack that makes up most Linux distros, should this code be consulted or copied.


      I don't know if Microsoft planned this or not, my suspicion is that they didn't. However, even if they can't challenge Open Source based on the GPL, this will be a possible avenue they can use to challenge OSS for a long time to come.

    28. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I doubt it. There's a lot of custom build steps involved which aren't included with the source, per se.

      It'd be a lot like running "make", without running "./configure", first.

    29. Re:So the question is by Bendebecker · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Who could ever imagine source code having the same warnings as porn: its frowned upon and can ruin you but in the secrecy of your own home many can't help but take a peek.

      Btw, I haven't even dled the source let alone see it so I'm safe I guess. Though really, how many suits are decided on who is right rather than who has the better more expensive lawyers. Whether any given person sees it or not, the developers of wine and probably any future version of linux are going to get blamed anyway and dragged into court simply becuase they won't be able to afford lawyers to defend themselves against the M$ heavyweights. So going ape shit about not looking at the code is important but we have to face the facts that it probably still won't protect us. But for the mere fact alone that if you look at it you won't be able to resist the powers of the darkside to copy some of the better algorithms (if there are any) and hence blind yourself to your own brilliance in coming up with your own possibly (probably) better solutions is enough to stop most of us from looking at the code. You want to study source code to an OS? Then study Linux. You not only won't get in trouble form copying from it (unless its the parts owned by SCO assuming there are any) and you will most likely be learning from superior code. Really who studies from a stolen second rate textbook when they can easily view a first rate one for free?

      --
      There's a growing sense that even if The Future comes,
      most of us won't be able to afford it.
      -- Lemmy
    30. Re:So the question is by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Microsoft will only be able to use this to hassle OSS types when functionality described in this source was implemented in any OSS package after this date. Since there is probably nothing here which hasn't already been done, usually better, by some other OSS project, I'd say that it's a pretty limited threat along those lines.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    31. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That is the funniest thing I've ever read on slashdot!

    32. Re:So the question is by HungWeiLo · · Score: 1

      Personally, I'm only looking for sol.c and freecell.c and mineswp.c. I will move the card-bouncing animation in Solitaire onto multiple threads and have it finish even before it gets drawn to the screen!

      --
      There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're downriver from the bread factory.
    33. Re:So the question is by IllForgetMyNickSoonA · · Score: 1

      What do you mean by "only 600mb"? 600mb of source is VERY much. Linux kernel is about 50mb uncompressed, IIRC, and it includes a huge pile of drivers and support for multiple platforms. I'm pretty sure the complete windows kernel would fit *very* easily in much much less than 600mb. I don't buy that 40gb claim for a second! 600mb is, for sure, not all, but I'd bet it's far more than the mere 15%.

      Either that, or the beast is really bloated. :-)

    34. Re:So the question is by timeOday · · Score: 1

      Who knows what 15% means. I probably only compile 15% of the linux kernel source, because most of the source is drivers for devices I don't own. So the MS leak could be the kernel and GUI, or not.

    35. Re: So the question is by TALlama · · Score: 1

      I'd say the percentage of Windows that works is much less than 15%...

      --

      - The Amazina Llama

    36. Re:So the question is by MoogMan · · Score: 1

      You gotta love the BBC

      Also, years ago code to version 6.22 of DOS was leaked online but no-one cared because it was so old.

    37. Re:So the question is by hikerhat · · Score: 1

      Oh. You compiled WINE. But I can see where you got that confused with the windows source code.

    38. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They should think about putting a text-editor into emacs one of these days.

    39. Re:So the question is by SirTalon42 · · Score: 1

      Maybe some people like to laugh?

    40. Re:So the question is by LighthouseJ · · Score: 1

      I've seen some people that had the files archived as "ring0.tar.gz" or something to that effect, and other people saying that the code is "ring 0". If that's wrong, talk to them.

    41. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Golum: it's mine! it's mine! my preciousssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!

    42. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >its frowned upon and can ruin you but in the secrecy of your own home[..]
      >Btw, I haven't even dled the source let alone see it
      ???

    43. Re:So the question is by Dave2+Wickham · · Score: 1
      The Linux kernel's a touch bigger than that:
      [dave@tc4 ~/linux-2.5.74]$ make clean
      RM $(CLEAN_FILES)
      [dave@tc4 ~/linux-2.5.74]$ du -h|tail -n 1
      222M .
      Note the above was with 2.6.2-mm1
    44. Re:So the question is by Bendebecker · · Score: 1

      Okay, I'll admit it... I look at porn. Haven't looked at the MS source though.

      --
      There's a growing sense that even if The Future comes,
      most of us won't be able to afford it.
      -- Lemmy
    45. Re:So the question is by boog3r · · Score: 1

      You farking idiot.

      The fruit of the tree deals with many human psychological problems relating to our 'supposed intelligence'. This intelligence we now have is an analogue to the apple: an enlightenment happens, there are consequences (both good and evil, or, NEITHER good nor evil), yet there is no turning back. It is not a call to embrace or recliam ignorance and nievete. He who strives to defeat his intelligence defeats only himself.

      It IS a metaphor-laden story meant to help us understand conequences of past decisions (even decisions before our lifetimes) and the pandora's box syndrome: you can never close the box. Please do not make Genesis out to be more than it really is: a crappy, oft-retranslated copy of what was probably a good verbal story about human origins dating from before agriculture appeared.

      --
      signatures are for fools with hands
    46. Re:So the question is by ssimpson · · Score: 1

      Well, out of 2000 comments posted in this story and the corresponding story last night you'll be glad to here that "ring0.tar.gz" appeared 0 times, so I'm not really sure who to talk to....

      .

      Do a p2p search for "windows_2000_source_code.zip" or "Windows.2000.Source.Code.zip" son....

      --
      "Mary had a crypto key, she kept it in escrow, and everything that Mary said, the Feds were sure to know."
    47. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You misspelled vi

    48. Re:So the question is by unformed · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah, but with Emacs, at least I would've gotten a decent OS.

    49. Re:So the question is by mikesmind · · Score: 1
      "You farking idiot."
      I must admit that I have never been called that before! ;)

      Whether you believe the Genesis account or not, (or in God for that matter), my intent was only to draw attention to the possible ramifications of this (Microsoft) revealed code. It is worthwhile to point out possible problems for anyone who does, or wants to some time in the future, contribute to open source software when they have exposure to proprietary source code.

      I don't want to go off-topic here to debate the Genesis account. However, Answers In Genesis is a good website for information on this subject.
      --
      www.mikesmind.com - www.daddyworkathome.com - www.freetofarm.org - www.tenfoottable.com
    50. Re:So the question is by Monkelectric · · Score: 1
      I'm really not sure I believe that statistic. Source code almost always compiles to be MUCH SMALLER then original code (machine language is more compact byte for byte then human languages). It depends on the language and program of course, A quick look at my win2k disk shows its about 300 megs in total. If they really have 10GB of windows source code like they claim, then thats a 35x time ration which seems WAY too high to me. In my experience as a programmer the ratio is more like between 2-4 times. Meaning I would expect 600 megs of code to produce between 150 - 300 megs of executables.

      This being said, I can't get my grubby hands on the source code in question so this is all speculation :)

      --

      Religion is a gateway psychosis. -- Dave Foley

    51. Re:So the question is by micromoog · · Score: 1
      an enlightenment happens, there are consequences (both good and evil, or, NEITHER good nor evil), yet there is no turning back.

      Almost right . . . except in this story, A&E are punished for their act by being tossed out of Eden to be cold, hungry, and generally miserable. It's quite clear that God is angered by their need to be informed. The myth probably started off the way you described, then at some later point had the "faith good, thinking bad" moral tacked on.

    52. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      The "Ring 0" code was a hoax posted last night on /. as a link to a torrent. It was actually a 35MB tar.bz2 of the Linux 2.6.2 kernel. Oh, the irony.

      The real code is in a 203MB zipfile.

    53. Re:So the question is by minus_273 · · Score: 1

      what on earth are you talking about? im talking about windows. Windows is alot more than the kernel just like Linux is alot more than the kernel. In addition, if you know anything about windows, you know that the windowing system is part of the OS and resides in the kernel level along with drivers.If you dont know what user level and kernel level is, please stop here.
      Now, if you want to make an accurate comparison, take the linux kernel source, the X-windows source, KDE source, SDL source and source for tons of drivers and you have something like the windows source.
      You should also know that in Linux, the bulk of the code in the source is drivers not the actual OS.

      --
      The war with islam is a war on the beast
      The war on terror is a war for peace
    54. Re:So the question is by W2k · · Score: 1

      Did SP1 include updates to the OpenGL screensavers? Because those are in there, and I can't say I think those were updated in SP1. However, the code may very well be (part of) Windows 2000 with the SP1 changes applied. The timestamps on the files suggest this, I've been told.

      --
      Quality, performance, value; you get only two, and you don't always get to pick.
    55. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's all over the Usenet. check alt.binaries.cores for example.

    56. Re:So the question is by eclectro · · Score: 1

      The account continues in verse seven if you don't know how it turned out. I agree with Groklaw's advice. Leave it be!

      Please choose your worldview;

      worldview 1)

      Well, unfortunately they did not leave the forbidden fruit alone.

      Since we all are descendants of Adam and his transgression, we inherit the propensity to commit sin.

      Therefore there are those of us among us who cannot resist the temptation, will partake of the sweet fruit, and will be beguiled by the evil forces once again.

      We should prepare for the worst, and be ready to watch episodes of "Cops" busting nerds for copyright violations. Or at the very least read on Groklaw the fate of nerd souls as they are the subject of much legal action, most of which is unfair.

      The outcome is nerds repent, and align themselves with the forces of good. They become resolute in their purpose, forming alliances among themselves that allows them to produce OSS that is competitive in a market economy, and embraced by all. Corporate propriety code is rendered irrelevant.

      worldview 2)

      The same evolutionary forces that gifted fish with the ability to walk will once again affect the evolution of humans. As those nerds who are jailed for their infringing OSS projects they are effectively removed from the nerd genepool and cannot reproduce. Other nerds through fear, uncertainty and doubt are driven into deeper social isolation and fail to reproduce also. The remaining nerds who through acts of pity from the opposite sex produce progeny who have the ability to produce functional code on their own, free from infringing material.

      However, because the number of nerds has actually been reduced through this attrition, they are at a competitive disadvantage to corporate propriety interests. They are subsequently harassed into submission and have to work for "The Man" producing closed-source software.

      worldview 3)

      There is a malevolent alien on a mountain trapped by lasers somewhere. His name is a lot like element Xenon atomic number 54 except the end rhymes with "gnu" or "boo". Anyway there are these harmful things that are called "thetans" that are removed through a strange process called "auditing". In order to prevent harm from these malicious forces, nerds "audit" their OSS projects and learn that it is actually composed of software owned by corporate interests.

      They also learn that corporations produce superior code through their closed-source ways. It becomes obvious that they should obey whatever the corporate interest wants concerning their IP. If somebody questions anything, they are "silenced" one way or another, usually by suing them into oblivion. Nerds are at peace with this.

      worldview 4)

      Comet C/2002 T7 (Linear) is about to swing by in May. This is actually a spaceship, and with the way things are going your gonna want to be on it.

      --
      Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
    57. Re:So the question is by nathanh · · Score: 1
      You're lucky. You've got yourself a half decent text editor there. Imagine if you'd taken 200 gigs of compressed source, 22 days of compiling, and found that you only ended up with emacs.

      Don't be silly. The entire EMACS code won't fit into a mere 200 gig of compressed source.

    58. Re:So the question is by Phroggy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually come to think of it, Notepad does have a rather annoying bug, as I recall - if you try to open a text file that uses UNIX line endings (i.e. \n instead of \r\n), it gets all confused (overlapping text, text drawing in the wrong place and moving when you highlight, etc.). Maybe somebody could fix this?

      THere may not be enough code to build an OS, but what about the individual apps that come with it? If the source to notepad.exe is there, could someone build that?

      --
      $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
      $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
    59. Re:So the question is by IllForgetMyNickSoonA · · Score: 1

      Ooops - my mistake. Thank you for correcting me on that one.

    60. Re:So the question is by opusman · · Score: 1

      There's a lot of code there but nowhere near enough to compile a functional operating system, eg:

      - Most of the shell (explorer) code
      - A lot of the Internet code
      - HTML rendering stuff
      - Most of the control panel applets and "accessories" (wheeee mspaint!)

      What's definitely not there are minor things like kernel and user. Without these, it's not Windows - it's just a bunch of embedded application software that happens to ship with windows.

    61. Re:So the question is by IllForgetMyNickSoonA · · Score: 1

      Was that supposed to be a flaim bait? Boy, you have a lot to catch up... try, for starters, this, then work your way up.

      "...if you don't know what user level and kernel level is..." sheesh, even my grandmother flaims better!

    62. Re:So the question is by IllForgetMyNickSoonA · · Score: 1

      Notice for the spelling police: yes, I know it's "flame bait", not "flaim bait".

    63. Re:So the question is by PornMaster · · Score: 1

      Isn't the emacs version number up to 2000 yet?

    64. Re:So the question is by silicon+not+in+the+v · · Score: 1

      compiling...compiling...compiling...
      and out comes...Clippy!
      "You look like you're trying to steal Microsoft code. Would you like to get sued for that?"

      --
      We may experience some slight turbulence and then...explode. -Capt. Mal Reynolds
    65. Re:So the question is by Rysc · · Score: 1

      try:

      du -hcs

      and be amazed.

      --
      I want my Cowboyneal
    66. Re:So the question is by nutznboltz · · Score: 1

      Yes, but then emacs would have coded you.

    67. Re:So the question is by Dave2+Wickham · · Score: 1

      Ah, thanks for pointing that one out, hadn't RTFM properly before...

    68. Re:So the question is by harmonica · · Score: 1

      One addition: This will probably make discussions of competent people on the merits (or lack thereof) of the code difficult. Or they will only be had in private. Which is sad, because I'd like to hear about some sort of code audit.

    69. Re:So the question is by ErikTheRed · · Score: 2, Interesting
      203MB chunk that expands to about 600MB

      So they're claiming that the source code zipped at only about 33% compression. I haven't seen the code (nor am I inclined to, as just dealing with the incredibly shitty Windows API gives me a headache) but I'm extremely suspicious - source code usually achieves compression rates well in excess of 90%, with 95% - 98% not unheard of. So it is far more likely that this code expands to somewhere between 2 and 4GB.

      Of course, this is Microsoft so who knows - they could be fucking up the compression in some really impressive way.
      --

      Help save the critically endangered Blue Iguana
    70. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Golum"? I think you misspelled Ballmer.

    71. Re:So the question is by TrancePhreak · · Score: 1

      You can open those files with WordPad and the line ends will be fine. I find it annoying too, but having this simple work around is nice. I have Notepad, WordPad, and Edit.com all in my SendTo to make dealing with such things much easier.

      --

      -]Phreak Out[-
    72. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Isn't it 100% clear that it wasn't Microsoft that zipped this for external distribution?

    73. Re:So the question is by Soul-Burn666 · · Score: 1

      Use the Win32 version of gvim!

      --
      ^_^
    74. Re:So the question is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about vigor? Can't live without clippy.

    75. Re:So the question is by Reziac · · Score: 1

      I think I know the bug you mean; it is fixed in WinXP, don't know about Win2K.

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    76. Re:So the question is by Phroggy · · Score: 1

      I think I know the bug you mean; it is fixed in WinXP, don't know about Win2K.

      Ah! It occurred to me after posting that it might be; Microsoft has definitely been moving towards Linux compatibility lately (I discovered this week that "ls" now works in XP, which is great because I've been typing it by mistake in Windows since about 1997).

      --
      $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
      $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
    77. Re:So the question is by Reziac · · Score: 1

      [laugh] I'm not even a *NIXhead and there are situations when my fingers produce "ls" anyway :) But I'm accustomed to the old DOS version of ls. Wish someone would update it so it groks long file names, since occasionally it's handy (different style of output is sometimes useful).

      IE's view source sends HTML to Notepad by default. On Win9*, it's a mess, all one line with end-of-line represented by the nonprintable character block. On WinXP, it looks perfectly normal, indents and all. This is why I think they fixed the bug.

      [blink] You mean UNIX ls *runs* on XP now? cuz I just typed "ls" in a console window (that machine doesn't have all my DOS tools on it yet), and XPPro stuck out its tongue at me. :(

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    78. Re:So the question is by Phroggy · · Score: 1

      Hmm, well, it was on a school computer, and I wouldn't expect the campus IT staff to install a third-party "ls" program. However, my friend's Server2k3 box doesn't have it, so... I dunno.

      --
      $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
      $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
    79. Re:So the question is by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I've never seen that bug. Instead what it does is that instead of inserting a CR, it just draws a little "box" character, which is a placeholder in a font for a real character. This has been my experience in every version of Windows from 95 up. (I haven't tried opening a Unix-style text file in 2k3, but I have in every other Windows.) Oh, and not NT3.51, but I've done it in NT4.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    80. Re:So the question is by Reziac · · Score: 1

      Likely was the old DOS ls then (if not an updated cousin) ... I've encountered it in strange places, on systems owned by people who have absolutely no use for it :)

      I'd guess ls gets treated by some folk the same was I do Vern Buerg's LIST: I think it is a required part of every PC, so I leave a trail of LIST droppings everywhere I go :)

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    81. Re:So the question is by Phroggy · · Score: 1

      I believe it does that for \r (CR), which is the Mac standard. \n (LF) is the UNIX standard, and that's where this bug comes up. I might have these backwards, but I don't think so...

      --
      $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
      $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
  8. Microsoft ads by onyxruby · · Score: 1

    So, does the leak coverage story mean no more Microsoft ads? Haven't seen one since the story broke and they've started to become a staple here.

    1. Re:Microsoft ads by trmj · · Score: 1

      Dunno about you, but I haven't seen one here since I spent $5 several months ago. Or any other for that matter. You'd be pretty amazed at how long it takes to view 1000 slashdot pages.

      --
      Work sucked, until it became unemployment, when it became slightly more tolerable. -Tet
  9. Traces back to Mainsoft? by sp00 · · Score: 2, Redundant

    EWeek is reporting that Mainsoft, a partner with Microsoft, is the source of the source code leak.

    1. Re:Traces back to Mainsoft? by sp00 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Microsoft will probably use this to thier advantage: "The leaked code ... was apparently removed from a Linux computer "

    2. Re:Traces back to Mainsoft? by cozziewozzie · · Score: 5, Interesting

      The link seems to be slashdotted, but isn't that the company which ported IE to Unix and was rumoured to be doing something similar for MS Office?

    3. Re:Traces back to Mainsoft? by symptoma · · Score: 1

      But of course, the Mainsoft webpage says nothing about the leak.

      --
      == This ANTONY has Super Cow Powers.
    4. Re:Traces back to Mainsoft? by HiThere · · Score: 2, Insightful

      They would have reported more accurately if they reported "X claimed that...etc."

      We are offered no evidence of what happened beyond assertions. And MS is not so honorable that I will accept their word as truth without more proof. Mainsoft? Well, I don't know them, but they are reportedly a willing partner with MS, and this is not something in their favor. It's not proof that they are a bunch of lying treacherous deceitful scoundrels. Perfectly decent companies have been known to work with MS. You can find their corpses all around.

      --

      I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
    5. Re:Traces back to Mainsoft? by Bendebecker · · Score: 1

      Yep, they'll push for DRM on all windows computers and proprietary standards for all documents that will prevent windows documents from being even viewable in linux. I would not eb suprised at all if it turns out that this was an intentional leak by M$.

      --
      There's a growing sense that even if The Future comes,
      most of us won't be able to afford it.
      -- Lemmy
    6. Re:Traces back to Mainsoft? by SirTalon42 · · Score: 1

      someone should compare the dates of the core dump file w/ that of the ones created by the virus (.eml files) if the core dump is older that will lower the chances of it being on a linux box

    7. Re:Traces back to Mainsoft? by Blob+Pet · · Score: 2, Informative

      They indeed did port IE to UNIX and include in there development kits. I think it's hightly possible to port office through Mainsoft (I know notepad was lol), but judging by the performance of apps ported to Unix via mainsoft compared to their native windows performance, I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.

      --
      "...today consumers have been conditioned to think of beer when they see a bullfrog..."
    8. Re:Traces back to Mainsoft? by hal9000 · · Score: 1

      Dude shouldn't have used grep's -I flag when trying to cover his tracks. :)

      --
      Look out honey, 'cause I'm using technology; Ain't got time to make no apology
  10. Lesson for the kids out there by prostoalex · · Score: 2, Interesting

    eWeek article mentions that leaked code was not traced to the Shared Source licensing program, because there were so many profanities in it.

    I hope the guys who left the f-words in will get a promotion or something for aiding the investigation.

    1. Re:Lesson for the kids out there by kevin_conaway · · Score: 1

      Where does it say that? I see nothing of the sort in the eWeek article from this posting.

    2. Re:Lesson for the kids out there by prostoalex · · Score: 3, Informative
      My bad. In my Fire$ANIMAL browser I had two tabs open, quoted the wrong one. The quote actually belongs to Jupiter Media analyst Joe Wilcox:
      Folks who have seen the code report quite a few profane remarks by developers. Microsoft typically sanitizes comments for source code used in the Shared Source program. That the code contains these remarks has Microsoft believing the leak did not come through the Shared Source program.
    3. Re:Lesson for the kids out there by AxelTorvalds · · Score: 2, Insightful

      This is good. How many companies have the source to windows? IBM, ComHpaq, Motorola, a handful of others. With HP falling limp on Itanium and Sun being Sun, IBM is kind of in this poised-to-take-over position. We all now 64bit computing is spelled POWER... SCO is already beating up on them, it would be natural for MS to try to hang something like this on them.

    4. Re:Lesson for the kids out there by FatAlb3rt · · Score: 1

      actually, I found that pretty funny - profanity can be quite prevalent in my debug output...anyone else do this?

    5. Re:Lesson for the kids out there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nope. .... well, none of the good programmers.

    6. Re:Lesson for the kids out there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hmm... I guess that means that what you get through the Shared Source licensing program is not the real windows source code but something scrubbed squeaky clean. So if for example you have aquired the source via SS to audit it, it's in reality useless. I knew that the SS source couldn't be built into a working installation, but I distinctively remember MS saying that it is the actual Windows code you get.

    7. Re:Lesson for the kids out there by FatAlb3rt · · Score: 1

      #include <stdio.h>

      void main() {
      printf("well, screw you then.\n");
      }

  11. I wonder how MS stock will react by TeamLive · · Score: 1

    It will be interesting to see how Microsoft stock will react. Also, I wonder how this will affect MS's security patching process.

    --
    one world | many people
    1. Re:I wonder how MS stock will react by sp00 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Steadily droppingtoday...

    2. Re:I wonder how MS stock will react by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This sort of thing isn't even going to hit TheAverageJoe's radar screen unless it becomes a full-on meme. Microsoft will do everything in its power to stamp it out (and they have big boots).

      Just look at SCO--the stockholders have, or at least were sticking with 'em. As they pressed their lawsuit, the stock just went up. Perhaps tech-ignorant MS shareholders will think something along the lines of "must be some darn good code if those crazy hackers are so hot for it--and MS says no problem, so I'll buy more!"

      Most "wingtips" simply aren't Slashdot readers.

    3. Re:I wonder how MS stock will react by metallicagoaltender · · Score: 1

      Considering CNN is now covering the story, I really doubt it's going to be kept that quiet.

      http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/internet/02/13/micros oft.code.ap/index.html

    4. Re:I wonder how MS stock will react by KirkH · · Score: 1

      But then again so is the entire NASDAQ, so it's probably unrelated.

    5. Re:I wonder how MS stock will react by JavaLord · · Score: 3, Interesting

      ask yourself why it isn't on the front page of cnn? Or at least on the front page under techology. Isn't the microsoft source code leak a bigger story than some silly write up on stock market AI and the FCC screwing with the internet?

      Microsoft is after all the largest tech company in the world, and windows is it's flagship product. I wonder why this isn't being covered more by the mainstream press. Maybe it's my geekiness talking, but this is a big story at least the biggest tech story of the day.

    6. Re:I wonder how MS stock will react by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      "Microsoft is after all the largest tech company in the world"

      I think IBM may have issues with this.

    7. Re:I wonder how MS stock will react by JavaLord · · Score: 1

      "Microsoft is after all the largest tech company in the world"

      I think IBM may have issues with this.


      This is a bit off topic, but perhaps I could have phrased it better. Microsoft Windows is the most run software (if you count OS's as software) in the world might have been more accurate.

      I could make an argument for Microsoft being bigger than IBM, based on the fact that their Market Value is larger than IBM and despite the fact that IBM makes more in Sales, Microsoft makes more in profits. which is what counts.

      To jump back on topic, the fact remains that most home users run Microsoft windows, so they might be interested in this news. It is far more interesting to the general public, than the current CNN front page technology offerings...

      Can technology build a better Buffett?
      FCC starts rewriting Internet rules

      Heck CNN has an article on how one of the dixie chicks is pregnant in their "top stories" section. This is a top story? Bigger than the OS that has 85-90% market share getting it's source code stolen? The OS that most "common" people run? I would say the microsoft story is much more interesting than a dixie chick getting knocked up. That could be my tech bias talking though.

    8. Re:I wonder how MS stock will react by An+Anonymous+Hero · · Score: 1
      [Yeah, Offtopic. Sue me.]

      Tancredo for president in 2008...Save our industry! [tancredo.org]

      Uh, oh. So this guy is, quote, "Leading Immigration Reform". His "plan would result in zero net legal immigration for five years". He "believe[s] that President Bush is tremendously capable, and [is] immensely thankful that he is our president as we prosecute the war on terror".

      Sorry man, xenophobia only creates problems, it never solved any. Where does you sense of entitlement come from?

    9. Re:I wonder how MS stock will react by Shockmaster · · Score: 1

      Actually, it was on the front page of CNN.com this morning around 11 AM EST. Kindly remove the tin foil hat, sir.

      --

      ---
      Take it sleazy,
      -The Shockmaster

    10. Re:I wonder how MS stock will react by JavaLord · · Score: 1

      [akk more off topic! The mods will live]

      Sorry man, xenophobia only creates problems, it never solved any. Where does you sense of entitlement come from?

      Xenophobia is not immigration reform. For some reason the attitude of the press and many US citizens is that any anti-immigration stance is considered racist and xenophobic. This simply isn't true. I believe the INS is a clusterfuck, and hasn't been doing their job for years. I think Illegal immigration is a security threat for obvious reasons, and on top of that it's unfair to the people who wait to immigrate legally.

      I would like to see immigration halted for a few years until we have an INS and immigration system that isn't easly abused. I am for immigration, I just think the current state of the system is a mess. I would like to see illegal immigration cracked down on, and eventually, MORE legal immigration allowed. I have no problem with people coming to this country and working here. I do have a problem with people sneaking into the country and working for $2 a day. I have a BIGGER problem with the people who hire them and basically use them as slave labor.

      The argument that Americans wont do these jobs (housecleaning, hard labor) is total horeshit.

      On the common topic that comes up on slashdot, the H1-B visa, I'm not crazy about that either. It's clearly being used to hire cheap labor from India. It's not a matter of India having better programmers, it's a matter of the CEO's trying to save a few nickels to put in their own pockets.

      I say, forget the visa's, bring them over here make them US citizens and let them compete in our market and have to pay for housing and food over here. Either that, or force the Indian government into allowing one American to immigrate to India and work for every one Indian that has some kind of work visa here. You see, the funny part is that the Indian governement DOESNT give work visas. So if an American programmer wanted to move to india and work from there to take advantage of the low income housing and food, he/she couldn't!

      I pesonally have a job in IT, which I have no threat of losing to outsourcing. However I feel for those coming out of college, and those who aren't taking computer science in college because they fear they won't be able to get a tech job.

      You can claim Xenphobia, or call me a racist but nothing is further from the truth. It's like todays McCarthyism in the US press. God forbid you say anything that the left, or some minorty group might not like. You get branded a racist.

      I always find this line of thinking curious...How does being for immigration reform = xenophobia?

    11. Re:I wonder how MS stock will react by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ok, so it was up for an hour and hour and a half? I'm sure it wasn't there at 12pm when I took my lunch that day....It's not a bigger story than the dixie chick getting knocked up? Or the AI piece that was up there? Cmon, give me a break.

  12. One editing change needed in story by burgburgburg · · Score: 5, Funny
    long-time Redmond partner Mainsoft.

    formerly long-time Redmond partner Mainsoft.

    1. Re:One editing change needed in story by Jon_E · · Score: 1

      sounds to me like a setup .. think about it, a primarily *nix based company working on porting MS apps leaks code and gives Microsoft the ability to now say - "that code over there in the OpenSource movement was based on our ideas here that were leaked back in .."

      crafty indeed if true .. but more fascinating is the juxtaposition of the 2 software development models surrounding code review as is being bantered about in some of the interviews. You're facing off closed code review process to an open code review process - effectively a monarchy or closed republic to a relatively more complete democracy. Political indeed!

  13. Maybe this will force their hand... by curtoid · · Score: 0, Redundant

    All the bugs will now be visible and accessible...
    Maybe they will be forced to allow the "million eyeballs" to fix them.
    Save Yourselves! GPL the code...

  14. From Rich Bowen's blog... by tcopeland · · Score: 5, Insightful
    ...right here:

    Second, we're going to see lawsuits in the next 2 years where Microsoft identifies code in Linux, added after February 10, 2004, which are either copied from, or influenced by, the Windows source code. And, as absurd as this is, it will be used to have, as Microsoft would say, a chilling effect on innovation.

    Hm. I bet Andrew Morton has better things to do then trawl through WinNT code. Staying away from it does seem safest, though...
    1. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by guacamolefoo · · Score: 4, Interesting

      ...right here:

      Second, we're going to see lawsuits in the next 2 years where Microsoft identifies code in Linux, added after February 10, 2004, which are either copied from, or influenced by, the Windows source code. And, as absurd as this is, it will be used to have, as Microsoft would say, a chilling effect on innovation.

      Hm. I bet Andrew Morton has better things to do then trawl through WinNT code. Staying away from it does seem safest, though...


      Part of future kernen maintenance should probably include comparisons against this code, just to be safe. The worst possible thing would be for some witless idiot to include any of it into any OSS project and have this miss final review.

      IMHO, rather than chortling over this disclosure, I'd rather have the code be kept completely secret by MSFT. Unfortunately, information is hard to keep secret when so may people have it.

      GF.

    2. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by Knuckles · · Score: 3, Insightful

      information is hard to keep secret

      Someone's gotta say it: Information wants to be free.

      As misused as this sentence is (esp. on /.), I think we see its true meaning at work here: Information, due to its inherent properties, tends to spread, and needs active containment to keep it secret. These measures can and will fail at some point in time

      --
      "When I first heard Daydream Nation it quite frankly scared the living shit out of me." -- Matthew Stearns
    3. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by HiThere · · Score: 1

      The problem is guarding against the code without looking at it.

      How do you prevent something like a particular piece of code being contributed without looking at that code? I feel this is probably a non-trivial problem.

      The best guarantee is probabaly (IANAL):
      1) Don't look
      2) Don't take substantial chunks of code from people that you don't trust, even if it looks good
      3) The kernel is probably significanlty different from the MS system, so most of the code is probably unuseable anyway.
      4) To violate copyright one must use a substantial chunk of code in a place where there are several reasonable options as to how the code can be structured. I.e., if there's only one reasonable way to do it, someone else's copyright can't stop you from doing it. (E.g., you can't copyright the spelling of, say, Walpurgisnacht.)

      Note that patents don't have the save restrictions as copyrights. But then patents don't require that you know about them ahead of time, either. (Well, neither does copyright, as certain musicians have discovered.)

      The problem is that the courts are run by lawyers. Convincing several lawyers that there is only one, or are only a very few, reasonable ways to do something isn't guaranteed to be successful. Musicians have discovered that they can't make reasonable arguments about why they must progress from this note to that note via one of a small number of emotionally appropriate chord/tempo sequences. There may be only one way to accomplish the emotional transform that they are attempting, but the courts aren't willing to accept that as a valid argument. So specialist can't always convince a collection of lawyers that there really IS only one valid way to do the thing. Still, the law is on the side of the implementor, when that's the case. This may be scant comfort, however, if the judge rules against you.

      --

      I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
    4. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by DF5JT · · Score: 1

      "Part of future kernen maintenance should probably include comparisons against this code, just to be safe. "

      Since no other entity than Microsoft is officially allowed to access the Windows code, every kernel patch should be sent to them as of today. That way one can be sure not to have any tainted code in an OSS project.

      Hmm, why limit this to the kernel? Hell, let's swamp Microsoft with patches and modifications to *every* OSS project and let them decide whether it copied from the leaked code or not. If they say it is, they'll have to come forward with specificity (does that term ring a bell?) of file and line.

      I like that.

    5. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Part of future kernen maintenance should probably include comparisons against this code, just to be safe.

      Why? I don't understand. They would have to prove that the code in question was exactly the same as their's, just like SCO... errr, um, never mind!

    6. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by AssClown2520 · · Score: 1
      I especially like your comment posted right after his entry:

      I took the liberty of posting a link to this entry to Slashdot... enjoy the traffic :-)

      Why not add an dr. evil laugh onto the end of that...

    7. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by nametaken · · Score: 1


      "Part of future kernen maintenance should probably include comparisons against this code, just to be safe. The worst possible thing would be for some witless idiot to include any of it into any OSS project and have this miss final review."

      I think this is a good idea. But what scares me more is, if there is often a best way to do something, will this preclude a programmer from doing it?

    8. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by jrumney · · Score: 2, Interesting
      How do you prevent something like a particular piece of code being contributed without looking at that code? I feel this is probably a non-trivial problem.

      It needs a volunteer who agrees to screen patches, but does not contribute any code. That person would have to have legal access to Microsoft's code, using the leaked code would not be acceptable, and due to the MS NDA they have to sign, could probably only accept or reject patches in full without being specific about which parts of the code have been copied. But I expect that if a contributer was found to have been copying code, they would be considered untrustworthy and the maintainers would not want anything that is contributed by them anyway, so this is not really a disadvantage.

    9. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by ahg · · Score: 1

      I don't think MS will go after the Linux kernel. Afterall, as others have pointed out, it's unlikely that WinNT code will be useful to Linux. (What techinical merits does it have that we need ?)

      However, what it does have, the Win32 API is where Microsoft will attack. Wine, and it's commerical version from Code Weavers will be likely targets. Wine hits Microsoft where it hurts the most, the ability to run Office and other countless Windows programs that keep their customers locked into their products. It will only be a matter of time before MS suggests that any siginificant improvements to Wine's capabilities couldn't have been accomplished without access to the their source. Just as Wine is starting to really shine.

      It will be another SCOing

      --

      --Aaron Greenberg

    10. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by canajin56 · · Score: 1
      How do you prevent something like a particular piece of code being contributed without looking at that code? I feel this is probably a non-trivial problem.
      Hmm, sounds like a job for a quantum inferometer. All we'll need are some lasers and some partially silvered mirrors.
      --
      ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI
    11. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      "Second, we're going to see lawsuits in the next 2 years where Microsoft identifies code in Linux, added after February 10, 2004, which are either copied from, or influenced by, the Windows source code. And, as absurd as this is, it will be used to have, as Microsoft would say, a chilling effect on innovation."

      And they say open source is viral.

    12. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >either copied from, or influenced

      Copied from, okay. But how can they prove if the code was influenced by the leak.
      Let's say in three months from now some anonymous student for Armenia submits patches to wine fixing numerous programs. As long as there isn't any code copied (eg.: variable names, repeating same mistakes even though it's not need for compatibility &c.) how can anyone tell if he discoverd it reading leaked sources or wasted all his free time with a debugger?

    13. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >Let's say in three months from now some anonymous student for Armenia
      >submits patches to wine fixing numerous programs.
      By all means please do. And we'll worry when microsoft sues.

    14. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by whittrash · · Score: 1

      I wonder if it is possible to write a program which creates a comparison image with some kind of reverse compiler, that takes the NT/2000code, and somehow distills it to something which can be used to check similarities and unique sequences and events, perhaps using a graphical picture, a derived fractal geometry, DNA/fingerpring like process identification. It would be effective and useful if you could audit things in multiple ways quickly and without being exposed to actual lines of code and doing so in an automated way. Ideally, this program would be administered by a neutral third party, who could do a review if anything came up by searching the patent office and verifying copyrights somehow. You could also know quickly where you might have an IP problem. In an ideal world, you could just do a Google search for things similar to what you are doing, and instantly be made aware that you were violating a patent or were stepping on a copyright.

    15. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by nmos · · Score: 1

      How do you prevent something like a particular piece of code being contributed without looking at that code? I feel this is probably a non-trivial problem.

      Didn't Eric Raymond claim to have created a tool for this sort of thing?

    16. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by nmos · · Score: 1

      Part of future kernen maintenance should probably include comparisons against this code, just to be safe.

      It seems unlikely to me that Windows code would fit in the Linux kernel without VERY heavy modifications (probably involving a sledge hammer). I guess if my Linux boxes start BSODing 5 minutes after I've gone home for the day we'll know I was wrong.

    17. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The opposite should happen...Linux supporters (read: not the ones writing the code) shold be pouring over the MS source code looking for parts where the code is the same. It would be good for the OS community to know just how strict MS's policy on using GPl'd code is.

    18. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by Geckoman · · Score: 1

      Does it count as copyright/patent infringement if you look at how MS coded something, then do the exact opposite?

    19. Re:From Rich Bowen's blog... by Reziac · · Score: 1

      Couldn't this be automated? In fact, it could be run by Microsoft, with their codebase in escrow to prevent "cheating":

      Submit your open source code to their comparison engine, it runs your code against M$'s codebase, and if significant contigousness (not SCO-style coincidence, and not BSD code) is found, then your code would be referred to a human for closer perusal (since after all some routines are pretty universally used). If it is determined to be infringing, then everyone involved should have access to the relevant source for followup work.

      Once determined "clean" (by either automated engine or subsequent human), the code could receive a "certificate of noninfringement", and after that it would be immune to any legal challenge by Microsoft.

      It doesn't matter if M$ people see opensource code (like they can't already??), and this would prevent external people from needlessly seeing M$ code. Everybody happy, or at least protected from legal challenges.

      As you say, tho, someone found code-pilfering can't be regarded as trustworthy anyway, so who'd want their tainted code in the first place??

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  15. You Should Not Be Cheering by Pave+Low · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What occured here looks like corporate espionage and theft, plain and simple. Whoever leaked this should be caught, and sent to Federal pound-you-in-the-ass prison. I know everyone here loves to hate on M$ (hahah funny), but nobody deserves to have their hard earned work lifted without their permission.

    --
    SIG:Slashdot: indymedia for nerds.
    1. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Null_Void · · Score: 1

      I have to agree. As much as I prefer to use open source software, I have to say that I respect MicroSoft's desire to decide their own code policies.

      Huh. This post really doesn't serve a purpose.

    2. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not only that, but this puts the OSS community at risk of being "tainted." Stay away.

      I agree.. I hope the leaker ends up getting lubed and pounded.

    3. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Yea!

      Fuck what happened to Stacker, Apple (quicktime) and all the other companies that MSFT stole from! Forget they perjury about the source code being a National secret (right before they let China have a copy)

    4. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by packethead · · Score: 1

      You're right. I hate M$'s tactics too, but this is their property.

      I mean imagine if someone had stolen Disney's source and made a porno version of the Little Mermaid...

      --
      .sig
    5. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Wireless+Joe · · Score: 5, Interesting

      "...nobody deserves to have their hard earned work lifted without their permission..."

      I agree...just ask Burst.com
    6. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by pirhana · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Not trolling, but I am asking out of curiousity. What is the problem of this leakage ? This should not be helping virus writers or such miscreants much as there are source code available for linux and so many other softwares. if that was the case linux and other open source softwares would have been targetted a lot. And microsoft says their code is definitely on par with linux. Now if you say, its their intellectual property, anyway its protected by patents and copyrights. Its not going to appear tomorrow in some competeting alternatives just because it was leaked. The only REAL problem is , if the microsoft source code is of very poor quality and contain a lot of bugs, then virus writers or crackers could make use of it and exploit it. But I will not have much sympathy for them in that case.

    7. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      Whoever leaked this should be caught, and sent to Federal pound-you-in-the-ass prison.

      So you are saying that you think that prison rape is a valid punishment for stealing source code? Wow. That is pretty harsh. Maybe you would feel more comftorable among your own kind in a country like Saudi Arabia or Iran where cruel and unusual punishment is the rule of the day.

    8. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why are Americans so opposed to gay marriage even though they use gay sex as part of their system of justice? Is gay sex the usual punishment for this type of crime? Americans are strange.

    9. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You should go to pound-you-in-the-ass prison.

    10. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by ProtonMotiveForce · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Oh boy, a crybaby company suing MS because they were too incompetent to compete in the real market. Yeah - that's the heart of irony. Pfft.

    11. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shut the hell up, you piece of shit. I KNEW some dumbass would make a comment about "oooh PRISON RAPE IS FUNNY!? BLAH BLAH BLAH."

      Yes, prison rape is funny. If it wasn't, it wouldn't be the butt of many jokes. Move your pansy hippy ass on to another spot. FUck you.

    12. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by tchueh · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I have to disagree. Linux and other open source software aren't targetted, not because of the quality of the code, but because less people use it. Also, those who do are less likely to unintentionally "aid" the spread of the virus. Thus, the main reason linux isn't targetted more by viruses is because it's not as worth it to right a virus for linux. If linux had 50% of the install base of desktops, you can bet your bottom dollar it'll be seeing a lot more viruses... maybe not 50%, but definitely a whole lot more than it's seeing now.

      This probably won't unleash some sudden barrage of viruses targetting windows 2000, but more than likely it will help virus writers or such miscreants from causing the trouble they look to cause.

    13. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by koh · · Score: 5, Interesting
      The main prejudice may be caused by nastier side-effects such as a grep and analyse on all source code comments.

      Imagine the impact, if, say, the following comment is found in the IE PNG rendering engine :
      // don't know what this struct member does,
      // maybe transparency ?? too lazy to lookup
      // docs, leave as is for now
      This would be a hard time for PR given their current objectives... and I don't even think about security-related comments ;)

      (Disclaimer: this example is FICTIOUS. I do not have access to the code in any way. If such a comment is found, I hereby promise to imediately cease and desist watching Deadzone.)

      --
      Karma cannot be described by words alone.
    14. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by ogre57 · · Score: 1
      .. What is the problem of this leakage ? .. The only REAL problem is , if the microsoft source code is of very poor quality ..

      It appears you answer your own question.

      Have you ever seen the Netscape source, or run across comments about it? Seems to be generally agreed that source was a spaghetti mess. Been a while, know MS used to distribute the current MFC source code (iirc with MSC++ v7.0). The MFC source made the Netscape source look good. Wish I was exaggerating. It (MFC) could have been used in C++ classes as a negative example, as in "don't do this, or this, and never ever do this".

    15. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by pirhana · · Score: 2, Informative

      >> Linux and other open source software aren't targetted, not because of the quality of the code, but because less people use it.

      When would people stop this bullshit ? This has been answered by many. I would repeat it . Why there is more vulnerability/attack against IIS than Apache ? why track record of IIS is worse than Apache? I am not saying that bigger install base is not a reason for microsoft to be targetted more. But its just ONE OF THE MANY reasons and not the prime one even.

    16. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      So you are saying that you think that prison rape is a valid punishment for stealing source code? Wow. That is pretty harsh. Maybe you would feel more comftorable among your own kind in a country like Saudi Arabia or Iran where cruel and unusual punishment is the rule of the day.

      You support a governement that allows prison rape to run unchecked. Why don't you speak out about this issue? It's your tax money. You pay for criminals to be ass raped. Maybe you would feel more comfortable in Saudi Arabia or Iran.

    17. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by HiThere · · Score: 1

      I any company deserves to lose something valuable that was a mortal threat to the company, MS is that company. It may be legally wrong to steal from a thief, but it's certainly less wrong than to steal from someone who's honest.

      The real reason that cheering is a poor reactions, is that this does no harm to MS, and does considerable harm to FOSS. This means extra work + extra danger for all FOSS projects. Somehow we need to guard against the code being contributed WITHOUT LOOKING AT IT. Not an easy task. There are, fortunately, several mitigating factors, e.g., it would probably be quite difficult to modify the code into some useful form. The person who contributed it would be themselves at considerable legal risk. etc. (But it makes record keeping even more important.)

      --

      I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
    18. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by j-turkey · · Score: 1
      What occured here looks like corporate espionage and theft, plain and simple. Whoever leaked this should be caught, and sent to Federal pound-you-in-the-ass prison. I know everyone here loves to hate on M$ (hahah funny), but nobody deserves to have their hard earned work lifted without their permission.

      That's one way to look at this. Another is that it's nice to be able to say "I told you so". Especially when you're taking a stand against conventional wisdom.

      From where I sit -- "security through obscurity" is just plain dumb. I've been saying it for a long time. Now, folks are preparing for an onslaught of worms from new exploits found. Well, now is my chance to say "I told you so".

      If you'll excuse me, I need to start closing ports on the Windows side of our corporate firewall.

      --

      -Turkey

    19. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Frankly, this is not the first time such a thing has happened, either. I honestly wonder if some of this leaked/stolen code will become the heart of more Microsoft lawsuits.

    20. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by teklob · · Score: 1

      Not quite.
      Nobody 'rights' any viruses for Linux because they'd have to get people to run it as root. If more people used it, there might be more viruses, but they wouldn't spread nearly as rapidly as windows viruses. Also the *legal* open-source nature of the Linux code lends itself to peer review and fixing bugs and exploits, whereas with Windows only MS can fix bugs, and if you try to point one out you get ignored and/or sued.

    21. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's write not right you ignorant fucktard.

      Learn english.

    22. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by the_mad_poster · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yay for ignorance! Alive and well on Slashdot!

      Quick! Give me an answer as to why the juciest targets are almost all running Linux/BSD/Unix but a bunch of crappy Windows machines with no strategic value what-so-ever are the constant victims of widespread, non-spam worms and viruses (I'll give benefit-of-the-doubt to Windows in the case of spam worms because of the need for wide deployment which makes Windows the perfect target)?

      Oh, you can't give me an answer? That would be because no matter how hard you try, Windows is a homogenous environment with minimal control given to the system owner, whereas the *nix philosophy of piece-mealing a system means it's difficult to find well-maintained *nix systems that are reasonably similar such that a single exploit would work effectively across all of them. This is something *nix figured out 25 years ago. It's something Microsoft is just beginning to understand and incorporate into things like Win2003.

      Oh, and of course there's always the fact that Windows is built on an inherently flawed philosophy of consumer marketability above all other concerns. Translation: If you care about network security, Windows sucks. Deal with it. Stop making unsubstantiated, lame brain excuses that don't even have so much as anecdotal evidence to support them. I'm tired of making excuses for it. Again and again Microsoft has proven that they can't be trusted when security is of any concern at all. If you can't recognize the pattern they developed over the last 15 years for themselves, that's YOUR problem, but don't bring your apologizing attitude over to Linux which has a pretty damn good track record.

      I'll bet MY bottom dollar on all of THAT, thank you very much.

      --
      Alito: A vote for Alito is a punch in the eye to put that bitch back in her place!
    23. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe, but if it turns out that it was a security flaw in Windows that allowed the code to be stolen, then I'd say they DO deserve it.

    24. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh boy, crybaby MS, too incompetent to keep their source hidden.

    25. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      While I agree that those responsible should be delt with, I don't think rape and forced sodomy are an exceptable punishment in any civilized country. Why do people put up with this crap, prisons should offer protetcion to those threatened with this, and punish those who commit it. Rape in Jail is still rape, just because thier not cute cvollege chicks isn't reason enough to withhold your compassion.

    26. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      private/inet/mshtml/imgfilt/pngfilt/cpngfilt.cpp:1 245
      // BUGBUG we really should preserve the full 16-bit values
      // for proper transparent calculation but our main client,
      // MSHTML, doesn't preserve the RGB values at 16-bit resolution
      // either so it doesn't matter.

      private/inet/mshtml/imgfilt/pngfilt/sca nline.cpp:320
      // alpha not gamma corrected

      private/inet/mshtml/src/site/download /pnglib/pngrtran.c:1357
      #if defined(PNG_READ_BACKGROUND_SUPPORTED)
      /* replace any alpha or transparency with the supplied background color.
      background is the color (in rgb or grey or palette index, as
      appropriate). note that paletted files are taken care of elsewhere */

    27. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative
      From cpngfilt.cpp:
      // BUGBUG we really should preserve the full 16-bit values
      // for proper transparent calculation but our main client,
      // MSHTML, doesn't preserve the RGB values at 16-bit resolution
      // either so it doesn't matter.
    28. Re:You Should Not Be Cheering by Bob+Davis,+Retired · · Score: 1

      You're assuming that everything is equal. As Gates would say "That's simply not true!" Linux is engineered in a completely different way than Windows. If it were true that the only thing keeping virus writers away from a target is lack of numbers, why do we see a dozen or more exploits for MS IIS for every one Apache exploit? Surely, Apache runs more web sites than IIS - we should be seeing many more worms etc. targeting Apache.

      You have discovered a red herring, and I hope you don't try to take your flawed chain of reasoning to the bank. It's worthless.

  16. from the eweek article by squarefish · · Score: 5, Funny

    References to MainWin can also be found throughout the leaked source files, which do not compile into a usable form of Windows.

    I don't think any code can claim this, no matter M$ says

    --
    Creationists are a lot like zombies. Slow, but powerful and numerous. And they all want to eat our brains.
    1. Re:from the eweek article by Myopic · · Score: 1

      oh man that's funny

    2. Re:from the eweek article by Dalcius · · Score: 1

      > "the leaked source files ... do not compile into a usable form of Windows."

      "I don't think any code can claim this, no matter M$ says"

      Maybe they really do have a non-buggy OS. ;)

      --
      ~Dalcius
      Rome wasn't burnt in a day.
    3. Re:from the eweek article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Its a trick statement... There is no usable form of windows.

    4. Re:from the eweek article by gnu-generation-one · · Score: 1

      "the leaked source files, which do not compile into a usable form of Windows."

      As opposed to the full source-code?

  17. Twofer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Now I can play Half-life 2 on Windows 2000 all while keeping it real.

  18. BBC Q&A by MoonFog · · Score: 4, Informative

    BBC also has a Q&A on the recent event, including thoughts on how this may impact Microsoft themselves.

    Microsoft has said that this represents about 15% of the total source code for the operating system. It is not enough to recreate the operating system.

    1. Re:BBC Q&A by ZoneGray · · Score: 5, Funny

      Sure, it's only 15% of the code... but the only missing component is Internet Explorer.

    2. Re:BBC Q&A by OriginalArlen · · Score: 1
      There's a Washington Post article that has some more info. (Full disclosure - spotted on Full Disclosure list.)

      --

      Everything I needed to know about life, I learnt from Blake's Seven
    3. Re:BBC Q&A by OriginalArlen · · Score: 1
      No, there's an .../MSHTML directory in there. Presumably that's IE. My sense (as a non-C coder I don't mind taking the risk of squinting at it ;) is that whilst it is only a small portion of the total codebase, it's the core - the guts - the kernel, if you will - of the OS. Plenty of scope for finding 0day in there.

      My question to all the IANALs out there is this: whilst a copyrighted work cannot be released under (eg) the GPL if someone were to break into MS.com, steal the code, slap a license.txt file in there and slap it up on sourceforge, once something's out in the open it becomes de facto public domain - ie OUT OF COPYRIGHT. Wasn't that the issue with deCSS - the key was supposedly "stolen" from a leaky player, but was in effect in the public domain by virtue of it's wide distribution? Couldn't the same thing happen here? And if so, does that mean that anyone can distribute their own version of Windows? Actually if it's 15% the size of the whole thing it's probably about right for a de-bloated OS :)

      --

      Everything I needed to know about life, I learnt from Blake's Seven
    4. Re:BBC Q&A by BobTheLawyer · · Score: 1

      IAAL, and that's complete nonsense

    5. Re:BBC Q&A by Sique · · Score: 1

      Just because something is open in the public doesn't waive the copyrights. CNN can be watched by approximately 2 billion people everyday, and the news still have the (c)CNN thingy.

      It works the other way around: Copyright was made to allow you to publish something without fearing that now everyone can copy and use it.

      --
      .sig: Sique *sigh*
    6. Re:BBC Q&A by Grotus · · Score: 1
      My question to all the IANALs out there is this: whilst a copyrighted work cannot be released under (eg) the GPL if someone were to break into MS.com, steal the code, slap a license.txt file in there and slap it up on sourceforge, once something's out in the open it becomes de facto public domain - ie OUT OF COPYRIGHT.


      For a real world example of this not being the case, see any number of free weekly newspapers in most major metropolitan areas. All the stories in those papers are still protected by copyright, despite the fact that anybody can get a copy of the paper for free.
      --
      "From my cold, dead hands you damn, dirty apes!" - CH
    7. Re:BBC Q&A by kinnell · · Score: 1
      the only missing component is Internet Explorer

      Maybe someone could integrate the leaked code with Mozilla. It would be like the OS equivalent of Brundlefly.

      --
      If I seem short sighted, it is because I stand on the shoulders of midgets
    8. Re:BBC Q&A by Schnapple · · Score: 1
      15% of the total source code for the operating system
      Isn't that what they said about the Half-Life 2 source as well? You know, the source that built complete executables?
  19. Can't wait to read.... by linuxrunner · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The first reports on how buggy the code really is... This will either refute or prove what the OSS community has always thought.

    That OS software is viewed by many, and therefore fixed by many.

    If there are holes.... it's just going to be some sort of patch fest / orgy. Redhat, MDK, et al, should get positioned just in case.

    --
    www.slightlycrewed.com - Because aren't we all?
    1. Re:Can't wait to read.... by NickFortune · · Score: 1
      Why would the FOSS community want to improve Little Willy's product?

      Aside from previous comments about the danger of being deemed "tainted" in a court of law, he hasn't done us any favours recently, and there is no garuantee the patches will be used or that anyone will benefit. Sounds like a non-starter to me.

      --
      Don't let THEM immanentize the Eschaton!
    2. Re:Can't wait to read.... by linuxrunner · · Score: 1

      Nah, it was more to imply that MS will be creating patches for all the holes that will now be FOUND in the code.

      i.e., A hole is found and exploited, therefore MS is forced to release a patch for it.

      You're non-starter is now reving up and speeding away!

      --
      www.slightlycrewed.com - Because aren't we all?
    3. Re:Can't wait to read.... by NickFortune · · Score: 1
      mmm... I didn't put that as clearly as I might have done. What I meant was that, aside from a certain element of oneupmanship, there is no benefit for the OS community in publicising bugs and plenty of reasons why it might be inadvisable. It improves the product of a company dedicated to eradicating open-source; it potentially taints the finder of the bug; it might even be illegal under the DMCA if the bug has an exploit. I think revealing such bugs might be ill-advised is the point.

      Anyway, they're in no hurry to patch the ones thay already know about - I can't see why they'd give special attention to ones found by the likes of us.

      Nope - I still ain't betting on it.

      --
      Don't let THEM immanentize the Eschaton!
  20. Mainsoft is to blame... by JamesP · · Score: 5, Interesting

    THe most astonishing phrase is this:
    Analysis indicates files within the leaked archive are only a subset of the Windows source code, which was licensed to Mainsoft for use in the company's MainWin product. MainWin utilizes the source to create native Unix versions of Windows applications.

    Mainsoft says it has incorporated millions of lines of untouched Windows code into MainWin.


    WHAT?!?!!?!??

    --
    how long until /. fixes commenting on Chrome?
    1. Re:Mainsoft is to blame... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      http://osnews.com/comment.php?news_id=6000&offset= 135&rows=150#199742

      I used to work for Mainsoft on that very product. I was the first, or close to the first, person working on the product to port source from Win NT into mainwin. In 1995.

      What I found was that it was relatively easy to just import source code from Win NT source into Mainwin and have it just work. We'd also found that with modules such as Common Controls and the MFC layers, that we could just copy the source over, do a small number of tweaks, and use it.

      The guys who began the mainwin product, Jose Luu and Gregory Popovitch, are fabulous software engineers. They created a great foundation through which they originally reverse engineered a lot of the Win32 system, and later that foundation proved solid enough to just reuse NT source code with little modification.

      After the coup in which I was laid off, I heard that they were working hand-in-hand with Microsoft to port more and more NT source into mainwin so that the Internet Explorer port to Unix would be great.

      - David Herron

  21. This can't be the first time by Schemat1c · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The company I worked for 12 years ago was licensed to get part of the Windows 3.1 code in order to interface our product with theirs. There must be 1000's of companies that do this and have been doing this. I'm amazed it took this long for someone to finally steal it and post it.

    --

    "Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everybody agrees that it is old enough to know better." - Unknown
    1. Re:This can't be the first time by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Indeed there are thousands of organizations with source licenses to various parts of various versions of windows. What's strange is, some of these organizations happen to be in countries where Microsoft's actions are not winning friends, such as in Germany, which I'd bet on being the first one to literally place a ban on Microsoft doing business at all in that country, and China, where a contract with a US company is worth more as toilet paper.

  22. While discussing with friends today... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    we were talking about how dangerous it would be for linux coders to look at it, after all the SCO mess. To which a friend replied it would be dangerous for anyone to look at it, considering how ugly it must be.

    Anyone wanna bet microsoft programmers are hoping that their code doesn't show up with their name on it, for fear of public embarassment? Of course programming for microsoft is probably embarassing enough. No bob, I'm not working for microsoft, I'm doing gay porn!

    1. Re:While discussing with friends today... by s-orbital · · Score: 1

      Reminds me of our Sr. & Faculty banquet in high school, where the teachers reminise about our class, and make fun of our futures. I was the school Liux guru, and the ignorant teachers were talking about me being an M$ exec someday! Ah, the horrors!!!

      --
      Patent: from Latin patere, to be open
    2. Re:While discussing with friends today... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Of course programming for microsoft is probably embarassing enough. No bob, I'm not working for microsoft, I'm doing gay porn!

      Oh yeah, man! It's so embarassing to have a secure job, good stock options, and a high salary in this economy!

      How can they drive their Porsches in public!?

    3. Re:While discussing with friends today... by KarmaMB84 · · Score: 1

      If you can manage to become a non-contracted employee.

  23. apparently it was MSPaint by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    I read somewhere that the bulk of the code that has been analysed so far turned out to be MSPaint.

    In other news Fark releases FarkPaint. Photoshop-larity ensues.

  24. In a related story.... by tackaberry · · Score: 1, Funny

    SCO after reviewing the leaked source code claims it contains SCO code and will move forward with IP claims against Microsoft.

    1. Re:In a related story.... by graniteMonkey · · Score: 1

      And the followup stories:

      Microsoft Sues SCO for Trade Secret Violations

      Darl McBride Cries Like a Little Girl

      World Is a Better Place

      --

      This is a manual virus. Copy it to your sig and help me spread!
    2. Re:In a related story.... by iabervon · · Score: 1

      And just in time for Microsoft to pay for another license...

    3. Re:In a related story.... by fredrikj · · Score: 1

      SCO vs. Microsoft would be like slug vs. giant squid. In more than one sense.

    4. Re:In a related story.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "SCO vs. Microsoft would be like slug vs. giant squid."

      note the penguin's primary food is fish and squid

    5. Re:In a related story.... by Isaac-Lew · · Score: 1

      I believe Microsoft paid SCO for a license to use their (SCO's) IP (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

    6. Re:In a related story.... by Delfny · · Score: 0

      Well, this is how it really happened: SCO licensed Win source from MS as many others did. Then they found some SCO code in it and called Bill who said: "Hm! I don't know - we just copied some stuff from Linux!".

  25. This is serious by Sparky77 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now that the source code to Paint is out there, we can expect many derivative works to surface in the coming months. The impact on the graphics software market will be devestating.

    --
    One bad monkey spoils the whole barrel.
    1. Re:This is serious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      They will sue anyone else who combines pinball with space based on derivative works now.

    2. Re:This is serious by kabocox · · Score: 4, Funny

      You forgot the 3 most important Windows Programs of all time: WinMin, Solitaire, and FreeCell. The card game market is doomed now!

    3. Re:This is serious by orthogonal · · Score: 5, Funny

      Now that the source code to Paint is out there, we can expect many derivative works to surface in the coming months. The impact on the graphics software market will be devastating.

      But, but, Microsoft spent thousands of man-hours of laborious and innovative research to come up with the Bitmap format!

      Oh dear god! Will the secret of the Bitmap format be made available to just anyone?

      The world will be turned upside down!

    4. Re:This is serious by Jerf · · Score: 1

      The world will be turned upside down!

      IIRC correctly, the bitmap format is already upside down. (i.e., the first image byte is on the last row of the image) So turning the world upside down would just put it upright again.

    5. Re:This is serious by Phroggy · · Score: 1

      Back in 1996 I reverse-engineered the bitmap format using a hex editor and wrote a Q-BASIC program to read and render them. I think I only worked with a fixed size or fixed bit depth or something, so I didn't bother trying to figure out the complete spec, but could have with more time.

      Did you know BMP files are written upside-down? The bottom row is written first (after headers) and the top row last.

      --
      $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
      $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
    6. Re:This is serious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I just wanted you to know that I -- unlike certain other replyers -- actually got the joke about the world becoming turned upside down. Thank you.

    7. Re:This is serious by orthogonal · · Score: 1

      I just wanted you to know that I -- unlike certain other replyers -- actually got the joke about the world becoming turned upside down. Thank you.

      No, thank you.

      Just call me Lord Cornwallis.

    8. Re:This is serious by Soul-Burn666 · · Score: 1

      Actually, the file listing shows around 100 source files in the paintbrush directory. The Qt/KDE equivelant would be something like what... 10 files?

      --
      ^_^
    9. Re:This is serious by Reziac · · Score: 1

      M$Paint is based on ZSoft's PC Paintbrush for DOS, first released in 1985. The current incarnation is still almost identical to the original (which I ran on my 286). It's added a couple file formats and got rid of the paste-cropping bug, but otherwise behaves exactly the same as it did 19 years ago. (This was also some of the core code in older versions of CorelDraw.)

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    10. Re:This is serious by Short+Circuit · · Score: 1

      Nobody appreciates a good pun, these dais though.

    11. Re:This is serious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We're all very impressed that you get the joke. Have a cookie.

  26. If you've downloaded the source code by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Get yourself an attorney, you've broken the law. Possible PATRIOT act violations at play and also financial compensation to MicroSoft may be required.

    1. Re:If you've downloaded the source code by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      hello this is the world calling, 191 countries dont really give a shit about PATRIOT acts or any other usa rubbish

      enjoy your stay

    2. Re:If you've downloaded the source code by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well said. FUCK M$ Imperialism! I really hope that Black Hats rape your ass Billy Boy. You deserve it.

      OSS means freedom for ALL. Not just for the Microsoftees KKK Americans.

  27. it escaped! by Extrymas · · Score: 5, Funny

    "It is not clear at this point how the three and a half year-old source code escaped Mainsoft."

    You know.. It's simple: code wants to be free

    1. Re:it escaped! by e.colli · · Score: 0

      "It is not clear at this point how the three and a half year-old source code escaped Mainsoft."
      You know.. It's simple: code wants to be free


      Hummm, "three and a half year-old" I think it's grown enought to walk.

  28. Its because they trusted Linux!!!!!! by GoofyBoy · · Score: 5, Funny

    >The leaked code includes 30,915 files and was apparently removed from a Linux computer used by Mainsoft for development purposes.

    I wonder what Linux security hole allowed that to happen.

    LAUGH, ITS A JOKE.

    --
    The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
    1. Re:Its because they trusted Linux!!!!!! by Lizard_King · · Score: 1

      Even though you're joking... this can be used as huge public relations BFG pointed directly at Linux. They can push the "Our code was on Linux, it was stolen, so Linux is somehow insecure" angle.

      Everyone seems to be rejoicing about this - I don't think this situation is good for anyone.

      --
      "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." - Jack Nicholson
    2. Re:Its because they trusted Linux!!!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > I wonder what Linux security hole allowed that to happen.

      I suspect the usual one - the system's administrator.

    3. Re:Its because they trusted Linux!!!!!! by bfree · · Score: 1

      Wouldn't it be ironic if it was stolen off the Linux computer because someone exploited a hole which existed back in this leaked code (whether patches are available or not) which gave them access to it from a windows box? Of course if someone just clicked on the link to read that 7bit binary attachment (maybe on their laptop which they copied the source onto) then they deserve to be hanged from the towers of redmond by their left clicking finger for the next 20 years.

      --

      Never underestimate the dark side of the Source

    4. Re:Its because they trusted Linux!!!!!! by theCoder · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I don't think this situation is good for anyone.

      You're wrong -- it's good for Microsoft.

      No competitor to MS can look at the code and expect to survive a lawsuit (at least if they compete well enought with MS). So, MS isn't going to lose any money like that.

      Piracy isn't an issue -- Windows is already pirated enough, and MS probably profits from it in the end anyway.

      As far as new vulnerabilities being discovered, well, MS already gets a mostly free ride from 90% of the population (who think they're computer viruses, not Outlook worms), so it doesn't matter that much, and probably won't hurt their bottom line (all they really care about in the end).

      In the end, MS gets lots of free publicity as the victim. I don't see a downside for them.

      --
      "Save the whales, feed the hungry, free the mallocs" -- author unknown
    5. Re:Its because they trusted Linux!!!!!! by Tokerat · · Score: 1

      In the end, MS gets lots of free publicity as the victim. I don't see a downside for them.
      The fact that anyone, including, well, anyone, who wants to get their hands on the source code to the more secure of the Windows releases now can, I can't see that as being good for MS or their customers.

      Watch, in a few days, they'll claim source code from Windows has made it into Linux, and begin "innovating" their way to the top once again... :-(
      --
      CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?
    6. Re:Its because they trusted Linux!!!!!! by HiThere · · Score: 1

      Do be a bit careful. There's no evidence that it was stolen from a Linux computer, though the sentences have been crafted to cause that conclusion. The evidence is that it was stored on a Linux computer. Possibly it was moved from there to somewhere else.

      And there's also no evidence that it escaped through a "security hole", or that the security hole wasn't "social engineering".

      There are many possibilities consistent with the evidence as presented, though the story/Press Release (I looks more like a press release) was crafted to cause people to jump to the same concluson that you did. Straightforward lying isn't what's happening here, think weasel words.

      --

      I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
    7. Re:Its because they trusted Linux!!!!!! by g_goblin · · Score: 0

      I wonder what Linux security hole allowed that to happen

      Who says the dump wasn't burnt to cd's. I didn't see anywhere where they said the box was compromised. If MainSoft opened it to the internet(NAT or Default Gateway), they deserve what they got. M$ for that matter as well. And yes, I did use the $.

    8. Re:Its because they trusted Linux!!!!!! by GoofyBoy · · Score: 1

      > I didn't see anywhere where they said the box was compromised.

      Did you see the part where I said it was a joke?

      --
      The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
    9. Re:Its because they trusted Linux!!!!!! by Thomas+Shaddack · · Score: 1

      Not necessarily. According to some reports, good chunks of the code are pretty lousy. Such pieces can be used as powerful argument to convince openness-sceptical managers that proprietary code is not necessarily less crappy than the open one.

    10. Re:Its because they trusted Linux!!!!!! by TrancePhreak · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I'm sure it's a good idea to bring up to your supervisor that you were looking at this real_working_windows_code and that it was insecure. That'll go over real well. Just make sure they get it all on tape for the trial.

      --

      -]Phreak Out[-
    11. Re:Its because they trusted Linux!!!!!! by Thomas+Shaddack · · Score: 1

      If you don't write code as your job, it's irrelevant for the management if you saw it or not. Besides, meetings don't tend to be recorded, at least not all and not the less formal ones. Ever had one?

    12. Re:Its because they trusted Linux!!!!!! by TrancePhreak · · Score: 1

      No, it's still someone else's work, looking upon which is illegal. Management could see you as a risk, one that they don't want. Not all meetings are recorded, no. However, the more important ones there is usually someone who writes down most if not all that was said.

      --

      -]Phreak Out[-
    13. Re:Its because they trusted Linux!!!!!! by Thomas+Shaddack · · Score: 1

      In that case it's time to either change the management for more trusting one, or be thankful for living in a country with less lawyers per capita.

  29. Short selling.. by freerecords · · Score: 1

    The Microsoft stock is dropping rapidly.. unfortunately for their investors - especially with the events of the past two weeks!

    I got some rather interesting feedback yesterday when I asked if OS coders would use this to improve Wine and whether that would be legitimate. Of course I was flamed! But hey. Now answer this - why would looking at the code instantly taint you from joining any OS initiative. ie. If you had seen the code, what would stop you from coding part of a new groupware client, or what would stop you from coding an OS DVD Player.. I'm sure the effects aren't so far reaching?
    Please don't be too harsh on me - I'm stupid!

    --
    tim
    1. Re:Short selling.. by DarkVader · · Score: 1

      Well, you should probably give it some time first.

      If you actually use the code, it would be a copyright infringement, of course, so you can't just do that.

      And right now, it still has trade secret status. But in a year or two, that status should disappear as it's no longer secret.

      But, right now, you'd be tainted by having seen trade secrets.

    2. Re:Short selling.. by ed333 · · Score: 1

      If you are writing a paper, and you read books and articles relating to your subject, you can paraphrase and still have a new original work. I don't understand how code is different. If I read the source code to see MS's solution to a particular problem, put it down, and go code my own solution, what is the problem? As long as I've not copied any part of the code verbatim, how can they say I've incorporated their code into my own?

    3. Re:Short selling.. by spitzak · · Score: 1

      Copying the code is definately illegal.

      In reality, looking at the code is not a problem. The person in trouble is the one who released it (and it does sound like somebody at Mainsoft did this). If looking at code was bad, you could project it on a huge wall in Times square and suddenly make hundreds of thousands of people liable to a Microsoft lawsuit! This is obviously ludricous.

      There are plenty of former and even current Microsoft employees who have looked at Microsoft's code and then contributed to non-Microsoft products such as OSS and competing companies closed-source. Microsoft has not gone after them.

    4. Re:Short selling.. by DarkVader · · Score: 1

      It's not the copyright at that point, it's the trade secret laws that cause you a problem.

  30. Linux was involved according to an article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    According to this article, Linux was involved:
    http://www.betanews.com/article.php3?si d=107667411 8

    1. Re:Linux was involved according to an article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    2. Re:Linux was involved according to an article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Clues to the source code's origin lie in a "core dump" file, which is left by the Linux operating system to record the memory a program is using when it crashes."
      Of course, this is due to a Linux security bug. I can already see the headlines from MS.

  31. Which is it? by onyxruby · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Is this damaging because 15% of the source to the NT / W2K tree was leaked and we're all suddenly vulnerable or is this no big deal since the code is three years old and it's only 15%? I haven't heard anyone talking about DRM, activation or serial code being in the leak, so I just don't see how this could affect MS other than to help interoperability of other software.

    1. Re:Which is it? by byolinux · · Score: 1, Redundant

      Spoke to someone in Microsoft Support today, they told me it was less than 1% of the OS code.

      Playing it down, obviously.

      I personally, have no interest in the source, just like I have no interest in the OS.

    2. Re:Which is it? by Naffer · · Score: 3, Interesting

      An article run by the BBC says that Microsoft never releases cryptographic/DRM/activation portions of the source to its partner companies. If this release really did come from "Mainsoft" then it doesn't contain any of that that stuff which I'm sure Microsoft is happy about.

  32. DirectLinux by swordboy · · Score: 1

    I can't wait for DirectX on Linux. Or Linux on NTFS.

    --

    Life is the leading cause of death in America.
    1. Re:DirectLinux by mwilliamson · · Score: 1

      There already is full NTFS read/write support on Linux. http://www.jankratochvil.net/project/captive/ allows full and safe read/write of NTFS drives/partitions.

    2. Re:DirectLinux by s4m7 · · Score: 0

      I can't wait for DirectX on Linux. Or Linux on NTFS.

      Yeah, who would want to be stuck with the vastly superior alternatives, SDL and EXT3.

      --
      This comment is fully compliant with RFC 527.
    3. Re:DirectLinux by Thomas+Shaddack · · Score: 1

      EXT3 support is irrelevant when you have a rescue boot CD in your hand and are approaching a crashed NT machine with disks full of NTFS, or when somebody comes with a removable disk in NTFS format. DirectX support is important for running non-native code under emulators. If nobody would have any compatibility requirements, you'd be correct, though.

  33. This isn't the first time their code was leaked... by cozziewozzie · · Score: 2, Interesting

    And knowing how prompt Microsoft are at fixing known exploits, I really wonder how anybody can consider their products secure. I mean, Valve cited the code leak as the reason for a long rewrite and delay for Half-Life 2 (it's a bloody GAME!), and Microsoft downplays such incidents. We have a new model: Security through ignoring.

  34. BUT...will it compile by RLiegh · · Score: 0

    on Microsoft's mythological free command-line tools which are allegedly free for download?

    1. Re:BUT...will it compile by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Quit talking out of your ass. Here's the webpages to said tools:
      .Net Framework Redistributable
      You need this for the .Net SDK.

      .Net Framework SDK
      Includes cl.exe (compiler) and link.exe (linker). No C++ libraries though. You can create basic C programs that rely only on the standard library.

      Windows Platform SDK
      You may need to lie about your user-agent or use IE to see the right-hand links. Includes the Windows API and header files needed for C++. The .cab archives are currently down. Until then, order the $8.95 CD to get it. I'd wager MS took it down because of this source leak.
  35. DON'T TOUCH IT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Redundant

    If you work on open source... or anything else for that matter.. DON'T TOUCH THIS WITH A 50-FOOT POLE!

    Touching this source could make you "tainted" and could give MS or others cause to sue you or shut down your project for assumed trade secret violations. They might not win, but you don't want to have to go to the trouble of being hauled into court over this.

    Not that there would be anything all that interesting.. I saw the file listing and it looks like fairly standard stuff... but just the fact that you've seen it could cause tainting to occur.

    I repeat: DO NOT TOUCH THIS CODE! Do not download it, look at it, or think about it. Forget that it exists.

    <hat type="foil">
    Could MS have leaked this intentionally, to bait the OSS community and prepare for a SCO-esque assault?
    </hat>

    1. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT by Stugots · · Score: 1

      This is the billionth time this opinion has been voiced in /. over the last two days. Why is it moded as Informative?

    2. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT by DroopyStonx · · Score: 1

      um.. why is this modded up? Sorry, but it has to be the *most* asinine opinion ever.

      Reading the source will "taint" me as a developer? Uh.. I don't think so!

      Sorry, but if looking at this code affects how you program, then I have to question your skills as a developer.

      Also, this is WINDOWS source code. If anything, it's an example of what not to do, but if you discover a better method of doing something and you use it, how would MS know you took it from windows source?

      MS can't magically see into your programs and say "oh, he took that from Windows source code!!!"

      --
      We have secretly replaced these Slashdot mods' sense of humor with a rusty nail. Let's see if they notice!!
    3. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This file listing?

    4. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT by k98sven · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If you work on open source... or anything else for that matter.. DON'T TOUCH THIS WITH A 50-FOOT POLE!

      This is an exaggeration. YES, you are legally safer if you don't look at that code. Or any code for that matter.

      But this idea that looking at someone else's source code would permanently and irrevocably taint you and make it impossible to work on any open source project is just ridiculous.

      BSD was written by people with the full sources to Unix. People with Unix source licenses have contributed to Linux too.

      AFAIK, noone out there is planning to use this to build a Windows clone. If they did, then they might be in trouble.

      But if someone uses this for documenting previously undocmented APIs, and that documentation is subsequently used to improve windows emulation (for example), that is legal.
      (With the exception of the copyright infringement necessary to aquire the leaked source)

      Now, trade secrets and patents are a different matter, but you can infringe on those without looking at any MS source as well.

    5. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT by DashEvil · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That's as stupid as saying that I can't look at GPL'ed source code because it would forever taint my ability to be able to code anything outside the GPL.

      --
      -If God wanted people to be better than me, he would have made them that way.
    6. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT by wwest4 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Everyone's saying this like it matters if you look at it or not.

      Just because there is probably no stolen code in the linux kernel didn't stop SCO. Just the possibility of impropriety was enough to cause an uproar.

      MS, as of Feb 10, has an ace in the hole against open source and free software - and they will use it whether or not you look at the source code, and whether or not your future works look anything like this tiny snippet. Just the leak will be enough for them to create more FUD.

    7. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anything that "they" can "haul you into court" over, they can do regardless of whether you have seen this code or not. I know a few people who have seen source code to windows, Digital Unix, Solaris, IBM DB2, and other things of this nature. They were not forced to change careers upon being "tainted", although I did have one co-worker who was for a time, forbidden to travel to certain countries due to export restrictions based on what he had worked on.

      The presence or absense of source code in the wild really doesn't add anything to an infringement case.

    8. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Whatever got released is no longer a trade secret. If it even was in the first place.

    9. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well... let the dust settle. But I would say you can inspect it if you live outside USA. They can not sue you for investigating it - no way.

    10. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT by Ashtead · · Score: 1
      It might seem stupid, but it has been said.

      Here I have the book "DCE/RPC over SMB" by Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton, (ISBN 1-57870-150-3) and in the preface to the Appendix A, which contains GPL source code for Samba, there is this stern warning:

      Please read the [GPL] carefully before proceeding. If you do not agree to or do not understand the terms of the GPL then please do not read or use any of the Source Code in this chapter.

      If you are working for a commercial organization, it is recommended that you consult your legal department with respect to the GPL, as they are likely to advise that you should tear out these pages and burn them.

      So basically, this "tainting" problem can be equally bad in either direction.

      --
      SIGBUS @ NO-07.308
    11. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      MS can't magically see into your programs and say "oh, he took that from Windows source code!!!"

      Obviously you're not an Open Source developer, which is who the original poster was talking to.

    12. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT by spitzak · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This seems to be a popular opinion, but it is false.

      You are buying into the same FUD Microsoft is spewing about the GPL.

      Just looking at the code does not "taint" you. There are plenty of ex-Microsoft employees who have looked at Microsoft source code and have then contributed to non-Microsoft projects (not just OSS, but closed-source from competing companies). Really, are you claiming that a coder that has seen Microsoft's code is legally impossible to employ except at Microsoft? What if some poor sap has seen both Microsoft's code and a competitor like Suns? They can't ever work on software again anywhere?

      Conversely Microsoft hires people all the time that have looked at GPL code. They don't seem worried that these people are "tainted" despite the fact that their public announcements would seem to indicate that it is impossible for such people to work there.

      The person/company in trouble is the one that made the code available. Apparently this is somebody at Mainsoft, who should be punished hard. This sort of behavior is extremely damaging to IT!

    13. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT by Lost+Race · · Score: 1
      I suspect the leak was from a compromised machine. E.g. somebody copied the code onto his notebook, then took the notebook home and caught NIMDA or some other trojan/worm/virus, then a cracker snuck in and snooped around, saw the Windows code, snarfed a copy and posted it somewhere. It's also possible that they guy with the copy on his notebook didn't even know it was there -- he could have inherited it as part of a hand-me-down.

      The guy who took the copy home will probably take the fall (whether he deserves it or not) and the cracker will get away scot-free.

    14. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT by spitzak · · Score: 1

      If this is true and taking the code home was against company policy, then that person should be in trouble anyway.

      However I still suspect that this was done by somebody who had access to the code without cracking or stealing anything. They may not have had permission to see the code, and certainly no permission to upload it to the net, but I suspect there was no physical barrier (even a broken one) to them seeing the code.

      Anybody stealing the code through a crack would probably have noticed and skipped the core file.They might grab everything, but could take their time to clean it up and package it before uploading it to the net, at least enough time to remove junk files. However somebody with legal access to the code would have been tempted to get it onto the net as fast as possible and would thus have sent an entire directory and missed the core file, and would not risk changing the directory or copying the files somewhere else.

    15. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT by BoneFlower · · Score: 1

      Looking at the code does present a risk though, of being tempted to incorporate it or even subconciously choosing a suspiciously similar implementation. It wouldn't be a death sentence to look at it, but you'd have to be *very* careful to avoid landing in trouble.

    16. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Doesn't matter. It's still a stupid opinion and holds no water in anything.

  36. only ~30% of the Source leaked by Puchku · · Score: 1

    Well, i read on El Reg .. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/35547.html and Betanews... http://www.betanews.com/article.php3?sid=107663251 5 That it is only s30% of the source... But hey, that's one hell of a lot.. I Wonder.

  37. Good Grief by illuminata · · Score: 1

    They're just testing to see if the open source software people will actually look at it. Otherwise, you'd know by now that it's just a shitload of ASCII art (like a big page-length piece saying TUX SUX).

    --


    Until Slashdot fixes the funny modifier, use insightful or interesting. The poster knows your intentions.
  38. Structured insight: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1519713

    Today is the day after Windows NT becomes "Open Source", although not by choice. So far what's happened is... speculation and nothing else. As the roller coaster teeters at the top of the track, all walks of I.T. life are assessing the thrills and spills to come. Here follows a collection of views, insights and ruminations on the matter, collected from as many sources as possible.

    Disclaimer: This is a summary of collected opinions on this issue. I am not claiming that any of this will happen, that these views are correct, or that I agree with them. If you spot anything particularly sensationalist or inaccurate here, please make suggestions and correct me.

    Noung says re What will occur the day after Windows NT becomes open source : My understanding is that it hasn't exactly become "Open Source" (by choice or not), as we don't even know how much has been leaked... You should probably point that out as your write-up implies the whole thing is out.

    jasonm says re What will occur the day after Windows NT becomes open source: it's hardly open source. it may be pirated source, but calling it open source misinterprets the term entirely

    In reply to this I can only say that "open source" doesn't necessarily refer to openly licensed code released intently. Although I disagree with jasonm, I do believe that this is an issue which needs clarifying--the source certainly isn't open source in the same way that the Linux kernel or a typical openly licensed project is.

    Microsoft Viewpoint

    With everything out in the open, Microsoft's honesty regarding past issues is going to face heavy exposure. This might lead to legal battles for Microsoft itself, however, the leak is likely to have come from a separate company which the code was licensed to, and it is unlikely that Microsoft would be giving anything containing juicy secrets away to separate entities. Of course, the conspiracy theorists are already up in arms, voicing the possibility that Microsoft released this code their selves with the intention of converting Windows 2000 and NT users into purchasers of their latest operating systems. This is unlikely to be the case if common code is shared between 2000/NT and their latest releases, i.e. XP, else they would effectively be banging the gavel on this too. Microsoft may be forced to publish just how much of Windows XP stems from Win2K/NT.

    archiewood says re What will occur the day after Windows NT becomes open source : You might've heard this already, but an interesting (likelihood of truth aside) theory is that Microsoft released the code deliberately, hoping Windows-derived code segments may eventually end up in Linux. Could be a perfect way to shut down their biggest competitor.

    Already a popular idea is 'grep-ping' through the code for comments, and comparing the contents with released code from separate projects. The Slashdot crowd are literally frothing at the mouth at the thought of picking up on misconduct/incompetence in this code and exposing it. It's well-known that BSD network code exists (licensed) in Windows--a first stop for many will be to hunt this code down and ensure that it has been implemented legally and within terms of the license. This is an example of a known intellectual property issue; code monkeys are going to be much more interested in finding scandals of their own in the code.

    Patches. Will Microsoft accept a more open approach to fixing problems in their code base? This may be a prime opportunity for them to re-license this code, and reap the benefits of the leak using a similar model to the Linux kernel code. However, with Microsoft's track record it's more likely that they will take an SCO-style approach and concentrate on protecting their own IP.

    Hacker Viewpoint

    Black hat, white hat... regardless of their choice in head wear, tinkerers from all disciplines are going to want a piece of the action.

    White hats, the goo

  39. How long will it take? by StuWho · · Score: 5, Funny
    Gentlemen, Ladies, I welcome you to the Microsoft Sweepstake. Crackers and Virus Writers are already in their places, competing for the trophy of being first to write a new exploit using this source code as their inspiration.

    Current favourite, the author of MyDoom, but many youngsters are looking to make their mark in this prestigious contest

    Grab a beer, sit back, and enjoy this great sporting occassion - sponsored by Microsoft, Security Through Obscurity.

    --
    "If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments." Earl Wilson
    1. Re:How long will it take? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why should the source being available aid the Virus writers, I thought that when code is reviewed by many, security would improve...at least that is what all the slashdrones keep telling me....

    2. Re:How long will it take? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're stupid.

  40. Of course it's a small percentage... by SpaceBadger · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...of the total that accepted wisdom says makes up the full source tree, but what percentage of the full source is for the thousands of drivers etc. that really aren't part of the OS proper.

    I wouldn't be so sure that what has leaked is an insignificant portion just because of the number of lines of code.

    1. Re:Of course it's a small percentage... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Good point. I'd like to roll my own binaries, even if it's just the kernel and a few subsystems, with the rest pre-built my Microsoft. Sure would be nice to fix all those bugs / annoyances in the shell at least. Heck, just being able to edit the strings / menus / dialogs would be cool.

    2. Re:Of course it's a small percentage... by TrancePhreak · · Score: 1

      If you have Visual Studio, or probably even just a hex editor, you can edit many of the strings and resources in the executables. Sure it takes a little work, but it's not all that difficult to do. I'd suggest trying on your own programs first, as they may be easier to replace.

      --

      -]Phreak Out[-
    3. Re:Of course it's a small percentage... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      True, but half the time you find that if only you could tweak the code just a little, you could really improve some dialog / menu / string layout / whatever. Editing raw machine language is a royal PITA!

  41. Downplaying ... by ackthpt · · Score: 1
    Microsoft downplaying the escape and distribution of their code is like the town water supply telling you there's some mercury in the water, but don't work about it, it probably won't harm you (much).

    Then, it's probably the best their spin-meisters can come up with while Bill calls an emergency meeting in his office and yells at people (he has yelled at people in his office before.) I can just picture it:

    Bill: <SHOUTING>How did this happen? I want names! I want places! I want heads on poles! And fergodsake don't tell me someone is already distributing versions of Windows(tm) with the registration requirement bypassed!</SHOUTING>
    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  42. It was lifted from a Linux Box by Future+Linux-Guru · · Score: 0, Redundant

    >>BetaNews has learned that Thursday's leak of the Windows 2000 source code originated not from Microsoft, but from long-time Redmond partner Mainsoft.

    The leaked code includes 30,915 files and was apparently removed from a Linux computer used by Mainsoft for development purposes. Dated July 25, 2000, the source code represents Windows 2000 Service Pack 1. ...
    Clues to the source code's origin lie in a "core dump" file, which is left by the Linux operating system to record the memory a program is using when it crashes. Further investigation by BetaNews revealed the machine was likely used by Mainsoft's Director of Technology, Eyal Alaluf.

    http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1526830,00. as p

    Probably "Former" Director of Technology.

    1. Re:It was lifted from a Linux Box by polyp2000 · · Score: 1

      I dont see why it is relevant that it was lifted from a Linux box. It could just as well been Mac or a win32 box.

      By explicitly stating this are they looking to implicate Linux in some way ? I dont get it !

      --
      Electronic Music Made Using Linux http://soundcloud.com/polyp
    2. Re:It was lifted from a Linux Box by Robert1 · · Score: 1

      Because: "Clues to the source code's origin lie in a "core dump" file, which is left by the Linux operating system to record the memory a program is using when it crashes."

    3. Re:It was lifted from a Linux Box by sqlrob · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Or an idiot developer working on a linux box happened to check in the core file with other work.

      I've seen junk like that before, so it's entirely possible.

    4. Re:It was lifted from a Linux Box by spitzak · · Score: 1

      I think more likely the idiot who released this stuff took everything in a directory he found and sent it. That included a core file from when somebody ran something while in that directory and it crashed.

      It is also possible that some innocent person copied the entire directory, including the core file, to another machine or tar or zip file, and the code-releasing person found that and sent it.

      The core file contains enough structure to show that it was produced on a Linux machine.

      None of this has anything to do with cracking or anything. It is almost certain that the guilty party had the ability to read the files without any hack.

  43. What else is in there ? by cyberchondriac · · Score: 1, Redundant

    I'm also wondering if anyone will find any code in there that deliberately breaks other apps, as often claimed in the past. Of course, this would be vehemently denied by MS, and claimed as added in by the thief. Is there any kind of CRC check on this thing ?

    --

    Look back up at my post, now look back down, you're on the Internet. Now look back up. I'm a signature.
  44. All this will do by andih8u · · Score: 1

    Is probably make Microsoft be a bit more proactive about patching their systems. Don't forget that there are also alot of pro-Microsoft people out there who will go through this code and point out the flaws.

    --


    slashdot, news for crazed liberal socialist zealots
  45. Yes but M$ will probably find a way to... by i_want_you_to_throw_ · · Score: 1

    say "Having access to source code is bad. See how damaging it is to us? You want Linux now?"

    Part of OSSs problem is that John Q Public just can't understand the benefits or the way things work with OSS.

  46. Swearing? by thung226 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm shocked to find out that there is profanity in the comments/code. Anybody know specifically what they say? Seems a bit unprofessional.

    M$ Programmer: Well, nobody's going to read this anyway, so "\\f*ck this bullsh*t"

    For personal projects, this is fine (I've vented a bit in my personal coding projects), but I would never do anything like that at work...

    --
    -n-
    1. Re:Swearing? by omega9 · · Score: 5, Informative

      $ grep -Hirn "fuck" /usr/src/linux/*|wc -l

      43

      $ grep -Hirn " shit " /usr/src/linux/*|wc -l

      14

      And one occurrance of "piss". There're more, but I''m not spending more then a minute on this.

      --
      I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it.
    2. Re:Swearing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      For personal projects, this is fine (I've vented a bit in my personal coding projects), but I would never do anything like that at work...

      You have obviously never worked for Microsoft then!

    3. Re:Swearing? by mooingyak · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I wrote a simple utility once that would print out a full year's business calendar.

      Someone else used this to calculate week starting dates going back 7 weeks. He basically took the current week number, and subtracted 1, 2, etc up to 7. It worked just fine for a few months, and then the new year rolled in. Suddenly his program was trying to use my utility to get week number -1, -2, -3, and so on, and then failing because it couldn't.

      Since his logic had been put into place in several different places, it was decided that the simplest solution was to just enable my utility to calculate the few weeks at the end of the previous year rather than hunt down and fix every place he'd used his bad logic.

      When I made the change, I put a comment in the header that read: /* added negative week numbers because (name here) is a f***ing moron. */

      The phrasing in the actual code is not censored.

      Sure it's unprofessional, but I was ticked off at the time and it slipped past my better judgement.

      --
      William of Ockham had no beard. The most likely explanation is that it was chewed off by squirrels every morning.
    4. Re:Swearing? by MullerMn · · Score: 1

      M$ Programmer: Well, nobody's going to read this anyway, so "\\f*ck this bullsh*t"

      I would have thought even an MS programmer would get the slashes in their C++ comments the right way round.

    5. Re:Swearing? by curtisk · · Score: 1

      personal projects, yeah its fine, at work I'd stay off the questionable words, but I do have in-jokes and smartass comments in there

      --

      Sehr geehrter Toilettenbenutzer!

    6. Re:Swearing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny
      Calm down Michael Powell. What's wrong with Matsushita?

      % grep -ir fuck win2k | wc -l
      13

    7. Re:Swearing? by thung226 · · Score: 1

      oops. I'll ask slashdot to compile my posts from now on...

      --
      -n-
    8. Re:Swearing? by COLUG · · Score: 1

      Do the George Carlin "Seven Dirty Words" test:

      $egrep -Hirn '( shit| piss| fuck| cunt| cocksucker| motherfucker| tits)' /usr/src/linux/* | wc -l

      91

    9. Re:Swearing? by Nimloth · · Score: 0
      M$ Programmer: Well, nobody's going to read this anyway, so "\\f*ck this bullsh*t"

      I don't get it... Why would someone name their computer f*ck this bullsh*t?
      I don't even think * is a valid character for a computer name...

      What's that? Oh, you meant that as a comment?
      //Well, nice going there genius.

    10. Re:Swearing? by Morosoph · · Score: 1

      Avoid ScuntHorpe at all costs!

    11. Re:Swearing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      /usr/src/linux-2.4.18/include/asm-mips/mmu_context .h:18:/* Fuck. The f-word is here so you can grep for it :-) */

    12. Re:Swearing? by davechen · · Score: 1

      You missed some shit.

      grep -EHirn "\Wshit\W" * | wc -l

      40

    13. Re:Swearing? by Al+Al+Cool+J · · Score: 2, Funny

      That's nothing. I heard that if you look really close at the 2.6.3 source, you can see Janet Jackson's nipple!

    14. Re:Swearing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, but how many ASCII goatse men are there?

    15. Re:Swearing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ASCII goatsemen?

    16. Re:Swearing? by cpeterso · · Score: 1



      static const char* password = "!seineew era sreenigne epacsteN";

    17. Re:Swearing? by omega9 · · Score: 1

      Actually the spaces in " shit " were put there to specifically avoid Matsushita.

      --
      I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it.
    18. Re:Swearing? by Kirth · · Score: 1

      Well honey, not everyone is US-american and has a problem with swearwords. In the rest of the world, swearing is considered a normal thing and is not subject to some hipocritical "political correctness". We also don't put stars into "fuck" when we write about it.
      --

      --
      "The more prohibitions there are, The poorer the people will be" -- Lao Tse
  47. Ever read MS code? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is easier to read the disassembly, then to read MS code. This will not induce new hacks, but if the OSS ppl start reading it, in the future, MS may suddenly sue and claim it was their stolen code.

  48. SIze??? by freerecords · · Score: 1

    There seems to be varying claims on the size of this code. Geeknews claimed it was 660 mb of "around 30-40gb", whereas another news source claimed that it was "around 13.5 million lines out of 30-50 million lines" can anyone prove either of these theories? Cheers.. Tim

    --
    tim
    1. Re:SIze??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It could be both...

    2. Re:SIze??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      From what a reliable source told me, it's ~208mb ziped and about 700mb unzipped.

  49. The source of the leak by rotomonkey · · Score: 1

    Further investigation by BetaNews revealed the machine was likely used by Mainsoft's Director of Technology, Eyal Alaluf.

    Ouch. Somebody's career is going gently into the good night. Either Alaluf, or the person who set up Mainsoft's security, was pretty dangerously negligent.

  50. should we be looking at this stuff? by mr_burns · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm reminded that last time there was a windows source leak we were all encouraged NOT to look at it, so that we wouldn't have to deal with the source ending up in Linux.

    Seems like a good idea, but...

    Was it ESR that made that nifty app to compare SCO and Linux sources? Could it be fiddled with to see if Linux or other free/open source code made it's way into windows?

    It would be quite a coup if we could somehow legally show that they stole from the community without having to deal with the gnarly mess of windows code finding it's way into Linux.

    I'm not implying that such a thing HAS happened, but we're presented with an opportunity here.

    --
    "Let him go, Ralph. He knows what he's doing." --Otto Mann (simpsons)
    1. Re:should we be looking at this stuff? by roman_mir · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I doubt it very much. FreeBSD code maybe found there but no Linux kernel code, MS don't need a better kernel, they need a better overal architecture that is not a gigantic blob of DLLs all linked to each other and difficult to split into standalone meaningfull packages. That's their argument, not mine, remember - IE cannot be safely removed from Windows?

    2. Re:should we be looking at this stuff? by bfree · · Score: 1

      Under the new schemes where governments could have people look at the windows source, could someone not do this form of comparison against the full Windows tree? I can't remember all the restriction but would/do they prevent this or prevent them from disclosing what they find?

      --

      Never underestimate the dark side of the Source

  51. crash by zoefff · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Hahaha, according the article: because Linux was not stable, we have now the windows source code

    Clues to the source code's origin lie in a "core dump" file, which is left by the Linux operating system to record the memory a program is using when it crashes.

    joke of the century

    1. Re:crash by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      uhm ya... i've never had any apps seg fault on me... what is a seg fault?

      stupid shit. get off your linux pony and go outside.

  52. This may sound crazy, but M$ would likely gain... by Assmasher · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ...from the source leak if it has occurred at the proper time.

    One of Microsoft's big problems when introducing a new operating system (felt especially strongly when they released XP) is that they often have difficulty moving corporations and smaller companies to the new platform right away.

    Many people still run 2000 (because it was M$'s first decent operating system) instead of XP because they have NO REASON to move to XP.

    All of a sudden, 2000, and NT4 (which are holding strong in their pie-slice of the M$ OS world) have been subjected to enormous security liabilities.

    Obviously the only answer for companies stuck with M$, move to XP! LOL.

    Mighty convenient isn't it?

    --
    Loading...
  53. Security by obscurity? by RT+Alec · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This may illustrate one of the halmarks of open source software-- that software open to prying eyes is inherently more secure than closed source. I won't be surprised if digging through the source reveals a number of exploitable security flaws, perhaps many more than have been revealed with the source closed!

    To paraphrase Bruce Schneier, if I give you the plans to my safe, and 100 identical safes with the combinations so you can study the locking mechanism in detail, and you still can't crack my safe-- that's security!

  54. A Prediction ... by starfire-1 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Maybe I'm a little jaded, but my guess is that in about a year, when we're closer to the Longhorn release, Microsoft will claim that the heritage Win2000/NT4 core is "too compromised" because of this leak and officially discontinue support prior to its seven year life-cycle. Along then along with Win98, everyone will be compelled to migrate to their new products.

    Just a thought... :)

    1. Re:A Prediction ... by cpghost · · Score: 1

      Perhaps Microsoft will finally decide to go open source, like Netscape and Apple?

      --
      cpghost at Cordula's Web.
    2. Re:A Prediction ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe I'm a bit more jaded, but what makes you think this code will not be part of Longhorn?

    3. Re:A Prediction ... by HiThere · · Score: 1

      They won't admit it. Who ever said it wouldn't be part.

      Don't misunderstand things. Longhorn isn't an attempt to fix bugs and holes in MSWind, if it did, why would anyone ever upgrade. It's an intermediate step toward producing a system that expires, so everyone is forced to upgrade. In the final system the upgrade cycle is determined to be whatever MS says it is, the file system is cryptographically locked. (Even if it isn't a secure lock, the DMCA makes it illegal to even make tools to read your files without permission from MS.) And you can't legally read your data when your lease is up. From anything. In any way.

      If you doubt this, trace the history of MS EULAs. (Most of them should still be available. I think it wasn't until MSWindME or MSWindXP that they made it illegal to show the EULA to someone else [e.g., your lawyer]. Well, that's an exaggeration. They didn't make it illegal, you just needed to have your lawyer sit there while the software was installed, so he could read it while it was legally visible.)

      Do I misunderstand things? That's certainly possible. I refused to agree to any of their EULAs after 1998, so I don't personally know the details of the later ones, and am operating on hear-say. But did YOU read and understand them? Did YOU get your lawyer to approve agreeing to them? (The lawyer I consulted about the MSWind2000 license said "It's safe. No court would ever enforce that." He seemed invincibly ignorant that MS was planning to use technical measures to enforce it, and the EULA was just a CYA so that you couldn't object to what they were doing in a court of law.)

      --

      I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
    4. Re:A Prediction ... by petabyte · · Score: 1

      AOL folded Netscape and Apple is very far from OpenSource. Some things (like Darwin) you can look at the source but I don't think I'll be downloading a GPL-ed Final Cut Pro any time soon :).

    5. Re:A Prediction ... by EvilNight · · Score: 1

      Heh. We should be so lucky.

      You do realize the circumstances it's going to take for Microsoft to lose the desktop, yes?

      1) Critical mass of easy to use linux desktop alternatives
      2) A reason to make users look at non-MS alternatives

      We can provide number one, no problem. We're not there yet imo but we're no more than a year, maybe two years, off from the target right now. I'd say linux will meet my desktop needs by 2006. Microsoft will be kind enough to provide us with a number two on their own, given time. Sooner or later it'll cost too much, be too insecure, have license agreements that are too restrictive, or pull the rug out from under a customer and tick them off. If Microsoft pulled a support cut like that to attempt to force Longhorn migration, all they would be doing is killing their own momentum and pushing their users right into linux.

      I'd take any "year of the desktop" predictions with a grain of salt. The real year of the linux desktop is almost certainly going to coincide with either a fresh release of their operating system or the expiration of support for an older version. I'm thinking 2007, myself, as that's when Longhorn will be out of its initial "don't touch it until after SP1" phase and Win2K/2K3 users will be getting pressured to upgrade. Win2K users will be facing discontinuation of support as well. The SCO crap will be over by then, and the GPL will have been tested in court, so the indemnification and other issues surrounding linux at the moment will be a matter of court record and not pie-in-the-sky as they are now. Linux will have reached mainstream consciousness by then as well thanks to the large number of companies promoting it recently. It'll make for an interesting year.

      --
      Hell is being intelligent in a world full of idiots.
  55. it's time by kyshtock · · Score: 0
    Well, now it's time to start a new security company.

    Anybody, any estimation on how soon exploits will appear?

    Hmmm... I'll be selling linux firewalls to companies ;)

    --
    Bite my shiny metal... oops... Nevermind!
  56. Source leak apparently traced back to MS partner by evn · · Score: 0, Redundant

    According to BetaNews the source code was leaked by a company called "MainSoft" which has been a Microsoft partner for as long as the shared source initiative has been in place. Mainsoft makes a product called mainwin which is used to create native UNIX versions versions of Windows software. They go on to say the information was found by looking at a .core file found with the code. See here: http://www.betanews.com/article.php3?sid=107667411 8

  57. wu-ftpd vulnerability strikes again! by Exmet+Paff+Daxx · · Score: 2, Informative

    "The leaked code includes 30,915 files and was apparently removed from a Linux computer used by Mainsoft for development purposes.

    Clues to the source code's origin lie in a "core dump" file, which is left by the Linux operating system to record the memory a program is using when it crashes. Further investigation by BetaNews revealed the machine was likely used by Mainsoft's Director of Technology, Eyal Alaluf."


    Wow, Microsoft's first source code leak in history came from running Linux. And they traced it because Linux's core files make forensics trivial!

    I'm betting there's a lot of folks in Redmond right now saying: "who the hell decided to put Windows code on a Linux box?!!!"

    P.S. Eyal is screwed, right?

    --
    If guns kill people, then CmdrTaco's keyboard misspells words.
    1. Re:wu-ftpd vulnerability strikes again! by spitzak · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Duh: Mainsoft's job was to write a commercial windows-emulation for Unix. There is good reason for them to want to compile some of this code on Linux.

      And this has nothing to do with a crack or security flaw. The code was leaked by somebody who had the ability to read the code anyway. Unless you think Linux's ability to retrieve information from a disk is a security flaw.

    2. Re:wu-ftpd vulnerability strikes again! by the_mad_poster · · Score: 2, Interesting

      INFORMATIVE!?!?! You've been modded INFORMATIVE because you don't have any reading comprehension skills!? How do these people get mod points anyway?

      was apparently removed from a Linux computer

      Would you care to remove your foot from your mouth by explaining how "from" actually means "because of"? The guy could've accidentally ftp'd the damn thing to a public FTP server. Someone may have stolen it locally because he didn't lock his work station. A CORE DUMP COULD'VE BEEN CHECKED INTO A CVS ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MACHINE THAN THE ONE THE CORE DUMP REFERENCES BY THE DIRECTOR BECAUSE HE WAS BEING CARELESS. It is not uncommon for people to check in bizarre shit that doesn't belong in the tree because they're not paying attention.

      On top of that, if it really was an FTP flaw, would you care to explain how that's because of running Linux? Oh, I'm sorry, are there no FTP clients on UNIX? On Windows? Funny. I have a DOS FTP client right here.

      On top of that, core dump files are SUPPOSED to make forensics trivial. The whole POINT is to provide valid information about the process at the time it crapped out so you can figure out what happened.

      It is a POSSIBILITY that a Linux vulnerability exposed the code. Is is not LIKELY and there is no EVIDENCE at this point to even subtly suggest such a thing may be true. Before you go spouting such unbelievably warped bullshit, why don't you try analyzing the facts and firmly grounding yourself in reality first. If you'd done that, you'd realize that nobody knows exactly how it leaked at this point.

      Unbelievable...

      --
      Alito: A vote for Alito is a punch in the eye to put that bitch back in her place!
    3. Re:wu-ftpd vulnerability strikes again! by focitrixilous+P · · Score: 1

      And this has nothing to do with a crack or security flaw. The code was leaked by somebody who had the ability to read the code anyway. Unless you think Linux's ability to retrieve information from a disk is a security flaw.

      And thus Digital Rights Managment was born. Only Windows boxes with proper, paid in full, keys can have such admin rights as READING A UNENCRYPTED HARD DRIVE!

      --
      SAILING MISHAP
  58. Remember the Apple leak? by k98sven · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Anyone around here remember when the Apple QuickDraw code was leaked 1989?

    It started quite a big ruckus, with the media making it out to be the entire OS, and the FBI starting what has been described as more or less a witch-hunt on 'hackers'..

    I would not be surprized to see a repeat of that, substituting 'hackers' for 'file-sharers'..

    1. Re:Remember the Apple leak? by bluewee · · Score: 0

      and all of this boils down to them stinking, axis of evil terrorists. yeah them terrorists, they are the problem...

      --
      [blue] - The Ministry of Information approved this message...
    2. Re:Remember the Apple leak? by arrow · · Score: 1

      Anyone around here remember when the Apple QuickDraw code was leaked 1989?

      Yeah. I remember thinking to my 7 year old self.... oh wait.

      --
      symetrix. We are building a religion, a limited edition.
    3. Re:Remember the Apple leak? by tekrat · · Score: 1

      John Perry Barlow had written extensively about the Quickdraw leak from Apple. Particularly funny was the FBI agent trying to comprehend that the "stolen" code didn't mean that Apple didn't have it anymore. He was thinking of code like a physical object, like when your car is stolen, you need to get it back, because it's gone and no longer in your driveway.

      He couldn't quite grasp that "stolen" code still existed at Apple, and Apple still had access to the code, even though it was "stolen".

      Even funnier was the the group responsible called themselves the New Prometheus Leauge (Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to man). The FBI agent referred to them as the New Prothesis League.

      I don't think the culprits were *ever* caught, although it spurned the FBI into launching their computer crimes division into overdrive, ultimately resulting in the infamous "Operation Sundevil", which netted among other things the "Manual for Computer Crime", also known as "Cyberpunk" by Steve Jackson Games, a paper and pencil RPG.

      --
      If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
  59. INTERNET EXPLORER RELEASED UNDER GPL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Thats right folks. This source code was being used to port IE to linux. As we all know, IE is an integral part of an operating system, therefore the only way to port it to linux is by integrating it into the linux kernel, which means IE is now GPL!

    1. Re:INTERNET EXPLORER RELEASED UNDER GPL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I find that Microsoft Paint is a very good vector programme.

    2. Re:INTERNET EXPLORER RELEASED UNDER GPL by Vicentin · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      Who want's IE on Linux if we have mozilla :P

  60. The DOJ should take a look by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Who doesn't think that there are specific optimizations/workarounds in the Windows source code to allow MS products like Office, SQL Server, etc to have a performance edge over competing 3rd party products?

    Frankly, I think this is the reason why MS is so damn anal about guarding its code. I don't think it has anything to do with security.

  61. hahaha by kkonrad · · Score: 0

    Probably the tcp/ip stack is included in the sources (i guess it has been fixed in SP1)... hahaha
    wonder also if win$hit source may be a violation of sco IP...

    1. Re:hahaha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just you wait. Given the sloppy and dumb way in which Windows has been developed, you can expect an ubber virus much more anoying than MyDoom hitting e-mail boxes soon. If without the source leak Windows was vulnerable, imagine now, the possibilities are endless.

      I'd be buying a Mac now if I were you.

  62. HL2 all over again... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This won't have any impact - remember the HL2 source? Where are the hacked games, the compromised code?

    Same with Windows code - in any case, instead of being a cutting edge game and 3D environment, it's a 4 year old OS... whoopee-doo...

  63. Could this be... by artemis67 · · Score: 0

    a way for Microsoft to undermine those two operating systems and push for corporate users to adopt XP much more rapidly?

    Maybe Microsoft released the source code and is treating it as a leak. After all, it's not the entire source code, and any critical parts may have been rewritten under XP.

    Just a thought.

    1. Re:Could this be... by the_mad_poster · · Score: 1

      I've seen this idea posted a lot, but I don't buy it. Microsoft is downplaying the security implications and saying it is more of an IP issue than anything. Apparently, the piece that were leaked won't represent much of a threat even if flaws are found, and Microsoft is saying as much. I would expect that if they thought it were a security issue, they'd toe that line for the very reason you stated. They're not doing that, however, so I doubt that this is their intent.

      --
      Alito: A vote for Alito is a punch in the eye to put that bitch back in her place!
  64. Will this increase calls for stronger DRM? by G4from128k · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm sure that Microsoft now wishes that it source code files had been locked into self-expiring, heavily encrypted, copy-resistant file formats. Events like this can only increase demands for "Trusted Computing" initiatives that prevent accidental or intentional leakage of security-sensitive intellectual property.

    Given that so many companies outsource or collaborate with a far-flung global network of suppliers -- I'm sure MSFT need only whisper about the threat of leaked trade secrets to get corporate IT to adopt DRM/Trusted computing for everyday use.

    --
    Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
  65. Security through obscurity? by Gothmolly · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Everyone is panicking about how revelation of the source will open Windows up to hacks. In an ideal world, knowing how good code is written shouldn't give away the 'hacks'. In this case, MS is rightfully fearing review of places where they fail to check string lengths or buffer sizes, the way that they handle exceptions (if they do), the way that their logic copes, or fails to cope, with unexpected input.
    However, good code wouldn't have this problem, string lengths would be checked, there wouldn't be hardcoded passwords, components that are not supposed to trust one another really don't, etc.
    This exposure of the source may reveal just how crappy their code is. If its not crappy, I don't see necessarily how its more 'hackable'. Apache is open, and nobody hacks it to pieces on a daily basis. Can you imagine what would happen if the source of IIS was leaked?

    --
    I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
    1. Re:Security through obscurity? by truthsearch · · Score: 2, Informative

      This is very insightful. I've been writing a Windows 2000 service for work. It's in .Net and uses COM components. I can not count how many times I get COM failures with no system errors being raised ("Method '~' of object '~' failed" is the only message we sometimes get, how useful...). And .Net doesn't raise any errors at all on COM failures, so my application has no way to recover or even know something went wrong.

      If they can't even trap and raise errors correctly I can't begin to imagine what a mess some of that code must be like inside.

    2. Re:Security through obscurity? by spitzak · · Score: 1

      I don't think this is as much of a problem as people think.

      Think about it: in source code you have written, do the bugs fix themselves when you look at the code? In almost all cases I have seen, what happens is the program itself crashes or does the wrong thing, and then I have to work damn hard looking at the code to try to figure out why it did so.

      It is true that if you find a crack on Windows through testing, looking at the code may reveal a way to make that crack more dangerous. It might also reveal a way to easily defuse the crack. Unfortunately, unlike Linux, this code is unlikely to allow you to fix it, as apparently you cannot compile a working Windows from it, so patches cannot be tested. You could still make a suggested patch and send it to Microsoft.

      "Security through obscurity" is really a term for when you write some information that you purposely keep secret. For instance a hardcoded password that you assumme won't be located by somebody looking at the compiled program, but is obvious from the code. This is obviously a problem for the released code. However you can be certain that tens of thousands of people have already been able to look at the code (Microsoft empolyeees and partners) and unless Microsoft is run by idiots they realize there are probably hundreds of them who are willing to do evil things with this information. So I really doubt that they rely on security through obscurity. This is also why I doubt there are "smoking gun" comments like "this will make Netscape slower" in the code, either. Such stuff would have been leaked already.

  66. Who has the balls... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    to post (anonymously, of course) individual files of the source to be viewed online?

  67. A strange kind of disaster by Renegade+Lisp · · Score: 1
    Microsoft makes it appear like a giant disaster that their source code leaked to the public. (At the same time, they say , well, it's not that disastrous -- they got it all under control, for sure.) But if it's so devastating when everybody can see your source code, what does that mean for the reputation of open source software, which is founded on that very principle?

    Granted, it may be devastating for Microsoft if everybody sees their code, which was developed under the assumption that nobody else would ever see it.

    Mind you, we always claim that open source is superior because since everyone can look at it, there are less bugs, less security problems, etc.

    Now, when this happens to Microsoft, everybody is worried what security problems might come up.

    I sense a strange kind of double-moral here -- perhaps both on the side of Microsoft, and in the open source community.

  68. Funny Linked article by Smitty825 · · Score: 1

    Heh...there was a funny spot on an article:

    Programmers on Slashdot.org, a new site on the Sourceforge.net open source development site, posted messages urging open source developers to help in the cleanup process to help reduce the possibility of security outbreaks for all customers

    I didn't realize that /. was a new site!

    --

    Doh!
  69. Don't worry, Mr. Gates by Mouth+of+Sauron · · Score: 1

    It's not the end for people to get a gander at your code. Anybody can look at *BSD and Linux, and it is still possible to run a stable system. See, it's not all that bad. :)

  70. The next big announcement... by hussar · · Score: 2, Funny

    SCO is adding Microsoft to its suit, claiming portions of Windows NT are software to which SCO holds the license and which were used without its permission. SCO declined, however, to say what specific lines of code were involved in its claim.

    --

    Bureaucracy loves company.
  71. SO...how long now by RLiegh · · Score: 0

    Until Microsoft succeeds in using this to shut down the entire free software movment by tying it up in the courts?

    Talk about scorched earth tactics...DAMN...and they only had to release 15% of their code to kill Linux, too.

    Amazing, awe-inspiring, even.

  72. usenet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Looks like someone put it on usenet...

    Windows.2000.source.code-NOGROUP - 2 of 2 - "windows_2000_source_code.zip" (*/557) - 203.8M

  73. Possible "culprit" found by Zocalo · · Score: 5, Interesting
    According to this article at the Register, it looks like tracking the source of the leak wasn't that hard owing to very specific comments in the code. The theory is that it's the old tale of boss gets new PC, user inherits old PC and so on at Mainsoft, one of Microsoft's partners. The twist in the tale this time is that the in this case the PC may have ended up on the desk of someone who recognised the code for what it was and decided to post it.

    If this is true, then I suspect that the list of possible culprits is very short and some poor sap who didn't think things through is going to be in *very* hot water indeed early next week.

    --
    UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
    1. Re:Possible "culprit" found by alumshubby · · Score: 1

      Cautionary lesson, then: First thing you do when inheriting a boss' old PC is make him stand there while you show him you're pressing the ENTER key for the command FORMAT C: so you can tell him truthfully you've just voluntarily blown away any legacy files he may have left on your computer.

      --
      "How many light bulbs does it take to change a person?" --BMcC-->
  74. New Coke? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I don't know what types of code (security/importance-wise) were involved, but have we considered that *MS* (and co-conspirators) may actually be behind the "leak" to let some code out and see what the world can find for them? Like a trial balloon?

  75. DON'T TOUCH IT! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    If you want to see something "viral", then by all means. Acessing the source code is only going to do you harm. It's not worth the risk, even if it may provide important answers about the mysteries of Windows.

    Compare it to this:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandora

    The source could do wonderful things. It could allow the use of NTFS on alternate platforms. It could enable major improvements in software like WINE. The benefits could go on and on... BUT IT ISN'T WORTH IT! You will put your own well being, and the well being of the entire programming community (not only open source) at risk if you tamper with this source!

    1. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT! by ryanr · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It's evil!

      Heh, I thought your comment was going to be a TIme Bandits reference.

    2. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT! by Thud457 · · Score: 1

      I thought he just screwed up a MC Hammer reference...

      --

      the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    3. Re:DON'T TOUCH IT! by calidoscope · · Score: 1
      The source could do wonderful things.

      I wonder if some group could pull what Compaq did with their BIOS - have one group go through the BIOS listing for the IBM 5150 and document what everything did - then another group write code to perform the same function without having seen the original code.

      Another possibility is to create instrumented binary executables that could be used to simplify the reverse engineering process.

      And remember, IANAL, nor do I play one on /.

      --
      A Shadeless room is a brighter room.
  76. And? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Their whole .NET framework can be decompiled anyway. In other words, all software created with their next generation languages will be reverse-engineerable (i.e. you can reproduce the source code FROM the product they sell).

    They include a product with their Visual Studio to protect .NET code which does a pretty good job but not that many people use it and MS doesnt really push it.

    If companies start releasing .NET code without protecting it - we'll see this story all the time.

  77. Source was Mainsoft - and from a Linux machine by blorg · · Score: 5, Informative
    "Evil Linux Hackers", perhaps?" Ironically, there is a Linux connection. Betanews is reporting that an analysis of the leaked Microsoft code indicates that it came from Mainsoft, specifically a Linux machine belonging to Mainsoft's Director of Technology.

    Mainsoft specialise in cross-platform development, enabling devlopers to develop using MS tools for deployment on *nix. Interestingly, for the conspiracy theorists, their previous mentions on /. date from 2000 and center around rumours that they were porting Office and IE to Linux. More news on the leak from Internetnews.com and The Register.

    The code is said to be W2k-SP1.

    1. Re:Source was Mainsoft - and from a Linux machine by rmadmin · · Score: 0

      And you didn't see this coming? True or not, Bill is grinning right now. "Oh.. they got some code from back in 2000... woopi.. Oh.. The box it was taken from was a Linux box.. perfect for pointing out how insecure linux really is!!!" Lame.. nothing is going to change.. lets just move on to the next SCO article. :-/ *Snore*

    2. Re:Source was Mainsoft - and from a Linux machine by Mr.+Piddle · · Score: 1

      enabling devlopers to develop using MS tools for deployment on *nix

      If I had to use Visual Studio or whatever they call it now for development, I think my head would explode, as every principle of UNIX and the gross monstrosity of Microsoft would collide not unlike matter and antimatter in my brain. Just thinking about Microsoft's development platform is making me feel ill (binary project files and awkward autocompletion, sure why not...baarfff).

      --
      Vote in November. You won't regret it.
  78. Microsoft, make Windows officially Open Source! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Mr. Gates, I think you should turn Windows into an Open Source product. Forget this whole business of selling software... that is so 20th century and investors are wising up to the disadvantages that closed, proprietary systems present. Microsoft should take the lead of other notable products (JBoss, MySQL, OpenOffice.org, etc.) which are currently stealing market share away from competing Microsoft products and give it away for free, with source code (expletives or not). They can make their money from the sale of documentation and support services, as well as sales of physical media. This way they could achieve their goal of taking away the competitive advantage which the competition, Linux and gang, currently have and they'd pick up a whole bunch of programmers in the Open Source community who would work on it without them having to hire additional development staff.

    Given that they're a public company, it's in their best interest too as it would positively impact their bottom line. They would only need a fraction of their current development staff (programmers are hugely expensive and could be laid off), and with sales of documentation, media, and support services, they'd be able to leverage the advantages of Open Source and increase their margins dramatically while cornering the market. No doubt security would be one of the first areas where improvements are made as well as future ports to other platforms.

    It's a sure win-win for everyone.

    1. Re:Microsoft, make Windows officially Open Source! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Do you actually believe that load of crap you just typed?

      I bet the 30,000+ people who would get laid off view that as win-win huh?

    2. Re:Microsoft, make Windows officially Open Source! by crushinghellhammer · · Score: 1

      I just don't understand this: Forget this whole business of selling software? And why exactly should somebody not sell software? If a company hires and pays developers to write software, it has every right to expect payment for the finished product. How much money would people pay for documentation? It's so easy to scan docs in and share them in any number of formats on the file-sharing networks. I fully support the view that software is too expensive. However, selling an entire operating system for the cost of the media + shipping is rather ridiculous, in my opinion. Let's say that some company tomorrow releases an OS with the best features of Linux and Windows - all the stability, ease of use, a gentle learning curve etc. A lot of work would have gone into the development of this OS. Why should the company sell it for next to nothing? That is as ridiculous as selling it for $1000. Just as if CDs were sold at a reasonable price - say $10 - piracy would not be as rampant, software should also be sold as a reasonable price.

    3. Re:Microsoft, make Windows officially Open Source! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I bet the 30,000+ people who would get laid off view that as win-win huh?

      Get with the program, already! Open Source doesn't mean that these people won't have development jobs. The could contribute as a developer in the Open Source version. Anyone can go to SourceForget and submit code modifications to a project -- doesn't mean it'll get accepted, but they can still contribute. And the new model of software distribution is to make money via support services and documentation. Remember, information wants to be free so it's a good thing Open Source developers are willing to work on the same terms.

    4. Re:Microsoft, make Windows officially Open Source! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh sure they can still sell physical media. Just like you can purchase Linux or BSD distributions on CD/DVD as well. But it should be Open Source because information wants to be free. And the programmers who work on the project will still get rewarded. If anything deserves a reward, it is social contribution. Creativity can be a social contribution, but only in so far as society is free to use the results. If programmers deserve to be rewarded for creating innovative programs, by the same token they deserve to be punished if they restrict the use of these programs.

    5. Re:Microsoft, make Windows officially Open Source! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I could answer that nobody is forced to be a programmer. Most of us cannot manage to get any money for standing on the street and making faces. But we are not, as a result, condemned to spend our lives standing on the street making faces, and starving. We do something else.

      But that is the wrong answer because it accepts your implicit assumption: that without ownership of software, programmers cannot possibly be paid a cent. Supposedly it is all or nothing.

      The real reason programmers will not starve is that it will still be possible for them to get paid for programming; just not paid as much as now.

      Restricting copying is not the only basis for business in software. It is the most common basis because it brings in the most money. If it were prohibited, or rejected by the customer, software business would move to other bases of organization which are now used less often. There are always numerous ways to organize any kind of business.

      Probably programming will not be as lucrative on the new basis as it is now. But that is not an argument against the change. It is not considered an injustice that sales clerks make the salaries that they now do. If programmers made the same, that would not be an injustice either. (In practice they would still make considerably more than that.)

    6. Re:Microsoft, make Windows officially Open Source! by crushinghellhammer · · Score: 1

      I think your argument is flawed and extremely vague at many levels.

      First: You say, "information wants to be free". Information "is". Information cannot "want" to do anything. It is what people do with information that makes information what it is, used in the way it is used etc.

      Second: "And the programmers who work on the project will still get rewarded". My question is - HOW? Society may be free to use the results, but how do(es) the developer(s) earn a living? Surely, society's goodwill is insufficient.

      Third: "If anything deserves a reward, it is social contribution". While this may be true (I'm not so sure it is, without qualifiers), WHAT is the reward?

      Fourth: "If programmers deserve to be rewarded for creating innovative programs, by the same token they deserve to be punished if they restrict the use of these programs". This line of argument is so terribly flawed, I don't have to elaborate

    7. Re:Microsoft, make Windows officially Open Source! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, many people will program with absolutely no monetary incentive. Programming has an irresistible fascination for some people, usually the people who are best at it. For example, there's no shortage of professional musicians who keep at it even though they have no hope of making a living that way.

      Pay for programmers will not disappear, only become less. So the right question is, will anyone program with a reduced monetary incentive? Experience shows that they will. Many of the world's best programmers worked at Open Source companies for far less money than they could have had anywhere else. They got many kinds of non-monetary rewards: fame and appreciation, for example. And creativity is also fun, a reward in itself.

      Then most of them left when offered a chance to do the same interesting work for a lot of money.

      What the facts show is that people will program for reasons other than riches; but if given a chance to make a lot of money as well, they will come to expect and demand it. Low-paying organizations do poorly in competition with high-paying ones, but they do not have to do badly if the high-paying ones are banned.

  79. Honeypot? by guacamolefoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This may be a little paranoid, but is it possible that this whole thing is a honeypot, and now MS can go around pulling SCO type stunts on OSS projects?

    1. Re:Honeypot? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oooh! INSIGHTFUL! Moderate parent up, because this hasn't been repeated two billion times already by now.

    2. Re:Honeypot? by shadowbearer · · Score: 1


      That was my second thought, especially given the timing of this.

      My first thought was "Why hasn't this already happened?"

      SB

      --
      It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
  80. Doesn't this smell? by Cytlid · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Is it just me or does this smell like a stealth PR stunt to you? Gee... source code gets leaked... this hits a few communities right in the nose. Now MS can say "See, open source is bad because all these new viruses are made because our source was leaked" and "File-sharing is bad because this is how this is moving around the internet". It's just too conveniently making MS look like a victim.

    --
    FLR
    1. Re:Doesn't this smell? by thebatlab · · Score: 1

      They were a victim. They can't say "See, open source is bad because all these new viruses are made because our source was leaked" b/c only a gajillionth of the source code was leaked and they've had plenty of viruses before this leak. The amount of code leaked can't give any weight behind a claim like that.

      "File-sharing is bad because this is how this is moving around the internet"

      That's stretching it a bit don't you think?

    2. Re:Doesn't this smell? by theCat · · Score: 1

      ...and "WINE is bad because it simply *must* be tainted."

      I think the WINE folk are automatically in for a huge lawsuit. I pray they can show a development tree in CVS that goes back before this leak. They ought to freeze development and go over all their current code with a comb before they fire the dev back up. Clean clean clean has got to become their religion.

      I'll predict that this episode will open up a new kind of development task; specifically, deliberatly and regularly going over FOSS code to search for Windows code or blatant references to same. I don't know how it can happen without having the code in hand and therefore being vulnerable to a lawsuit, but if projects don't do it somehow and the code is later grepped by Microsoft, and they think they find something SCO-wise it will be hell to pay.

      --
      =^..^= all your rodent are belong to us
  81. Re:This isn't the first time their code was leaked by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    what did you expect? have you ever read the eula?

    XIX) by clicking agree, you agree that you are part of the unpaid alpha testers.

    and in SP3) you are now part of the unpaid beta testers group.

  82. Interesting... by sarastro_us · · Score: 1
    The Eweek story goes out of its way to make sure that it mentions that the source code appears to have come from a linux machine. Notice the sentence:
    Clues to the source code's origin lie in a "core dump" file, which is left by the Linux operating system to record the memory a program is using when it crashes.
  83. happened before by kyoko21 · · Score: 1

    A few years ago the NT source was floating around IRC. Not a complete set though.

  84. I wonder ... by Dlugar · · Score: 1

    I wonder if we'll see responses from Microsoft saying, "See? It's all Linux's fault--darn, insecure Linux full of bugs and backdoors--that allowed our SuperSecret Source Code to be stolen."

    Sounds pretty likely to me ...

    Dlugar

    --
    Computer Go: Writing Software to Play the Ancient Game of Go
    1. Re:I wonder ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow. You're an idiot. On Slashdot. With a low user ID.

      Well, I guess that isn't as surprising as I thought...

  85. So who is the virus here? by baywulf · · Score: 1

    Microsoft compares the GPL to a virus. I guess the Windows source is like a virus in more ways than one.

  86. WHAT HAPPENED TO NATIONAL SECURITY?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Take a look at Kazaa - there's about 100 people sharing Windows source code right this moment. It's impossible to prevent it now. WHAT HAPPENED TO NATIONAL SECURITY? Microsoft said in court in 2002 (?) that it can not publish the source code of Windows because it would be a national threat. Why did the government let it happen if it really is so? Why allow them to show the code to China or Russia or some universities if it is a national threat like Microsoft claimed. Who has screwed up here and what will happen when terrorists will hire hackers to investigate the code?

  87. Does this mean by DangerSteel · · Score: 5, Funny
    We can finally get Clippy integrated into OpenOffice?

    Heck just go for it and make it part of KDE and Gnome !

    1. Re:Does this mean by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm compiling a new version of emacs with Clippy right now.

    2. Re:Does this mean by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We can finally get Clippy integrated into OpenOffice?

      Heck just go for it and make it part of KDE and Gnome !


      You should be in death row.

    3. Re:Does this mean by Phroggy · · Score: 1

      Well, we've already got Vigor...

      --
      $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
      $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
    4. Re:Does this mean by netzwerg · · Score: 1

      If you want real MS style integration, then you'll have to include it in the kernel!

    5. Re:Does this mean by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What if this is all Clippys doing? What if he got bored and frustrated not getting to hang out with the hip crowd online and so just walked straight out the door yelling "I'm not coming back!" ..

  88. Enderle is everywhere by oneeyedman · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Of course our friend Bob Enderle, the Grand Troll of on-line newsmedia, is quoted in today's New York Times article:

    ``It seems unlikely this is going to create a material, significant security problem,'' said Rob Enderle, a technology expert and principal analyst with the Enderle Group. ``It's more embarrassing than anything else because it makes it look like Microsoft can't control its code.''

    It's disappointing to see such lazy reporting from the Times.

    --
    *** "Freiheit ist immer die Freiheit des Andersdenkenden". -- Rosa Luxemburg ***
  89. Doesn't sound as interesting as BSD or Linux. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It can't be that fun to work on -- Did you guys know that Microsoft has to _pay_ people to work on this codebase! If there was really anything interesting in it, people would be working there for fun on their own time.

    1. Re:Doesn't sound as interesting as BSD or Linux. by jazman_777 · · Score: 5, Funny
      It can't be that fun to work on -- Did you guys know that Microsoft has to _pay_ people to work on this codebase! If there was really anything interesting in it, people would be working there for fun on their own time.

      They get paid for the first 40 hours in a week, then the other 60-70 hours is for the fun of it all.

      --
      Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
    2. Re:Doesn't sound as interesting as BSD or Linux. by SirTalon42 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      if they work too long they get fined (look at the parking ticket on ebay...)

    3. Re:Doesn't sound as interesting as BSD or Linux. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude, it's all boring, it appears that you are either 18 or under; or live at home with your parents...Oh wait you post on /. so that goes without saying...sorry.

    4. Re:Doesn't sound as interesting as BSD or Linux. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They would also grow their own food and forget to shave and bathe. In other words turn into a linux hippie.

  90. Time Bandits by Pontiac · · Score: 1

    First thing that poped in my head was a line from Time Bandits

    "Mom! Dad! Don't touch it! It's EVIL!"

    What's the deal with Terry Gilliam and clear plastic costumes anyway?

    --
    If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur. --Red Adair
    1. Re:Time Bandits by curtoid · · Score: 1

      And the boy in the movie represents the "orphan" Linux in recent commercials:
      Why isn't he coming with us? He has to stay here to carry on the fight...

  91. who hasn't read yesterday's story? by sharkdba · · Score: 1

    A lot of you apparently haven't read yesterday's story.

    As of this writing there's over 2500 replies to yesterday's story. The average for a "regular" story is what, somewhere around 200 or 300 hundred. I would rather say, the whole friggin /. community and their long lost relatives read the story.

    --
    The purpose of life is to find the purpose of life.
  92. And to add insult to injury... by ThinWhiteDuke · · Score: 1

    Let's slashdot microsoft.com ;)

    --

    It would be nice to be sure of anything the way some people are of everything.
  93. Bad for security... by haeger · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I think this could be very bad for Windows security (yeah, oxymoron, I know). This is bad news for all that in some way have to support windows at work.
    Since we all agree that all code has bug in them and since this code is out we can safely assume that some bugs will be found.
    Now all the white-hat hackers are prevented by law to take a look at the code and since all black-hat hackers don't give a damn about that law, those who run windows are in a pretty bad place right now. Even worse than usual actually.

    Oh well, the windows admins who like working overtime will love the coming year I suspect.

    .haeger

    --
    You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. -- Harlan Ellison
    1. Re:Bad for security... by C32 · · Score: 1

      Apparently the leaked files are only the ones changed between Win2k gold and Win2k sp1.
      Since most of these have been changed in the meantime by sp2/3/4, many exploitable places will have been fixed, and more importantly will have changed offset in the address space of the dll(s), making this code much less usefull for developing exploits.

    2. Re:Bad for security... by Rtsbasic · · Score: 1

      Come now, its not all bad - screw-ups like this keep me in the job ;)

    3. Re:Bad for security... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Instead of speculating why don't you just go there and find us a bug, so that we can believe you. Otherwise I think you should STFU, cause nothing you say is interesting other than pure speculation. By the way we can say the same thing for Linux, with your stupid logic.

  94. Laterally thinking - M$ proves Linux security flaw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Think about it. M$ 'releases' non-vital (read M$ Paint etc) source onto the Internet. Subsequent investigations with federal officers reveal that a major security flaw in Linux resulted in the source being stolen. The message sent out to the corporate world "If you value your company's IP, do not use Linux." Shift press attention away from Windoze onto Linux 'security holes.'

  95. Re:This may sound crazy, but M$ would likely gain. by Smitty825 · · Score: 1

    (because it was M$'s first decent operating system)

    I thought DOS 5 was pretty good, too...

    --

    Doh!
  96. What about Bob by konrd · · Score: 3, Funny

    I think the most fascinating part of this whole fiasco is the fact that code for Microsoft "Bob" is still prevalent throughout the source. I can only wait in anticipation as the open source community takes advantage is this and quickly puts out its own variants.

    Emerge Bob

    1. Re:What about Bob by InsaneCreator · · Score: 1

      Don't! Bob is too dangerous to be let loose and you might have to cut your arm off once you want to stop doing business with him. Didn't you watch "Twin Peaks"? :)

    2. Re:What about Bob by smchris · · Score: 1


      A decade ago somebody did do a parody with a 'possem in a shack. I don't think I could handle a penguin in an igloo.

  97. Microsoft's New Upgrade Strategy by webzombie · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Release the source... or what appears to be source...

    Then tell businesses and users that the only way to be "safe" from possible exploits is to upgrade to the "tighter then a drum" Windows 2003 version.

    Sad...I hope someone can trace the release to MS and someone there has the courage to speak up. Of course it may be "terrorists"... oh wait are we still fighting them or are we looking for WMD...

    I mean how obvious does MS have to get before the world sees what they are up to.

    1. Re:Microsoft's New Upgrade Strategy by thebatlab · · Score: 1

      Insightful? How about redundant? This comment is made over and over in the original article and that was back when people thought the entire code was leaked. Not just a leak of service pack code.

  98. here's my bet by CAIMLAS · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I've given this topic considerable thought, and here are the possible conclusions I've reached.

    1) MS will use this source leak in the future to claim that various open source projects (Samba, Gnome, KDE, OpenOffice(?), linux) that get new features which MS finds competitive are 'derivative' works, regardless of whether or not the developers actually looked at the source.
    2) There will be enough people looking at this source for large portions of the code's functionality essentially entering into 'public domain', with people writing up how the components work. It will be essentially impossible for anyone to do 'virgin' development on 'windows-like' features for anything, as the information on precisely what the Windows version does will only be 2 steps of association from the programmer.
    3) MS will pull a 'patent' or 'trade secret' violation claim on Samba/Linux/GNOME/KDE, in addition to pulling the .NET framework out from underneath the Linux community (by claiming patent infringement again). Two shovels of dirt on the grave of linux.

    From my interpretation, this all seems quite feasable given current legal atmosphere. Any lawyers here have a comment on this?

    --
    ~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
    1. Re:here's my bet by Dreadlord · · Score: 1

      MS will use this source leak in the future to claim that various open source projects (Samba, Gnome, KDE, OpenOffice(?), linux) that get new features which MS finds competitive are 'derivative' works, regardless of whether or not the developers actually looked at the source.

      wait a minute, MS says only 15% of the source code leaked, we need to know exactly what parts of the OS were leaked, kernel, GUI, WinSock...

      If the GUI code wasn't leaked for example, they can't sue GNOME for adding a Windows-like feaure.

      --
      The IT section color scheme sucks.
    2. Re:here's my bet by CAIMLAS · · Score: 1

      That's a good point.

      Considering what Mainsoft did for a living, its my guess that the leaked code only relates to API calls and such. I saw one report that said the source is 'largely composed of the source of MS Paint', which, at 600Mb, seems quite unlikely to me. My money is on the former - that'd probably only help projects such as WINE and WINEX (and it owuld likely help them a lot, I'd guess. but there's no legal way they can look at it, I think)

      --
      ~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
    3. Re:here's my bet by flynns · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I've thought about this too, and I'm beginning to wonder something.

      If it's the responsibility of the folks in charge of Foo_Project to ensure that none of the contributions to their code are actually from Windows... ...and they can't look at the source from this leak to make SURE...

      Scenario A:
      1. Evil kid contributes Windows source to Foo_Project.
      2. Since they haven't seen the code, Foo_Project developers have no idea it's from the leaked Windows source.
      3. Foo_Project developers cheerfully integrate the code.
      4. ...lawsuit ensues.

      Scenario B:
      1. Foo_Project developers look at source code.
      2. Lawsuit ensues, and the developers have their hands dirty already.

      . ...no way this is a good thing. I am *so* not a lawyer, so I don't know exactly how these things work...but is there a third scenario that I'm missing here?

      --
      'If you're flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit.'
    4. Re:here's my bet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      MS will pull a 'patent' or 'trade secret' violation claim on Samba/Linux/GNOME/KDE


      This is so easy to defend against: "But your honor, my code doesn't crash so it can't possibly be a derivative of Microsoft code."

    5. Re:here's my bet by jkantola · · Score: 2, Interesting


      Man, that SCO scam has really made people paranoid ...

      Fortunately Groklaw obtained a nice and to-the-point clarification about the legal issues involved.

      http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=2004021 31 81852642

      (No, OSS developers, you don't need to poke out your eyes now that windows source is out in the open.)

  99. Windows developers do not read GPL source by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Microsoft has a company policy that Microsoft developers may not read GPL source. They have this policy precisely to avoid this type of contamination.

    'Independent invention' generally does not happen in the domain of copyrighted works -- if the developers of B have never read the source of A, or anything derived from A, it's pretty sure that B will not look like A. Thus, if Microsoft's employees and contractors follow their policy, then no Windows code will look like any GPL code, ever.

    1. Re:Windows developers do not read GPL source by pla · · Score: 5, Insightful

      if the developers of B have never read the source of A, or anything derived from A, it's pretty sure that B will not look like A.

      Except, in the realm of software, that just doesn't apply. A "best way" often exists to accomplish some simple task, and 20 good developers would all independantly "discover" that way. Even in more complicated code, you'll see a large overlap of broader ideas, all arising independantly

      This makes one of my peeves about software patents... Patents include the critiria of non-obviousness. If 20 developers would all come up with the same solution, that seems like a pretty damned obvious technique, IMO.

      Take the XOR'ed image patent, for example... Even ignoring the idea of prior art (which IMO existed), using XOR to put one image on top of another such that you can later remove the superimposed image cleanly (ie, a mouse cursor over a background), even a moron would use XOR. Yet, the USPTO still decided to grant that one.

      So yes, very similar works do arise, totally independant of each other, in the field of software engineering. Unfortunately, considering our legal system's pro-corporate bias, that will most likely work against us. Rather than believing that Billy G and Linus both came up with printf("Hello World\n");, this source release will quite likely suffice to convince the courts that various open source projects "stole" such trivial statements from Microsoft code.

      Or to borrow a joke from the SCO threads, "Wow, look at all of the i++; statements those damned open source commies used, just like in SCO's code!"

    2. Re:Windows developers do not read GPL source by Hatta · · Score: 1
      if the developers of B have never read the source of A, or anything derived from A, it's pretty sure that B will not look like A.

      Except, in the realm of software, that just doesn't apply. A "best way" often exists to accomplish some simple task, and 20 good developers would all independantly "discover" that way. Even in more complicated code, you'll see a large overlap of broader ideas, all arising independantly


      It's not just software. Investigate a little about convergent evolution and you'll find some remarkable similarities between unrelated species. Things like the repeated development of the wing, down to certain DNA binding domains. All through random mutation and natural selection.
      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    3. Re:Windows developers do not read GPL source by EvilBudMan · · Score: 2, Funny

      --Or to borrow a joke from the SCO threads, "Wow, look at all of the i++; statements those damned open source commies used, just like in SCO's code!"--

      Yea, it's like saying you copied the book that I wrote because it had the letter "a" in it.

      Or, better yet - the letters "f", "m", "c", "o", "i", "r", "s", and "t" - with the number "6".

    4. Re:Windows developers do not read GPL source by Arctic+Fox · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Lord! i++ is soooo sloppy. Any code using "i" as a variable immediately goes on the Wall of Shame. "ii"!!!!! "jj"!!!!! "kk"!!!!! No single letter variables! If both SCO and Open Source commies use that, then they both suck. This is Programming 101! *rage*

    5. Re:Windows developers do not read GPL source by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The examples you cite, such as xor cursors, all fall into the domain of patents. You're talking about re-invention of ideas, and I'm talking about duplication of literal text. See the difference?

      If you write some xor cursor code, and I write some xor cursor code, and the code itself is similar -- same variable names, same comments in the same places, same choice of loop constructs, same order of members in structures -- then it's a sure bet that our code has common ancestry. Ideas are often independently invented, but actual literal blocks of text don't get independently re-invented.

    6. Re:Windows developers do not read GPL source by pla · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Any code using "i" as a variable immediately goes on the Wall of Shame.

      Oh, give it a rest!

      For a nice small loop, "i" works perfectly well, and no one has a problem understanding what it does. And just to shock you, for a small nested loop, I often use "j", and occasionally <gasp!> even "k"! Yet, oddly, I've had numerous people compliment my code as both elegant and easily readably.

      You can say all you want about readability, portability, and maintainability of code using various "standards". But I have yet to meet anyone who considers Hungarian anything better than "effective but very ugly". When even the most trivial "for()" statement ends up causing a line to wrap past 80 cols, a notational system has big problems.

    7. Re:Windows developers do not read GPL source by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It seems to me that i, j, k...all of those are the pseudostandard for for-loop counter variables. In my years of CS schooling I have never had i, j, or k (when used as counter variables) declared "sloppy". I daresay the lack of usage of them makes reading the code much more difficult. And what makes ii, jj, kk, all that much better?? They're still non-descriptive, yet longer and take up more valuable white space for readability.

      Cheers

    8. Re:Windows developers do not read GPL source by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Things like the repeated development of the wing, down to certain DNA binding domains. All through random mutation and natural selection."

      One correction, "All APPEARS to be through random mutation and natural selection." I agree that this theory best explains it scientifically, but we must remember that this is a theory that attempts to explain the evidence.

      One thing those creation "scientist" fanatics keep bringing up(I know because I've debated them a thousand times), and it is technically valid, is that until someone actually witnesses this happen, it remains speculation based upon the available evidence, no matter how logical the speculation is.

    9. Re:Windows developers do not read GPL source by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I know what you mean! Personally, when I'm implementing trivial loops, I use "Arctic_Fox++". Example:

      While(Arctic_Fox != being_serious){
      Arctic_Fox++;
      } else {
      apply_clue_hammer_with_extreme_prejudice(Arctic _Fo x);
      }

    10. Re:Windows developers do not read GPL source by Arctic+Fox · · Score: 1

      Hungarian notation is a mess... but try searching for instances of "i" in a complex program.... especially in someone else's code. Major PITA... I'll just use "ii"... much easier...

    11. Re:Windows developers do not read GPL source by addaon · · Score: 2, Informative

      Just tokenize the source and search that... perfectly easy to search for i, or j, or even 1 or 0, with no false positives. There are more programs out there that do this than that check e-mail, I suspect.

      --

      I've had this sig for three days.
    12. Re:Windows developers do not read GPL source by addaon · · Score: 1

      The only argument I've ever heard against using 'i' is that it's harder to search for. Certainly, the intent is incredibly clear. For searching, just tokenize the source and search that... perfectly easy to search for i, or j, or even 1 or 0, with no false positives. There are more programs out there that do this than that check e-mail, I suspect. If your tools are restricting your ability to name variables, the problem is with your tools, not your naming.

      --

      I've had this sig for three days.
    13. Re:Windows developers do not read GPL source by dbc001 · · Score: 1

      It seems to me that the best way to fight the current legal approach to intellectual property is to "water it down".

      For example: if I recall correctly, the owners of the word "Kleenex" were unable to pursue legal avenues because their trademark was diluted. Perhaps the best way to combat intellectual property would be to encourage this kind of dilution - like the "fair and balanced" blog thing that happened when Al Franken's book came out*.

      Maybe a few ballsy coders could peruse the microsoft source and anonymously release dozens of open-source programs using similar but not-quite-exact code - this is easily possible with p2p distribution. Isn't the Penguin Liberation Front doing something like this now? I'll leave it to the reader to consider the possible results of this sort of action. Of course, intentionally diluting somebody's IP could easily put one on the wrong side of the law...

      *When Al Franken's book, subtitled "A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right" came out, Fox News tried to sue him. Thousands of bloggers added the "Fair and Balanced" tagline to their blogs to dilute the trademark and to furthur demonstrate the absurdity of the lawsuit.

    14. Re:Windows developers do not read GPL source by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've had numerous people compliment my code as both elegant and easily readably.

      But not your English "readably," right? ;-)

    15. Re:Windows developers do not read GPL source by Hatta · · Score: 1

      Siviram replied more eloquently than I can, but I'd just like to point out the fallacy in the creationist argument you mentioned. As used by the public, a theory is little more than a reasonable guess. One might say "I have a theory that germans love david hasselhoff" In scientific discourse a theory is much more strictly defined. A theory is a falsifiable explanation that has stood up to rigorous testing and is generally accepted by the scientific community. Special relativity is "just a theory" too. Next time someone confuses the two definitions, you might want to refer them to this page.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
  100. Courtney Love vs. MS by QuiK_ChaoS · · Score: 1

    Just like you know Courtney Love has on dirty underware, I am able to look at Microsoft and say the same thing. I'm not so sure If I even want to see how dirty Microsoft's code might be.

  101. Re:woot first to post by Znonymous+Coward · · Score: 0

    I though fail/it was /proc

    --

    Karma: The shiznight, mostly because I am the Drizzle.

  102. Doesn't sound as interesting as BSD or Linux. by ron_ivi · · Score: 4, Funny
    It can't be that fun to work on -- Did you guys know that Microsoft has to _pay_ people to work on this codebase! If there was really anything interesting in it, people would be working there for fun on their own time.

    [ I unintentionally posted as an AC first - hopefully it's interesting enough that I get more interesting mods than redundant.]

  103. MS partner fingered in Windows code leak by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  104. alt.binaries.cores by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    look for yourself

  105. What about the .eml files? by enosys · · Score: 5, Informative

    What about the .eml files? You wouldn't have those in Linux.

    1. Re:What about the .eml files? by Isaac-Lew · · Score: 0

      The Mozilla Mail "Save As..." function saves email messages as .eml files by default; therefore, .eml files are not limited to Exchange/Outlook.

    2. Re:What about the .eml files? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      .eml is the common extension for MBOX formatted e-mail letters. Although Outlook Express can export this format, Outlook does not (easily). MBOX format is the most widely-used format to save mail to your hard drive under linux, but I'm not sure of what Linux mail programs specifically export mail as .eml.

      -- paper

    3. Re:What about the .eml files? by Richard_at_work · · Score: 1

      No, but it would be easy for them to get there if samba were running........

  106. Another possible escape route by alancdavis · · Score: 1

    It's also possible that the source was on the disk of a machine that was scrapped or sent out for repair by Mainsoft. This would still be a breach of security but is more common than one might think.

  107. Re:source out on the open?: conspiracy theory by d.valued · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is not a trivial problem.

    Though many of us - myself included - would not mind a peek into the collective mindshare of the Evil One, one cannot look into the abysss and return unchanged.

    Sorry. Debated last night with philosophy majors. They won, six shots to five black and tans.

    To translate it bluntly: This is still copyrighted code, owned by Microsoft. Duping even their "badly-written routines" into an inocuous place may lead to an SCO-esque attack in the near future , claiming violations in certain filesystem and mounting routines, or possibly something involving Samba, or a myriad of other wincompatibility issues.

    It feels like a tactic that may be conceived by some bright bulb in MS Legal to bring conflict to the competition, or at least stifle development past current kernels.

    I am starting to get the shakes that I get in a poker game when my all-in bet is called when I have pocket kings. (Last time that happened, the opponent had A-J suited. He flopped aces-up. I swore loudly.)

    I am not a lawyer. I play one online, and I'm studying for the patent bar, but I don't pretend to dish out legal advice. Still, if I go all-in, I have the goods.

    --
    I used to be someone else. Now I'm someone better.
    Real life is underrated.
  108. and by akoni · · Score: 1

    now gone partner...

  109. Open != Secure? by RaisinBread · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Isn't interesting that the source for many projects is wide open ... and we don't have people running around with their heads cut off like the end of the world is coming.

    So - which is it? Is closed-source or open-source more secure?

    Looks like now we'll have the chance to find out!

    1. Re:Open != Secure? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      With microsoft, the more people that see the code the worse.

      With Linux, the more people that see the code the better.

      I'd bet that every line of the Linux kernel has been seen / reviewed by at least 1,000 people. Which means every string length is checked and fixed, every buffer overflow is found, etc. And when a new problem is found, it's public, and fixed right away.

      Microsoft enjoys none of those benefits. Each line of code may only be seen by a dozen people, who are more intent on cranking out more bloated, feature-obese code than they are in reviewing and securing new code.

      Security through obscurity is fine, until your obscurity collapses, like this.

    2. Re:Open != Secure? by tuffy · · Score: 2, Informative
      So - which is it? Is closed-source or open-source more secure?

      In theory, open-source should be more secure because it can be fixed by anyone. This leaked-source cannot be fixed by anyone but Microsoft, but can be exploited by anyone.

      --

      Ita erat quando hic adveni.

    3. Re:Open != Secure? by that+_evil+_gleek · · Score: 1

      >Microsoft has previously shared some of its source code with some companies, U.S.
      >government agencies, foreign governments and universities under tight restrictions
      >that prevent such organizations from making it publicly available. ( earthlink )
      O.K. to a foreign goverment 'tight restrictions' basically means "don't do this, because it will piss us of' I mean what's the enforcement going to be? What serious repurcussion?

      Consider how much Windows is used as part of the infrastructure for the U.S and our allies. Consider that terrorists target infrastructure. Consider that knowning what the enemy knows, or could trivially determine is useful. With open source, you can know anything the enemy might learn. If you can learn it from the source, they could learn it from the source. You might be able to infer when they could have learned it, from when the source was made available. You can back track an determine if a system was ever really exploitable... maybe even years later.. Could be really useful to determine if it's possible a machine with classified data could have ever been hacked. If you can determine that it didn't ever run the vulnerable service during the time it was running the vulnerable O.S. verision, you can breathe a sigh of relief, and move on. But, with Windows you'd have to remember to breathe! Anyway, with open source any decent admin could trivally determine this... or could ask any other decent admin. The point
      I making is with Open Source security issues are more fully disclosed, giving who ever's job it is to clean up afterwards, more information to work with.

      [Insert one's favorite diatribe on the Fallacy of Security through Obscurity here.]

  110. Anti Linux Spin by nurb432 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Notice the leak came ffrom ' a linux comptuer'..

    Nice way to suggest its that damned linux that is to blame. At least to the common man, the linkage will be sublimina, but it will stick.

    Its almost as bad as ' a red ford suv ran over the child ' or ' the gun killed the intruder '..

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
    1. Re:Anti Linux Spin by thebatlab · · Score: 1

      Well...if it was a Linux computer then they should damn well say so. You know it would come out as being "off a Windows pc" if that was the case.

      "' a red ford suv ran over the child '"

      How is that bad? If you think it implies that people will start thinking that red ford suv's kill people, then that's just ridiculous. People tend to be ignorant but not that ignorant.

      "' the gun killed the intruder '"

      I generally hear "the intruder was shot" or "he killed the intruder with a gun". I don't often hear the phrase you used and if I do it's from some stupid media source that nobody important ever puts any credence to.

      Get over it.

    2. Re:Anti Linux Spin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      ' a red ford suv ran over the child '

      How is that bad? If you think it implies that people will start thinking that red ford suv's kill people, then that's just ridiculous. People tend to be ignorant but not that ignorant.

      No, it's basic psychology, and when it's subliminal, ignorance doesn't come into it.

      Would you buy a white Ford Bronco for example? Really?

    3. Re:Anti Linux Spin by thebatlab · · Score: 1

      No I wouldn't. But not b/c it was driven by O.J. It's b/c I think it's a piece of crap vehicle. I thought so even before he took off on his wonder chase in it so that didn't sway my opinion at all.

    4. Re:Anti Linux Spin by gnu-generation-one · · Score: 1

      Its almost as bad as ' a red ford suv ran over the child ' or ' the gun killed the intruder '..

      The MyDoom virus apparently, spread through email systems running Unix.

    5. Re:Anti Linux Spin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You would blame Windows in heartbeat if the roles were reversed. (Like a good little slashdrone.)

    6. Re:Anti Linux Spin by shadowbearer · · Score: 1



      Especially when the Microsoft contractor involved was doing "Windows to "Unix" ports". - Anyone else find that extremely odd - it wasn't leaked by some student somewhere, or hacked, but somehow, vaguely, came from a Microsoft involved company?

      Yup, the spin is on in this one. Whether or not it was intentional, Microsoft will milk it as much as they can.

      SB

      --
      It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
  111. New site ? by Gendhil · · Score: 1

    From CRN

    "Programmers on Slashdot.org, a new site on the Sourceforge.net open source development site"

    A new site ? Oh, and I thought /. had been around for a while. Time must not pass as quick as it seems to me.

    Hope they meant a news site. :)

    And by the way, if you're not a programmer, go away, it's a place for programmers here, or so it seems.

  112. been there, done that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    first thing I did was hit the P2P nets and sure enough... within a few hours of the story breaking, there it was all over the place
    just like a paris hilton sex romp video.

    Too bad it's not nearly as intersting or entertaining.

    For those with a morbid curosity, I'd recomend a "gunzip -l" without actual pursual of the source. Oh, yeah... and you're neighbor's WiFi bandwidth is your friend.

  113. In other news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    PepsiCo has reported an early 2nd quarter earnings report that projects a remarkable profit.
    This may be related to increased sales of Mountain Dew to basement-dwellers.

  114. Is there any GPL Violating Software in it? by NetSurferHI · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Has any one taken a look to see if the old rumors that Win2K is more stable because it uses open source code is true? If so, would that make Microsoft in violation of the GPL?

    1. Re:Is there any GPL Violating Software in it? by slipgun · · Score: 5, Informative

      Has any one taken a look to see if the old rumors that Win2K is more stable because it uses open source code is true? If so, would that make Microsoft in violation of the GPL?

      If they're using GPL code, yes. They already use open source code, and admit it freely - however, it's licensed under the BSD license, and hence can be distributed in closed source systems.

      (Someone correct me if I'm completely wrong, but I think that's right).

      --
      SpamNet - a spam blocker that really works
    2. Re:Is there any GPL Violating Software in it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A grep -r GPL win2k/ beeped on a bunch of things like LONGPLAY, WRONGPLATFORM etc. - they could have removed the comments, of course.

    3. Re:Is there any GPL Violating Software in it? by Talinom · · Score: 2, Informative

      I am woefully ignorant. Will someone please clue me in? How would you know that they are using GPL code unless you violated their TOS to look at their code? Or does the fact that it is out there already protect anyone who looks at it for this specific purpose?

      Is one person going to take all of the heat and "find" all of the GPL code, or would the courts rule that it was inadmissable as evidence or something?

      --
      "Giving money and power to governments is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys." - P.J. O'Rourke
    4. Re:Is there any GPL Violating Software in it? by mqRakkis · · Score: 1

      Atleast there are no straight references to GNU/Linux or 'GNU GPL' in it.

    5. Re:Is there any GPL Violating Software in it? by F�an�ro · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Leaking the source may be illegal, but looking at it once someone has leaked it is not.
      The TOS only applies to you if you install a Microsoft program or othwerwise explicitely agree to it. Any NDAs also dont apply to you if you did not sign them.

      So looking at the source should be legal if you did not use any illegal means to obtain it

      IANAL&co

  115. The Kiss of Death by This+is+outrageous! · · Score: 3, Informative
    Compare this:
    "It seems unlikely this is going to create a material, significant security problem," said Rob Enderle, a technology expert and principal analyst with the Enderle Group.
    and that:
    Speaking of jackasses, how about technology industry "analyst" Rob Enderle? Enderle is both:
    • Frequently quoted in major mainstream media
    • Nearly always completely wrong (at least regarding Apple)
    --
    This is...

    O
    U
    T
    R
    A
    G
    E
    O
    U
    S

    !

  116. irrelevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Microsoft has a company policy that Microsoft developers may not read GPL source.

    Please read the post that you are replying to; specifically this portion:

    windows developers have had access to gpl'd source for well over a decade.

    To re-iterate Frymaster's point: If merely having access, without reading it 'taints' you, why are all MS developers not 'tainted', especially considering that MS itself distributes GPLed works?

    1. Re:irrelevant by larry+bagina · · Score: 4, Insightful
      at IBM, the linux kernel team is different than the AIX kernel team. A linux kernel guy can ask an AIX kernel guy a question about how they dealt with something, but they can't share code or SCO might sue.


      You could download the windows source code and have it sitting archived on your hard drive without ever looking at it. But if you independently write code that does something like windows does, and there is a copy of the windows source code on your hard drive, what do you think a jury would think?


      The only GPL software I'm aware of MS distributing is with Unix Services For Windows (formerly interix) -- gcc and some other command line tools. You can bet big bucks the people that compile gcc don't do any work on VC.

      --
      Do you even lift?

      These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

    2. Re:irrelevant by whittrash · · Score: 1

      Yah, but what if you don't contribute to Linux and are interested in looking 'for fun'. How can they track you? The FBI Carnivore system? How will they know you have the code? Answer: They can't track you 99.9% of the time. I will bet you a $1 that all major corporations already have a copy of this and are intently studying it in secret to see how it works and if there is anything they can use to sue M$. The comments alone would be interesting reading.

    3. Re:irrelevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      How can they sue, when they weren't suppose to see the source in the first place, first a company would have to admit to looking at it...Not gonna hold water in court.

    4. Re:irrelevant by addaon · · Score: 1

      A jury will think exactly what the most authoritative-sounding person tells them to think, just like always. Your legal guilt is 100% divorced from your actual actions. Do what you want with your life; you're fucked (if you're poor) or you're fine (if you're rich) regardless.

      --

      I've had this sig for three days.
    5. Re:irrelevant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      they can't share code or SCO might sue.

      Hang on a minute...aren't SCO already suing IBM?

  117. MSFT 26.54 $-0.41 -1.52% - 12:40PM 02.13.03 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    .
    .
    .

  118. Entertainment value of media "experts" by paco+verde · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The funniest part of this whole thing has been the industry pundits explaining the ramifications of the source release in various media outlets.

    The best I've seen today is on crn.com by some joker named Winell from Econium. He manages to say with a straight face:

    "Unlike Linux desktops, which is like the wild wild west and not controlled and enhanced all the time, Windows users have come to take a quality controlled operating system for granted and not have to worry about a bad release," Winell said. "We hope that Microsoft can swiftly identify how the code got released, prosecute the perpetrator and build a barrier/security patch to protect against intrusions."

    Mr. Winell has obviously never used Windows ME if he thinks Microsoft quality control prevents "bad releases". You know Econium must be a real player when the title of their home page is "Welcome to Econium who is a solutions provider."

    The classic yesterday was Laura Didio from Yankee Group comparing OSS hackers to suicide car bombers.

    Nothing like an embarassing Microsoft moment to get the "experts" out from under their rocks.

    1. Re:Entertainment value of media "experts" by spitzak · · Score: 1

      That quote is pretty amazing. I like his worry about a "bad release". Does he think somebody who has access to this source code can somehow make some broken version of Windows and then cause Microsoft to "release" it? What an idiot.

    2. Re:Entertainment value of media "experts" by eddy · · Score: 4, Informative

      It should be noted that the Didio quote as since been removed from that article, but here it is for those who missed it. Don't ever forget this one, this is straight from Yankee Group and they should not be allowed to get away with it without a public apology IMHO:

      "With the open source community, there are a large percentage of tinkers and 'ankle biters' who are trying their hand at hacking. Some are even communicating with each other. So it only takes one or two of these groups sharing information to be able to pull something off. When you have this type of passion, it's hard to fight because these people are like virtual suicide car bombers."

      Is this people you'd want to buy services of? I don't consider myself "PC" in the least, but this is so fucking wrong and off the track it's not funny.

      --
      Belief is the currency of delusion.
    3. Re:Entertainment value of media "experts" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mod parent up! This needs to be seen.

    4. Re:Entertainment value of media "experts" by paco+verde · · Score: 5, Informative

      Here's some general contact information for Yankee Group off their website:

      Media Relations and
      General Inquiry
      Kim Vranas
      Director of Marketing
      kvranas@yankeegroup.com
      Voice: 617.880.0214
      Fax: 617.210.0014

    5. Re:Entertainment value of media "experts" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny
      ... it's not funny

      Something that is funny... Google Images

    6. Re:Entertainment value of media "experts" by NitroWolf · · Score: 1

      >> ... it's not funny

      >Something that is funny... Google Images


      Holy crap, it's sasquatch!

      And they say the missing link has never been found...

      She just looks mean and petty. No surprise she'd give a quote like that. Wish I was attending the conference, I'd like to join in booing her off stage.

    7. Re:Entertainment value of media "experts" by myklgrant · · Score: 1
      This is unbelievable:

      " Programmers on Slashdot.org, a new Web site on the Sourceforge.net open-source development site..."

      I am speechless.
      Michael
    8. Re:Entertainment value of media "experts" by shadowbearer · · Score: 1

      Yeah, Didio's original comment was removed. But this one is just as stupid:

      here are two real threats to Microsoft if substantial code has been leaked, according to Yankee Group senior analyst Laura Didio: even worse security for Microsoft applications and bootleg copies of the software being passed around.

      Other implications, according to online security experts, are that attackers may be able to more easily craft vulnerabilities and other attacks against Windows 2000 and Windows NT operating systems.


      "worse security"; was going to happen anyway, as more and more black hats figure out how to exploit Microsoft's buggy code.

      "bootleg copies...being passed around". Well, jeez, could there actually be more bootleg copies than there are already?

      As to attackers being able to craft vulnerabilities against the NT/2000/XP series; well they are doing just fine without looking at the code. I'd bet that they (whoever they are) are laughing their asses off at that comment. Could it be - nay! - that perhaps the people who create those viruses in the first place are better programmers than Microsoft can hire even with all their billions?

      Didio - it's a wonder to me that she's been able to keep her job. I imagine the outrage in the email has been high.

      The FUD clusterfuck continues. Tune in next week.

      SB

      --
      It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
    9. Re:Entertainment value of media "experts" by lordkimbot · · Score: 1

      "Accurate, Reliable, Trusted'

      Can we add:

      "Microsoft mouthpiece approved"

      "With the open source community, there are a large percentage of tinkers and 'ankle biters' who are trying their hand at hacking. Some are even communicating with each other. So it only takes one or two of these groups sharing information to be able to pull something off. When you have this type of passion, it's hard to fight because these people are like virtual suicide car bombers."

      I'm Didio. I see bad people.

      --
      sig mind freed
  119. No it doesn't... the thing is HUGE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    These days a console is supposed to be small... what I'd really like to see are the logs from the IM sessions the XBox designers had.

  120. Linux leaked too by wstearns · · Score: 5, Funny

    In a related story, Linus Torvalds was forced to announce today that the source code for the Linux operating system was made public on the Internet.
    "We're not sure how it was leaked. What's up there certainly looks legitimate, and we've had some reports that some of it even compiles. It appears it may have been leaked back in August, 1991, originally to an FTP server in Finland."
    There are at least 3 servers that appear to have Linux source code available, although online discussions indicate that there may be many more. There is speculation that the code can e acquired through FTP, Gopher, HTTP, Bittorrent, Rsync, SMB, NFS, AFS, Freenet, and that people may even be _selling_ CS's and DVD's with the code.
    SCO was quick to comment that "After they copied those 5 lines from one of our header files, the {deleted} deserved it. As soon as we find a person in our company that knows how to download a file, we'll be comparing every line of Linux to this stuff we bought from AT&T. Oh hey! We've already found something - they copied the word '#include' from us!" The phone interview was cut short as Mr. McBride was called away to launch a new lawsuit.
    Law enforcement agencies have been contacted and are investigating, but the process is slow as the officers are heard to exclaim "Wow, it has a GUI?", "Damn, this is stable - I can't crash it at all!", "Whadda you mean, Office is included?", and "How do I turn off the grappling hook and use the rocket launcher?"

    --
    Mason, Buildkernel and more: http://www.stearns.org/
    1. Re:Linux leaked too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Wow, it has a GUI?", "Damn, this is stable - I can't crash it at all!"

      Just tell them to run Mozilla, that should crash it in a heart beat.

  121. No step 2 necessary for step 3 by RLiegh · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Listen, people;

    THE FIGHT IS OVER!!!

    MICROSOFT HAS WON!!!

    All that they have to do is tie up the open source movments (specifically the mozilla, apache, wine, *BSD, Open Office, Linux, FreeDOS, samba and any other interoperable OSS project) in the legal system until they either fold or are marginalised.

    Because of this leak, they now have the legal means to drage the Open Source world into a labyrinth court process which WILL KILL IT.

    The fight is over, If Open Source is not now dead in the water, it will be before the year is out. I'd say before summer even gets here.

    1. Re:No step 2 necessary for step 3 by sulli · · Score: 4, Funny

      Does that mean *BSD is finally, after all that, dying?

      --

      sulli
      RTFJ.
    2. Re:No step 2 necessary for step 3 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bollocks.

    3. Re:No step 2 necessary for step 3 by Jerf · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And you think the entire community, including IBM and other companies that have bet the farm or at least huge sums of money on OSS are just going to roll over and take it?

      If the lawsuits get too frivolous, not even Microsoft will be immune to countersuits, plus such massive lawsuits aren't going to be "free" in reputation terms, either. ("Gee, if all Microsoft can produce is lawsuits, maybe they aren't such a leading company after all?")

      Besides, so they prove some small chunk of code is encumbered. (It is virtually inconceivable that huge chunks of code will make it in.) So we rip it out and keep going. Killing any given iteration of Apache may be possible, but taking down the entire thing legally is going to be quite a feat! (And remember that unlike SCO, Microsoft is limited by the fact that they are still selling software; they can't for instance go after the GPL in a really serious way because they'd likely end up invalidating their own licenses; "Unenforcable GPL" is good FUD but would be an atrocious court strategy for them!)

      It's not hopeless, not by a long shot. I won't say they couldn't make a real annoyance of themselves and I won't say Total Open Source victory is some sort of inevitability, but it's not hopeless.

    4. Re:No step 2 necessary for step 3 by kin_korn_karn · · Score: 0, Troll

      It depends on if Bush wins or not. If he does, then OSS is dead.

    5. Re:No step 2 necessary for step 3 by Richard_at_work · · Score: 1

      No, MS likes the BSDs, since they can use the BSD licensed code from them freely. And rightly so in my opinion.

    6. Re:No step 2 necessary for step 3 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course it's dying - if it were alive and kicking, someone would sue *BSD users...

      noone gives a damn=*BSD is shit

    7. Re:No step 2 necessary for step 3 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When will you drama queens realise that the US is *not* the only place in which delveloper live and work.

      outside the US in say the UK, a) reverse engineering is explicitly exempted form copyright laws, potentially actually allowing you to look at this source and carry on with your open project, and b) we dont have a fucked up judical system where the biggest pocket wins (not saying the legal system is perfect, but this is one disadvantage we dont suffer from)

    8. Re:No step 2 necessary for step 3 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      THE FIGHT IS OVER!!!
      MICROSOFT HAS WON!!!


      Don't give up yet, we (open source community) still got some tricks up our sleaves. Here's what we do:

      Create a new license. Call it the "No Microsoft Club License." (NMCL) Basically, it is the same as the GPL, except anyone employed or affiliated with Microsoft are forbidden to look at the source code. This could also be applied to a BSD-style license.

    9. Re:No step 2 necessary for step 3 by shadowbearer · · Score: 1
      And you think the entire community, including IBM and other companies that have bet the farm or at least huge sums of money on OSS are just going to roll over and take it?

      /puts on tinfoil hat

      The timing on this is interesting, is it not? Just as it looks like SCO has finally muffed up in court....this announcement appears. Hardly a week later. So far what I've read of the details (in more articles than just those posted here) sounds pretty confused, and the supposed train of events is a little suspicious, like about how the details of the source of the source code was found in a core dump file. Um....what?
      The paranoid part of me smells undercover FUD in action. The logical part of me is going to wait for evidence (if there is ever any real evidence released). Harumph.

      /removes tinfoil hat

      The above is speculation, but still interesting speculation...

      SB

      --
      It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
  122. Article doesn't say it was *stolen* from Linux box by blorg · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The article doesn't say it was *stolen* from a Linux box, it just says that an analysis of the files suggests that it had come from a Linux box. For example, the image could have been a CD that was burned on a Linux box, and then misplaced. And given that Mainsoft's work is "Windows on *nix" I'd be surprised if they didn't have a few Linux boxes around ;-) As things stand, this says absolutely nothing about Linux security.

  123. I love the spin eweek puts on this by FictionPimp · · Score: 0

    "The leaked code includes 30,915 files and was apparently removed from a Linux computer used by Mainsoft for development purposes. Dated July 25, 2000, the source code represents Windows 2000 Service Pack 1." Even microsoft's security problems are because of a linux computer....yea sure...

  124. Don't view the Code? by RDosage · · Score: 1

    "The code is still covered by copyright, and any programmer should probably avoid looking at it, to avoid SCO-style legal implications," said DeGroot of Directions on Microsoft. "If you look at it, and similar code turns up in your own work or even is already in your own work, you could have problems if Microsoft believes you have stolen its code. Proving that you didn't see something can be difficult. My understanding is that Microsoft tells its own programmers that they may not view Linux source code, for example."

    Wouldn't it be harder to prove that someone *did* view the sourcecode? Isn't the burden of proof on the prosecution?

    1. Re:Don't view the Code? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


      "The code is still covered by copyright, and any programmer should probably avoid looking at it, to avoid SCO-style legal implications"

      Does that argument extend to novelists who should avoid reading copyrighted books, or to composers who should avoid listening to copyrighted music? If there is a distinction, please explain the basis of the distinction, in language that will pass "equal protection of the law" muster.

    2. Re:Don't view the Code? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0



      "Wouldn't it be harder to prove that someone *did* view the sourcecode? Isn't the burden of proof on the prosecution?"

      It will not be material to the case whether or not you viewed the source code. That won't be admissible evidence anyway, unless *YOU* testify that you saw it, but it won't matter.

      The legal question will be, did you place this copyrighted work into this other product?

      Trade secret protection is out the window, if you got wind of a secret, oh well, too bad for the person who didn't keep the secret.

      Patent protection won't be an issue, the patent implementation is already public knowledge.

      So it comes down to copyright. The only question is, whether copyrighted code found its way into another product by your hand, it doesn't matter where you saw it, or if you saw it.

  125. apt-get install no-bugs.w2k.patch-i686 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Really now..

    tell me THAT wouldn't be useful..

    infact i'd find it positively funny as all hell if someone started releasing "open source" win2K patches before MS does.. i mean.. 0 day fixes from when bugs are reported..

    Now the source is out.. what are they going to do? really.. it's kinda like disclaimers on emails that tell you to delete them if your the wrong recipent..

    also.. wonder how many hooks there are for office specific applications..??

  126. Amount of Code Involved by Un+pobre+guey · · Score: 1

    One piece of info that doesn't make sense to me is the claim that the Windows source code base is 40 Gb in size, so a mere CD ROM's worth is not important. Doesn't all the GNU/Linux core OS code fit on a single CD? If this is true, then Windows isn't just bloated, a new word would have to be invented for it. If it is not true, then someone is trying to spin the issue with bullshit.

    1. Re:Amount of Code Involved by i+stol+the+pepsi · · Score: 1

      Thats true. 40 Gb is a hell of a lot of code. i mean windows is quite big but it cant be that big. Also last time i checked 15% of on my system 710Mb of code is NOT 40 Gb. Yup Calculator puts it right at 10.3995 Gb. That still seems big. but alot less than 40.

  127. Surprising Microsoft hasn't tried to use this... by Glasswire · · Score: 1

    ...to say everybody must migrate RIGHT NOW to Server 2003 and XP. ;-)

    Seriously, esp once the security patches hit XP with SP2 this summer, expect Ms to start suggesting that anything older is not to be trusted...

  128. Re:source out on the open?: conspiracy theory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is no less stupid than the idiots who claim the US never went to the moon, who think alien ships have visited the Earth, that evolution is a lie, or that Bush stole the 2000 election. (Oops, that last one is true.)

    You, sir, are a MORON.

  129. a favourite from tweakui.h by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    /*
    * winnt.h uses these totally screwed up structure names.
    * Does anybody speak Hungarian over there?
    */

    I'd like to use this as vindication for all the times I've been criticised for my comments.

    1. Re:a favourite from tweakui.h by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Background on Hungarian notation, in case people don't get what this C comment (probably) refers to.

    2. Re:a favourite from tweakui.h by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have windows_2000_source_code.zip, and my tweakui.h doesn't contain that! Can anyone confirm if that snippet is from the NT source instead? I guess the zip I have is the more spread out one :/

  130. Anti-Trust by lithiumfox · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Ever since i've watched the movie, i had a feeling that something like that in the movie (were synaptic software source code was released to the world) was going to happen to Microsoft. It its just weird, that its like dejavu, that nothing can be completley secure, for every lock there is a key, and it just proves that anything possible. Now all we need to do is figure out who Microsoft had to kill to get their hands on "their" source code.

  131. Related Leak by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In a related leak, Microsoft admitted that it leaked 100% of the object code to Windows XP the day that Windows XP was released. The FBI, in cooperation with Microsoft officials, is investigating this release and considers it a serious case of corporate espionage.

  132. Microsoft responds to the leak... by AKnightCowboy · · Score: 0
    Yesterday Bill Gates stormed into a local Seattle Linux Users Group meeting and was quoted as saying:

    "Aww, you motherfuckers. Okay. Alright. I'm putting cases on all you bitches. Huh. You think you can do this shit... Jake. You think you can do this to me? You motherfuckers will be playing basketball in Pelican Bay when I get finished with you. Shoe program, nigga. 23 hour lockdown. I'm the man up in this piece. You'll never see the light of... who the fuck do you think you're fucking with? I'm the police, I run shit around here. You just live here. Yeah, that's right, you better walk away. Go on and walk away... 'cause I'm gonna' burn this motherfucker down. King Kong ain't got shit on me. That's right, that's right. Shit, I don't, fuck. I'm winning anyway, I'm winning... I'm winning any motherfucking way. I can't lose. Yeah, you can shoot me, but you can't kill me."

  133. Ok, PROPOSAL by roman_mir · · Score: 1

    Ok, so what to do? Well, here is the plan:

    Set up a server that runs the comparator by ESR against any new submission to any open source project against any code released either by mistake on with malice by a closed source vendor.

    This will help to identify copyright problems before they arise.

    1. Re:Ok, PROPOSAL by s4m7 · · Score: 1

      Not a bad idea, except that it requires the maintainer of legitimate OSS applications to hold on to, and invariably expose themselves to, illicit, proprietary code.

      Any code this person writes -- even completely original code -- is now subject to intellectual property claims. And since there are only so many logical ways to do any given programming task, this will undoubtedly corrupt the codebase and put the OSS movement at even greater risk of these lawsuits.

      Attention US Congress and the USPTO: Nearly everyone (developers, engineers, luminaries, scholars, et al), with the exception of those swayed by deep-pocketed corporate interests, believe that software patents are wrong, bad, evil and ultimately unenforceable. If you continue to support such a foolish notion, it becomes ever clearer that you, too, are held by the sway of samesaid interests.

      --
      This comment is fully compliant with RFC 527.
    2. Re:Ok, PROPOSAL by roman_mir · · Score: 1

      I know that you are correct, and I thought about this myself, a good way to do this is to get in relations with a closed source vendor and to ask them to run a hashkey generator tool on their source base. Then only store the hashkeys on the comparator server. This would:
      1. Reduce the amount of time to compare the sources, since it creates a cache of the hashkeys from one side of the equation.
      2. Would still allow at least some form of verification to be run against the newly submitted code.

      I am sure there are other problems with this idea but wouldn't it be a good start? This would be a good way to get some press coverage with the explanations of the situation, showing how the OSS community cares not to taint their code.

    3. Re:Ok, PROPOSAL by s4m7 · · Score: 1

      Perhaps I don't understand how hashkeys work at all, but wouldn't this only work in determining where files had been copied wholesale? if it's been edited even slightly, say having some program randomly insert whitespace into the code where it won't break things, would the hashkeys still match up?

      --
      This comment is fully compliant with RFC 527.
  134. Look at SCO again. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They have made many wild claims without anything to back them up and even some without a pretext.
    $5 says if Microsoft plans to pull a SCO, they'll be laying claims and suing regardless.

  135. Who really cares by cpuenvy · · Score: 0, Redundant

    It's about time these bastards went open source (!) and let the world scrutinize the crap they write.

    --
    DISCLAIMER:

    I don't believe what I write, and neither should you.

  136. Then why was the code in a "zip" archive? by NZheretic · · Score: 4, Interesting
    If the code was leaked from a Linux/Unix computer, why was the code found being distributed in a zip archived file instead of a compressed tar archived file?

    Zip files are rarely used for distributing source code amongst the Linux/Unix community because compressed tar files are far more efficient.

    zip -r source.zip /usr/src/linux-2.4.22-1.2149.nptl
    ls -l source.zip
    -rw-rw-r-- 1 build build 49091705 Feb 14 06:20 source.zip
    tar cjf source.tar.bz2 /usr/src/linux-2.4.22-1.2149.nptl
    ls -l source.tar.bz2
    -rw-rw-r-- 1 build build 31964979 Feb 14 06:23 source.tar.bz2
    tar czf source.tar.gz /usr/src/linux-2.4.22-1.2149.nptl
    ls -l source.tar.gz rw-rw-r-- 1 build build 40689187 Feb 14 06:31 source.tar.gz

    The resulting tarred archive compressed by bz2 is is around 35% smaller than the zipped source. With the exception of the the jar format for java classes, the zip format is rarely use by Linux/Unix developers for distributing source code.

    IMO this points to the source code being lost by from a Microsoft based platform.

    1. Re: Then why was the code in a "zip" archive? by Phillup · · Score: 1

      If the code was leaked from a Linux/Unix computer, why was the code found being distributed in a zip archived file instead of a compressed tar archived file?

      Perhaps it got into the computer (from MS) as a zip file? And... they kept the original.

      --

      --Phillip

      Can you say BIRTH TAX
    2. Re: Then why was the code in a "zip" archive? by larry+bagina · · Score: 1

      I've seen torrents for the source code in tar.bz and tar.gz format as well as the .zip

      --
      Do you even lift?

      These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

    3. Re: Then why was the code in a "zip" archive? by Haeleth · · Score: 1

      Perhaps it got into the computer (from MS) as a zip file? And... they kept the original.

      Microsoft distributes source code with core dumps (generated by the people they're distributing the source to) already present? I doubt it somehow.

    4. Re: Then why was the code in a "zip" archive? by Phillup · · Score: 1

      Good point.

      Perhaps the target was a Windows machine. Your chances of compiling any of this in a non-MS environment are probably smaller than on Windows.

      I guess, in the end, only the person that did it knows why it was zipped instead of tar-gzipped.

      --

      --Phillip

      Can you say BIRTH TAX
    5. Re: Then why was the code in a "zip" archive? by Oriumpor · · Score: 1

      Script kiddies, warez geeks, and pirates (AARRRR) use windows more often than not. Cygwin/VMware.

      You better hope for the one who zipped it up, that they did it on the *nix box he got into, and not their Windows XP system... I'm sure there's some tag in the XP Zip somewhere leading back to his system (kinda like the mellissa guy, and his word doc)

    6. Re: Then why was the code in a "zip" archive? by Equinox · · Score: 1

      "Zip files are rarely used for distributing source code amongst the Linux/Unix community because compressed tar files are far more efficient."

      -These guys are porting Office and IE to Linux...I don't think efficiency is a concern of theirs. :)

  137. Microsoft's Revenge by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    In retaliation, Microsoft says they're going to release the source code to the Linux kernel.

  138. Good Theory! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They can push the "Our code was on Linux, it was stolen, so Linux is somehow insecure" angle.

    Did you remember to turn your brain on this morning? This is almost as good as the "tainted developer" theory of deliberate release.

    Bill Gates doesn't lie awake at night worrying about the likes of YOU.

    You, sir, are a moron.

  139. Just curious by edxwelch · · Score: 1

    ..how easy is it to figure out what the code does?
    Are there any useful comments in the code? Is there any documentation about how all the different modules fit together? Are there even any make files?

  140. Re:source out on the open - Conspiracy by Naked+in+CA · · Score: 1

    Step one is okay but you've got step 2 and 3 wrong. It should be:

    Step 1: 'accidentally' release old windows source
    Step 2: Warn public of huge security issues
    Step 3: Tell public thier only option is to upgrade to the new version of windows
    Step 4: Profit!

  141. Excellent Prediction! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All right! Another variation from the conspiracy nuts!

    You, sir, are a MORON!!!

  142. *sniff* by Dlugar · · Score: 2, Funny

    A low Slashdot user ID? *sniff, sniff* Well... that's just the nicest thing anyone's ever said about me! I feel so happy ... thanks anomynous coward!

    Dlugar

    --
    Computer Go: Writing Software to Play the Ancient Game of Go
  143. Amusingly by fredrikj · · Score: 1

    Amusingly, Mainsoft's primary product seems to be Visual SourceSafe for UNIX.

    This'll give them some promotion.

  144. alternate universe by SirSlud · · Score: 5, Insightful

    i cannt re-iterate how stupid all thie fear is ....

    check out this alternate universe:

    musicians are fucked. apparently, we can't look at other peoples copywritten music without 'taining' our ability to write original music.

    everybody from bach to bon jovi is now in violation of copywright law. musicians have henceforth been instructed never to look at somebody elses music lest they be sued later for copying the notes and rhythms.

    harumph. this is rediculous.

    --
    "Old man yells at systemd"
    1. Re:alternate universe by Cyberop5 · · Score: 2, Informative

      IANAL
      Music and literature are art. Code is not art, despite what many think. Its not subject to the same rules. Its more than just copyrights; its patents, trade secrets, et al. Look into Source code and free speech. Wikipeida provides an interesting read about source code and free speech.

      --
      Urgo: "I want to live. I want to experience the universe and I want to eat pie!"
      Jack: "Who doesn't??"
    2. Re:alternate universe by RobertB-DC · · Score: 2, Interesting

      musicians are f*ed. apparently, we can't look at other peoples copywritten music without 'taining' our ability to write original music.

      There was a science fiction short story I read that detailed that exact scenario. It was either in Omni or in a compilation in the early '80s, and it went somewhat like this:

      In a future society, your career path is chosen for you soon after birth, by a semi-benevolent system that can tell what you'll like to do. The main character is chosen to be a musician, and creates beautiful music in complete isolation. But a shadowy figure lets the kid listen to a Bach fugue. The kid knows he's in deep doo doo, because the music has influenced him in a forbidden way. Despite his efforts, he's discovered -- because his compositions now have no fugues at all.

      The story goes on to reveal the dark side of the supposedly benevolent society, showing what happens to those who don't fit in. Very dark story with an ambiguous ending, IIRC. Wonder what the name and author was?

      --
      Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
    3. Re:alternate universe by mitherial · · Score: 4, Informative

      "The Unfinished Sonata" by Orson Scott Card, recently republished in tradepaperback form of his "Maps in a Mirror" short-story collection. Haunting tale.

      --
      Foo?
    4. Re:alternate universe by Ironica · · Score: 2, Informative

      apparently, we can't look at other peoples copywritten music without 'taining' our ability to write original music.

      In the realm of natural language, there are literally thousands of ways to express similar ideas. Music is slightly more limited, but still has at least hundreds (if not thousands) of valid permutations for melodies within the same key.

      A good programming language may give you as many as three or four different ways to do the same basic thing. You might wind up with a couple dozen different useful algorithms for the same function, but probably only one or two will emerge as clearly superior in speed, stability, and flexibility.

      Therefore, it is far, far easier to "accidentally" duplicate code than a song. And it still happens in music... people hear a song, and then a while later subconsciously imitate it when creating their own music. They may have it come back to them in a dream and never realize that it's based on something that already exists. And copyright cases have been lost over such things.

      --
      Don't you wish your girlfriend was a geek like me?
    5. Re:alternate universe by Slack3r78 · · Score: 1

      Except isn't source code classified for copyright purposes as a "work of literature?" While I'd agree that this classification is a little bit off, I think outright saying that it's not subject to the same rules is a little bit misleading. That said, you are absolutely correct that the issue generally isn't copyright, but the patent and trade secret issues surrounding it.

    6. Re:alternate universe by CaptainCarrot · · Score: 1

      That's "Unaccompanied Sonata". Yes, very haunting. It's one of those stories you never forget once you've read it.

      --
      And the brethren went away edified.
    7. Re:alternate universe by CaptainCarrot · · Score: 3, Informative
      ...copywritten...

      ...copywright...

      Gah! I know it's OT, but I can't stand it anymore!

      The legal protection for creative works is copyright, as in the right to copy. A work that's protected by copyright is said to be copyrighted

      Someone whose job it is to write advertising material and press releases, which writing is commonly called "copy" in those businesses, is a copywriter. Such copy isn't said to be "copywritten", but merely "written". There's no such word as "copywritten".

      Someone whose occupation it is to create a thing is called a "wright", as in "wheelwright" or "playwright". (No, not "playwrite". Yes I know that plays are written down, but that's not what we say.) "Wright" here is related to the past tense "wrought", which we almost never hear nowadays except as an adjective, as in "wrought iron". There's no such thing as a "copywright".

      --
      And the brethren went away edified.
    8. Re:alternate universe by micromoog · · Score: 1
      Aw FUCK! And I was just about to publish a story about this kid that was steered by society to be a composer, only to be ruined when he's "tainted" by being exposed to a Mozart concerto.

      THANKS A LOT, RobertB.

    9. Re:alternate universe by Sivaram_Velauthapill · · Score: 2, Insightful

      My view is that this is a natural result of capitalism. Under capitalism, all disputes are supposed to be resolved through the courts. This essentially means that the courts and its associated entities (such as law firms) will become more important--and more powerful. Economic crimes (this is what these are) will be enforced more strictly with heavier penalties. In the past, economic crimes were the least important; in the future, they will be the most important.

      In addition to an individual (say an artist) being sued, there are other similar issues. For instance, it is risky to start a small business that is a sole proprietorship in USA. You are pretty much forced to limit your liability in some manner (say by incorporating, or by buying insurance). In many other countries, anyone can literally start a small business if they wanted (although it may be more difficult in other respects eg. corruption, lack of capital).

      As countries move closer and closer to pure capitalism (all are), this will be more common. A country like USA is THE most capitalist nation on earth (not counting small countries like Barbados, Monaco, Singapore, etc). Therefore, it is reasonable to expect the courts to be involved more. And reality shows this to be true. Courts play a larger role in American society than any other.

      Sivaram Velauthapillai

      --
      Sivaram Velauthapillai
      Seeking the meaning of life... @slashdot of all places ;)
    10. Re:alternate universe by BorgCopyeditor · · Score: 1
      I, for one, welcome our new copywriting overlords.

      That said, I like the idea of a specialist who has wrought many copies. Maybe we need a word for someone who, for example, rips lots of CDs: him we could rightly call a "copywright."

      --
      Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
    11. Re:alternate universe by CaptainCarrot · · Score: 1

      Unless he gets caught. Then we'd have to call him an "inmate".

      --
      And the brethren went away edified.
    12. Re:alternate universe by SirSlud · · Score: 1

      you could rewrite that entire thing with USA replaced with UK, only it would have only been accurate 120 years ago.

      litigous societies based on IP laws and economic crimes are nothing new. Most of the early 1900 changes to US copyright law were thanks to the lobbying of Gilbert and Sullivan from the UK.

      Guess what was UK's biggest export 120 years ago? Culture. (Media, entertainment.)

      Guess what is the USA's biggest export right now? You got it. Culture.

      None of this is new.

      --
      "Old man yells at systemd"
    13. Re:alternate universe by Sivaram_Velauthapill · · Score: 1

      I disagree. The scale of modern capitalist societies (such as USA) are unmatched. I'm not an expert in history but my impression is that courts were not used to the extent that they are now. Nowadays, nearly everyone is suing each other (including different government branches suing each other). I don't think that was the case 100 years ago.

      I'm not saying your history is wrong--I'm assuming it is. BUT the lawsuits in the early 1900's were limiited to a few entities (few businesses, few citizens, etc). Nowadays it is vastly different. I haven't checked it but my impression is that the amount of money spent by government (per capita) is higher now than in the early 1900's (can someone back this plz?).

      Not all of it is bad. For instance, consumers hurt by products have a recourse now, whereas it was largely limited a hundread years ago (not to mention the fact that most people couldn't afford the few lawyers back then--now, you can sue for anything it seems). Having said that, I personally consider it worse overall. Litigation-oriented societies shift power to the wealthy.

      Sivaram Velauthapillai

      --
      Sivaram Velauthapillai
      Seeking the meaning of life... @slashdot of all places ;)
    14. Re:alternate universe by shadowbearer · · Score: 1


      One could also express what you said as people building their art on the experiences gained during their lifetimes.

      Even Bach had influences, although one of the wonders of Bach is that he wrapped his music, influences or no, around his own imagination.

      Meanwhile the lawyers are raking in the bucks. Sigh. I hope it never gets to the point where any artistic creation (including coding) requires that one spend more time searching and comparing to avoid copyright violations than they do in creating....it stifles creation at the root.

      Oh, wait...damn.

      SB

      --
      It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
    15. Re:alternate universe by Thomas+Shaddack · · Score: 1

      What about technical manuals and science books then? Are they art, or not? If not, are their writers tainted if they happen to read other, related manuals and science books? If yes, why are they considered to be art and code isn't?

    16. Re:alternate universe by smchris · · Score: 1


      "My Sweet Lord"! I think musicians have already been fucked.

    17. Re:alternate universe by 24-bit+Voxel · · Score: 1
      There are plenty of patents and trade secrets also associated with art. (See Pixar.) However, one could argue that art is simply somthing that stirs an emotion in someone. While music and literature are certainly art, so is the ascii matrix. What if comments in the code contained ascii art. Just little things here and there, would it then be ok to look at GPL code then?

      I find Wikipedia's information interesting and thought provoking. The primary use of language is to commuicate something. If I type something in English it is protected speech. If I type it in in a programming language to say, appear on a screen and move around, that is somehow not protected speech. I honestly don't understand how that can be. Perhaps we should amend the constitution to say that all speech is protected as long as a computer isn't interpreting it. What if I type in 1337? Is it code? Is it English? Is it protected speech? If I use a paragraph tag in my post, am I protected under the first amendment? It's HTML. It's... code. What happens if I use the mailto: link in an office document? Is my speech free?

      I honestly cannot fathom how code isn't considered free speach. I am not saying it shouldn't be copyrightable or protecable. All I am saying is that is has to be speech if the author intends it to be. Last question. What if I write out code in a notebook? It's not being interpreted by a machine, but it's code. Is it protected? Where can we possibly draw the line of this?

    18. Re:alternate universe by Cyberop5 · · Score: 1

      Ok, I was wrong. The 6 and 9th circuit court ruled in 2000 that source code is free speech.

      Ars Technica has a great article about how code could be classified as speech (it was written before the ruling was passed).

      Either way, patents, trade secrets, and copyrights encoumber the MS source code.

      More food for thought

      --
      Urgo: "I want to live. I want to experience the universe and I want to eat pie!"
      Jack: "Who doesn't??"
    19. Re:alternate universe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      works are never "copyrighted" they are merely "copyright".

      where this corruption came from i'll never know..

    20. Re:alternate universe by CaptainCarrot · · Score: 1

      "Copyright" is also a transitive verb, meaning to secure a copyright. It has a valid past tense. look it up if you don't believe me.

      --
      And the brethren went away edified.
  145. Mainstream media by nurb432 · · Score: 1

    I hear this sort of subtle manipulation content on a daily basis. be it intentional or not, it does have a tendency to sway public opinion. If you hear 'xyz is bad' enough, you begin to get desensitized to it, then slowly accepting of it as 'fact'.

    As far as the source, I'm talking national TV, major newspapers and radio stations, not some little unknown backwoods news shop.. Perhaps you have already become too desensitized to notice... Where as it irratates the hell out of me so i notice it every time.

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
  146. stolen source as the culprit of all evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Funny to see Microsoft learn from Valve. With the Half-Life 2 source being stolen, they had the perfect excuse (hax0rs can make cheats for online play and hack the clients/servers) to delay the game for nearly a year. Anyone who looked at the leaked game knew that it was nowhere near finished, contrary to their claims.

    Now Microsoft can use the same excuse to force upgrades on people, harass other companies who happen to create similar code to theirs, excuse any future win2k/xp worms, and delays, et unpleasant cetera.

  147. porno version of the Little Mermaid? by typical+geek · · Score: 1

    Uhh, you got a bittorrent link?

  148. Source Code leak - Open Source MS? by joekerrthejoker · · Score: 1

    I don't see how we as an open source community think that bad things will happen from the recent leak. Linux source code is open source, and few people use that to exploit other computers.

  149. Thats news to me! by SirTreveyan · · Score: 3, Funny

    if it's the 15% that works

    Does Windows have even 15% that works???

    I always thought Windows kinda creaked and groaned as it crawled along the information highway. Windows kinda reminds me of a Wile E. Coyote device for catching the RoadRunner, complete with parts falling off as it moves along until, just as the objective is reached, kerplowwie...it falls all the hell apart.

    So tell me...how does it feel to be Wile E. Coyote?

    --

    SELECT * FROM User WHERE Clue > 0

    0 rows returned

  150. Perhaps that's the format it comes in from MS by blorg · · Score: 1
    I don't know, it is possible that it was uncompressed and the zipping applied later.

    More likely it comes from MS in that format?

  151. Ridiculous quote from cnn.com article by techstar25 · · Score: 1

    "Access to the source code could allow hackers to exploit the operating system and attack machines running some versions of Windows."
    Of course Linux users would say "Linux source code is easily accessible, but that's what makes it more secure." The article.

    1. Re:Ridiculous quote from cnn.com article by Hanji · · Score: 2, Insightful

      *sigh*

      There's one essential difference. *Anyone* can look at the Linux source, white and black hats, so, although it might make it easier for the black hats to find holes, the white hats can also find them and, more importantly, *close* them. With the leaked Windows source, the white hats won't look at out of fear of legal repercussions, and, even if they were to do so and find a potential hole, they can't do shit about it if MS doesn't feel like dealing with them, whereas if they find a hole in the Linux kernel, they cab submit a patch, and, even if their patch isn't accepted, anyone else can then go and write one, one of which will be accepted. I can patch MS's code all I want, but it could never get accepted into the actual OS.

      --
      A Minesweeper clone that doesn't suck
    2. Re:Ridiculous quote from cnn.com article by paco+verde · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No, one reason Linux/*BSD/etc. are more secure is because the source code has always been available, and has been reviewed and hacked by thousands of people for 10 years. The source didn't just show up on the Internet yesterday.

      If Linux's source had been developed in secret for the last ten years, you better believe its sudden revelation would lead to the discovery of new vulnerabilities and exploits, and that's exatly what will happen to NT/2000/XP if there are any substantive pieces of the OS in the partical source that has been released.

      Microsoft is downplaying the whole situation as an intellecutal property issue, but I don't believe it. It will likely result in more vulnerabilities and exploits against Windows. Microsoft execs have been saying for years that revealing Windows source code would make the OS more vulnerable to attacks.

  152. Keep your eyes shut! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Marion Ravenwood: "Oh no! What's happening Indy?"

    Indy: "They've opened the Ark and released the evil power inside."

    Marion: "What should we do?"

    Indy: "Don't look at it! Keep your eyes shut!"

  153. Strong possibility by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    M$ prolly had this leaked on purpose to scare the WinNT/Win2000 holdouts to come into the WinXP/DRM fold. (The old 'Publicly visible source == more exploits' logic.)

  154. The name of one of Mainsoft's exec's appears... by ElGanzoLoco · · Score: 1

    Hi everybody,

    Macplus.org has a screenshot of some of the code, where the Mainsoft name appears, along with a name: "eyala". One of the board members is "Eyal Alaluf".

    To quote mainsoft's site:

    "Eyal Alaluf is Mainsoft's Director of Technology, a position he has held since January 2000. Bringing more than 10 years of industry experience to this role, Eyal oversees the development team behind Visual MainWin. After joining Mainsoft in 1994 as the company's first Senior Developer, Eyal has risen through the ranks. He became the company's Chief Engineer before landing in his current position.

    After graduating with dual degrees in mathematics and computer science from the Hebrew University in Israel, Eyal joined the Israel Defense Forces and worked as a software developer in the Israeli Navy where he was involved in creating advanced technologies and research. "


    [paranoid] Hmmm, Microsoft, UNIX, the Israeli army... [/paranoid]

    --
    Hello! I'm a disaster waiting to happen!
    1. Re:The name of one of Mainsoft's exec's appears... by dmaxwell · · Score: 1

      The main idea here seems to be that no one in the FOSS world should even THINK about looking at this code. We certainly don't need links to even fragments of it here.

    2. Re:The name of one of Mainsoft's exec's appears... by ElGanzoLoco · · Score: 1

      It's the coredump file, no microsoft code in it. My bad.

      And how in the world is Microsoft going to prove that you have -gasp- watched a screen shot of this code (except of course if you copy it verbatim, wich you won't. Or will ya? ;) )

      --
      Hello! I'm a disaster waiting to happen!
  155. Microsoft is smart! by Lispy · · Score: 1

    I know it has been posted a hundred times before but I am kind of scared what could become of this. This shouldn't have happened and there are so many risks for the OSS-Community that I must believe that this was one of Microsofts tricks. They are smart, and with SCO going down in court this looks like a very logical move to me: Infect the OSS-code and sue them. The problem with Microsoft is that they don't play by the rules. The only way out of this, as lame as it may seem, is to play by the rules. If they ever sue the FSF or whoever I want to be as sure as I am now with SCO that there is NO otherwise copyrighted IP inside OSS source.

    What's worse, I would loose all the joy in booting Linux if I wasn't sure it was the collective and legitimate work of all those people I highly respect.

    So, let's all be careful,
    Lispy

  156. I'd relish it by Dave_bsr · · Score: 1

    I'd enjoy it. IBM v. MS, the legal battle of the century. Think about it. What if MS loses? What would the IBM counter-sue look like?

    OH, YEAH. That would be like WWE Battle Royale for Geeks or something.

    I'd still use linux. Screw MS.

    --


    Who is this Anonymous Coward character, how does he post so much, and why is he always such a whore?
    1. Re:I'd relish it by pdbaby · · Score: 1
      That would be like WWE Battle Royale for Geeks

      What, you mean put Bill Gates and Sam Palmisano on an island with Linux, Darl et al, arm then with assorted weapons and tell them they have 3 days to be the last man standing?
      --
      Global symbol "$deity" requires explicit package name at line 2. - If only $scripture started "use strict;"
  157. NOT as disasterous as some think by Chanc_Gorkon · · Score: 1

    To MICROSOFT, it's disasterous. To the users? I doubt it. First, having the source does not preclude a tone of attacks. If this was the case, Linux would be under attack daily. Second, it'd be a miracle if anyone could make head or tales of their spaghetti.

    --

    Gorkman

  158. In related news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    SCO today announced that Windows contains pirated Unix source code.

  159. One source to rule them all... by blorg · · Score: 1
    "Groklaw has warned that anyone who gains access to the Windows source, whether or not they actually read it, may legally impair their ability to make contributions to open source resembling anything that exists in Windows."

    If what I've heard about it is true, reading this source will forever impair your ability to code, period.

  160. Now annoucing Johndows 1.0! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    After SLAVING away for 20 years to create a Windows-killer operating system, I have finally completed my work and released Johndows 1.0! Yes, it runs your Windows apps, perfectly in fact, as my main design goal has been perfect compatibility with Windows 2000! On top of that, I have added a large number of freeware applications PRE-INSTALLED! Yes, all this can be yours for the low low price of $29.95. Just send a cheque to me, John. 1 Johnsoft Way. Nueven NO.

  161. Hooray!!! by digid · · Score: 1

    Everyone thank Al Gore for the source code. Thanks AL!!!

  162. do it yourself by Dave_bsr · · Score: 1

    I'm pretty sure you can do that. Google for changing the color, and I imagine the text is Hex in a kernel file somewhere.

    A little time with hexedit and explorer.exe and you're probably good.

    --


    Who is this Anonymous Coward character, how does he post so much, and why is he always such a whore?
    1. Re:do it yourself by plugger · · Score: 1

      With the added bonus that you might screw up, and get to see your new Red Screen Of Death every couple of minutes :)

  163. Re:source out on the open?: conspiracy theory by bluGill · · Score: 1

    I don't want to copy Microsoft's code. I want to document how those undocumented functions work that office uses, and then let wine hackers implement them.

    I agree that I cannot legally get a hold of this code though. (It is copyrighted by them, and they haven't given me permission.)

  164. Not on Freshmeat yet... by Lispy · · Score: 1

    What's this windows source you are talking about? I checked over at freshmeat but coulnd't find it. Sounds interesting. Is it a new OS project? Where can I contribute? ;-)

    cu,
    Lispy

    1. Re:Not on Freshmeat yet... by autechre · · Score: 1

      It wouldn't be on freshmeat, as we don't list Windows-only projects :)

      --
      WMBC freeform/independent online radio.
  165. The best bit in that article... by blorg · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Finally, this is very important: If you propose to continue working in the IT industry, and somebody offers you a look at the source, just say no. Remember - if you learn too much about the internals of Microsoft products, you may find yourself unable to work for anybody except Microsoft. Yike."

    1. Re:The best bit in that article... by gabbarbhai · · Score: 1

      And Microsoft will not hire you if you happen to know Linux/UNIX programming :-)

    2. Re:The best bit in that article... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your hiring won't hinge on irrelevant skills, no.

    3. Re:The best bit in that article... by betat · · Score: 4, Funny

      Hmm..being offered something evil and forbidden, something you shouldn't take because otherwise you might get hooked on it forever.

      Sounds familliar.

      Just say no, kids.

    4. Re:The best bit in that article... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But this is totally untrue.

      If it were true, nobody could ever work as a programmer for more than one employer in their lifetimes. After seeing the source code of one company, they'd be tainted from working for another one!

      BTW: the team who wrote Windows NT worked for DEC prior to Microsoft, and worked on VMS, so by this logic they should never have been able to do this.

  166. How does this affect me? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How does this affect me? I use Gentoo.

  167. OH, THE IRONY - IT IS KILLING ME! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "...A lot of you apparently haven't read yesterday's story...."

    Words from an "editor" at a "news" site that consistently posts dupes of artictles that its very own "editors" have "apparently" not read either.

    ironic.

    1. Re:OH, THE IRONY - IT IS KILLING ME! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Its like rain on your wedding day!

  168. ignorance by Dave_bsr · · Score: 1

    You probably are entirely unfamiliar with the case. But if MS stole your PATENTED ideas, i doubt you'd describe yourself as a "crybaby company" when you sued them.

    --


    Who is this Anonymous Coward character, how does he post so much, and why is he always such a whore?
    1. Re:ignorance by kylef · · Score: 1

      From the article:

      Inside those 37 Burst patents based on work dating back to 1984 are legal control over not only efficient video and audio streaming, but control of just about every media hub strategy whether it comes from Microsoft, Sony, or Apple.

      This sounds like a patent dispute, NOT source code theft. After reading about this case for the past 5 minutes, I'm willing to bet Burst.com is yet another "let's go after deep pockets with our patent portfolio because we couldn't compete with a real product" company. Eolas ring a bell?

      In any case, this allegation is completely irrelevant and immaterial to the discussion at hand. Even if Microsoft infringed on this company's patents (and I'm not convinced they did), that does NOT mean it's OK for someone to steal the Windows source code.

    2. Re:ignorance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      no, if someone stole my patented work I'd first issue a C&D letter with passing references to large Italian men who do not like their daily routine interrupted.

    3. Re:ignorance by soulhuntre · · Score: 1

      I just love how when it suits the Linux community they are all about slapping Microsoft around for violating someones patent - but when a patent is standing in their way they clearly all patents are bad.

      But then, you can't expect much from a community that relies on copyrights to protect then (GPL) and spends the rest of their time arguing that pirating music is a moral imperative.

      --
      --> Fight tyranny and repression.... read /. at -1!
  169. comparing MS code to OSS code by moojin · · Score: 5, Interesting

    has anybody attempted to use the code analyzer that was developed for the SCO / IBM case. it would interesting to see if there were any similarities between MS code and the multitude of OSS code.

    --
    Why did I lurk so long before registering for a Slashdot account? I could have had a Slashdot ID of less than 100000.
    1. Re:comparing MS code to OSS code by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did it, using Comparator from ESR. No match with kernel 2.4.22.

  170. Re:This may sound crazy, but M$ would likely gain. by koh · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Obviously the only answer for companies stuck with M$, move to XP

    No. Windows 2000 is NT 5.0, XP is 5.1 and Server 2003 is 5.2. Notice the minor version bump which indicates that all these releases share a lot a code.

    It is reasonable to think they want to have users switch to Longhorn (does anybody know if it will be NT 5.3 or 6.O ?), but then the leak occured too soon, for they're not ready yet.

    --
    Karma cannot be described by words alone.
  171. Please secure your aluminum foil hats! by hacker · · Score: 1



    What if this code was leaked, in an effort to ENCOURAGE people to find flaws, report on them, or exploit them, so that Microsoft can know exactly where people go first, to attack the OS itself?

    What if they're using this as a means to find their own bugs, the ones their "talented staff" is unable to find or fix themselves?

    What if they're using the "eyes" of the Open Source community to audit their own code? Free Q&A support from a community who hates Microsoft to the core, due to the damage Microsoft has done to them over the years.

    </conspiracy mode="off">

  172. More details on the Linux machine analysis... by blorg · · Score: 4, Informative

    ...are provided by noisehole in this post from yeterday's discussion. He reckons Betanews lifted the analysis from his post.

  173. That, and.. by Dave_bsr · · Score: 1

    Don't ya think that virus writers are often anti-MS, and thus usually pro-linux? think of the recent ones - many have been either a) for profit spamming or b) "Hey world! MS sucks!" .

    Spammers want a million hosts. Going against linux is harder than Windows. and nobody writes a virus to infect linux hosts to tell them that MS sucks..

    --


    Who is this Anonymous Coward character, how does he post so much, and why is he always such a whore?
    1. Re:That, and.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How is "for profit spamming" "anti-MS, and thus usually pro-linux?" vandals target windows because, as you say, "Going against linux is harder than Windows." There are people who think Linux sucks and BSD is dying, but they don't write malware for Linux or BSD because, as you say, "Going against linux is harder than Windows." Even when Linux and BSD are the majority, viruses and worms target don't target them because, as you say, "Going against linux is harder than Windows." In fact, UNIX is the majority for mail servers, name servers, web servers, ftp servers, just about any kind of publicly accessible Internet server, but virus writers don't target them because, as you say, "Going against linux is harder than Windows." Sendmail is still the most widely used mail server and is very insecure, so people keep telling me. But still, virus writers don't target the still insecure Sendmail because, as you say, "Going against linux is harder than Windows." When you already know the right answer, why do you perpetuate myths that approach the blatant Linux bashing of Laura Didio

  174. Yea, but what if..... by StressGuy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Say, a retired programmer took a look at the leaked Windows source code then published a "code specification" that another (still employed) programmer could look and and then write a program to meet that specification. Technically, he never saw the source code, in fact, he need never even know that the "code specification" was inspired by the leaked Windows source.
    .
    . ...just thinking out loud, as it were....

    --
    A goal is a dream with a deadline
    1. Re:Yea, but what if..... by beebware · · Score: 1

      A bit like how Compaq (was it?) reverse engineered IBM's original PC BIOS system. One set of programmers examined the core dumps/code on the chip, wrote out the specification and then passed it to a totally seperate group of programmers which re-wrote the BIOS. No chance of "code contaimination", but the same outcome.

    2. Re:Yea, but what if..... by Eil · · Score: 4, Insightful


      If it came to it, I highly doubt that would hold up legally. Besides, much of the stuff in Windows is patented, and there's simply no way to re-implment it (different code or no) without violating a patent.

      Why in the hell do you want to copy windows anyway? Open source to me is about making new or simply better software. (Speaking generally to everyone here, not just the parent...) If you absolutely must have win32 compatibility, then buy a Windows license like everyone else. If that's not acceptable, then figure out a solution that doesn't require win32 compatibility. But for god's sake, don't be a common criminal and steal someone else's implementation.

      I digress. Chances are pretty good that writing a specification from such crufty code (and a good deal of it is crufty) would be more difficult than legally reverse-engineering a working implementation anyway.

    3. Re:Yea, but what if..... by silicon+not+in+the+v · · Score: 1

      "Why in the hell do you want to copy windows anyway?"

      My answer would be for Linux to get good hardware detection and setup like Windows has. Maybe then some of these modems, soundcards and video cards that work in Windows could also be made to work in Linux. I know the PNP stuff is awful to try to make it work. If that leaked Windows stuff has the specs for their hardware compatibility and PNP configuration code, that could be a great help to getting hardware configuration to be a snap.

      When I recently started trying Linux to see if I could migrate, I discovered that I had about the most difficult video card and sound card with respect to Linux. I wonder at the logic of Linux distros having several CDs worth of software and stuff, but not enough on there to setup your hardware. Windows has 1 disc, which doesn't contain a ton of software, but at least can get your computer working.

      Projects like ALSA are working hard to make sound cards a plug n play experience, but it's still a big pain, even with cards that have been out for 10 years, and should be pretty simple.

      --
      We may experience some slight turbulence and then...explode. -Capt. Mal Reynolds
    4. Re:Yea, but what if..... by Planx_Constant · · Score: 1

      As far as copyright goes, I think it would hold up legally; it has in the past for Phoenix, with the IBM BIOS, and for AMD and Cyrix, when they made clones of Intel chips.

      That's the whole philosophy behind clean room design.

      You are right about the patent issue, though. There's no way around a valid patent.

      --
      Heisenberg might have been here.
    5. Re:Yea, but what if..... by shadowjk · · Score: 1

      What would help more than windows source code here, would be non-broken hardware, and hardware vendors publishing specs and programming information for their hardware.

      When open source developers have to use guesses, trial and error, and pure luck to write drivers for something that is completely undocumented, it's no wonder that some hardware combinations don't always work.
      And even for things that are supposed to be standardized, it doesn't always help, when hardware vendors ignore the standard. As an example are the LG CD-RW drives that would blow up in Mandrake Linux. A worryingly large part of driver sources these days seem to be work arounds for bugs in specific hardware.

      The windows disc also only has drivers for the most common hardware, and you have to install the graphics card's own drivers from its cd before you get anything except 640x480 16 colour (XP might be using VESA for unrecognized cards and through that give you higher resolutions).

      I've never had any problems with PNP in Linux myself. I'm not aware of any problems with PNP either, perhaps someone else knows better...

      While windows sourcecode might be slightly helpful, to discover hardware specs, you have to keep in mind that windows doesn't have that many drivers of its own anyway, to extract hardware specs from.

    6. Re:Yea, but what if..... by Beige · · Score: 1

      > But for god's sake, don't be a common criminal and steal someone else's implementation.

      You'll probably find that stealing code will make you a pretty uncommon criminal. :)

      --
      pandnotpian.org. The untruth will set you free!
    7. Re:Yea, but what if..... by shadowbearer · · Score: 1

      Good points. One comment:

      Besides, much of the stuff in Windows is patented, and there's simply no way to re-implment it (different code or no) without violating a patent.

      I'd be willing to bet that if the code really was opened to the world, that at least some of those patents could potentially be declared invalid for having prior art.

      I've not seen any windows source code, but we all know how Microsoft does business; plus, the closed nature of the code, the NDAs, and the nature of OSS just about guarantees there is at least some prior art in there, and possibly some copyright violations (GPL). Not saying there is, but I wouldn't bet money against it.

      In any case it'd be interesting to find out.

      SB

      --
      It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
  175. Zipped contents of a CD-rom by NZheretic · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Phillup rightly raised the point: "Perhaps it got into the computer (from MS) as a zip file? And... they kept the original.".

    The expanded contents of the zip file is around the size of a single CD. This points to the contents being originally distributed from Microsoft on CD-rom.

    Microsoft has made so much fuss about retaining control of the source code. In May 2002, under oath at the antitrust hearing Jim Allchin, group vice president for platforms at Microsoft, stated that, because the Windows operating systems contained inherent flaws, disclosing the Windows operating system source code could damage national security and even threaten the U.S. war effort.

    It's going to be interesting if it is subsequently found that Microsoft itself has been distributing said source code over the internet in zip format.

    By the way, In February 2003, Microsoft signed a pact with Chinese officials to reveal the Windows operating system source code. Bill Gates even hinted that China will be privy to all, not just part, of the source code its government wished to inspect.

    Dispite gaining more favored trading status with the USA, there remains many embargos over technology transfers which could put the US at future risk.

    Either Jim Allchin lied under oath, to prevent code revelation being any part of the settlement, OR the Microsoft corporation is behaving traitorously, by exposing national security issues to foreign governments.

    The exposure of Microsoft source code put users at risk because of the inherent design and implimentation flaws built into the source code.

    In comparison open source development practices enables open source distributions and users to evaluate the source code from the start. This forces developers to build in security from the early outset of each project or risk abandonment for more secure alternate solutions. End users can particpate in the development process.

    1. Re:Zipped contents of a CD-rom by sangreal66 · · Score: 1

      Or... Perhaps they've improved their code.

    2. Re:Zipped contents of a CD-rom by Moofie · · Score: 1

      Yeah. The same press release announced that MS has appointed the Tooth Fairy as the chief technology officer.

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    3. Re:Zipped contents of a CD-rom by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a regular slashdot user, you forgot about the fact that the CD you claim include a core file which happens to be generated in a Linux machine. So it is clear that the CD as it is, is not distributed by Microsoft. It is quite clear that the Linux machine was hacked and I have seen so many Linux machines getting hacked somehow.

  176. Wine by I_l00P · · Score: 1

    I wonder if were going to see a major wine release short after this episode.... the wine developers must be at least curious to look at the source.

  177. I'm suprised no one has been saying this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    OK, the cat is out of the bag. Yeah this sucks for Microsoft. Yeah OSS developers need to stay away. But has anyone seriously considered reverse engineering the code? I mean if some self sacrificing developer was to check out the code and write up some specs it could provide to be helpful to such projects as WINE, Samba and ReactOS without their respective developers ever becomming tainted (dirty dirty ;). Obviously IANAL nor do I read Groklaw regularly and this is a little different than what Compaq (if memory serves) did with the origonal x86 BIOS but wouldn't a double blind reverse engineering still be legal?

    1. Re:I'm suprised no one has been saying this by Vexler · · Score: 1

      As I recall, EULA contains clauses that prohibits reverse engineering or any such numb-skull pranks.

      Any coder who has *THAT* much time on his/her hands (i.e. 40 million lines) should hop over to check out sendmail, or Apache, or any other OSS project going on, instead of wasting time on this nonsense.

      IANAL.

    2. Re:I'm suprised no one has been saying this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      as i recall leaking code to the internet isnt leagl either

  178. OMG by dlharper · · Score: 1

    . . . about 3/4 throught the eWeek article, I came across this gem of a paragraph:

    "The goal of WISE is to enable developers to write applications using Windows APIs and deploy them on Unix operating systems such as Linux ." (Italics mine)

    (He pulls bullshit flag out of back pocket, waves it in the air, and throws it in the general direction of eWeek and "Nate Mook, BetaNews")

    UnFlippingReal

    (my apologies if someone has pointed this out already)

  179. DOWNLOAD IT HERE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    At least one of the 200mb files here on the download section.

    1. Re:DOWNLOAD IT HERE by jo42 · · Score: 1

      w00t!

      "Win2k and XP source removed, sorry ppl, I can't stand the /. effect with 200mb files :/"

      What about the MS lawyer effect...?

  180. Compliance with anti-trust regulations ;-) by valentyn · · Score: 2, Funny

    Oh come on. This is just their way of complying with the anti-trust regulations, opening up the API's and stuff. ;-)

    --
    my other sig is a 500 page novel
  181. Any working bittorrents? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    See topic..

  182. Let's not jump to conclusions here... by Vexler · · Score: 2, Interesting

    First of all, look at the number of files and the amount of data that were leaked: Some 30,000 files, 660 MB worth of data. For reference, the entire source weighs in around 40 GB and 40 million lines of code. Then look at what portion of the OS it was taken from: Windows 2000 Service Pack 1, released around the end of 2000.

    Now, before you start thinking "zero-day" or any such doomsday thought, keep in mind that this stuff is almost four years old and does not figure even 1% of the total code. If it had been a solid 50% of XP's or Server 2003's code, I can understand the concern.

    The best response in this case is still: Keep patching those servers and workstations, and watch for announcements from Redmond. There is no need to be any more alarmist if you are already running Windows and are following good security practices.

    1. Re:Let's not jump to conclusions here... by kiscica · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I keep seeing these figures for the size of the entire Windows source code base, "40GB and 40 million lines of code." Unless I'm missing something, this just doesn't add up. ~40 billion characters / 40 million lines implies that the average length of a line of code in the Windows source is 1000 characters. Even if the comments are terribly verbose, I highly doubt that is correct.

      Now, I haven't looked at the leaked (putative) Windows source code yet, but I did check some of the Linux kernel source, and the average seems to be more on the order of 20-30 characters per line.

      If Windows source is statistically similar, 40 million lines would be close to 1 gigabyte (not 40), so the 650 or so megs of leaked code might indeed be a significant chunk of it. (I saw at least one claim that the leaked code comprises 13 million lines, which would be in line with these estimates.)

      I find the "40 million lines" claim for Windows source code, even including all the drivers etc., a lot more credible than the "40 gigabytes" (which would imply something like a billion lines of code). Even then, it's a lot. For comparison, a recent Linux kernel on my machine is about 5 million lines of source code (and 150 megs), and an entire Linux distribution of around the same vintage as W2K, namely Redhat 7.1, is about 30 million lines. The total functionality of W2K is arguably significantly less than that of an entire Linux distribution.

      Kiscica

    2. Re:Let's not jump to conclusions here... by Rozinante · · Score: 1

      I keep seeing these figures for the size of the entire Windows source code base, "40GB and 40 million lines of code." Unless I'm missing something, this just doesn't add up. ~40 billion characters / 40 million lines implies that the average length of a line of code in the Windows source is 1000 characters. Even if the comments are terribly verbose, I highly doubt that is correct.

      Must be saved in MSWord format....

      Phil

      --
      "'Tis a small mind indeed cannot think but of one way to spell a word." -Mark Twain
    3. Re:Let's not jump to conclusions here... by dsouth · · Score: 1
      Possible explanation:
      • The 40GB figure is the size of the entire source code directory tree on disk (think du -s).
      • The 40 million lines of code is the number of active lines in the source code after the comments are removed.

      Using the above definitions, the figures are not too outragous for well-commented source code (probably on-par with Linux's comment-to-code ratio).

    4. Re:Let's not jump to conclusions here... by urbanRealist · · Score: 1

      I think even Microsoft announced 35 million lines of code for Windows 2000 when it came out. How many lines of code could have been in SP1?

      --
      I've seen a lot of things, but I've never been a witness.
    5. Re:Let's not jump to conclusions here... by Vexler · · Score: 1

      Yes... even including boldface, italics, and underlines... maybe there is a table or a graph or two in there...

      (Knowing MS, they'd probably bloat the thing to the n-th degree.)

  183. Alert! Microsoft code patches coming! by erroneus · · Score: 1

    This is really good news! This means an interesting opportunity for the Open Source community to patch some of those annoying holes that have yet to be patched and publically disclosed!!

    I hope it is ALL of the source so that custom versions of "Secure Windows" can be developed and passed around. Could you imagine the ramifications of a "secure windows"?

    I don't expect to see more bugs and exploits, but rather the opposite. I even imagine bug submissions to Microsoft along with proposed fixes. :) But please, someone, if you do submit bug fixes to MS, release them under the GPL! :)

    Muhahahaha!

  184. Do you have the creation dates for those archives? by NZheretic · · Score: 1
    larry bagina states: " I've seen torrents for the source code in tar.bz and tar.gz format as well as the .zip"

    Do you have the creation dates for those archives or bitorrent headers? I can only find evidence of the said file in zip format before the story broke in the press.

  185. Yeah, Right! by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 1
    A lot of you apparently haven't read yesterday's story.

    Yeah, right. I've never seen so many /. posts on a single thread so quickly as I saw on that one. Four pages worth in the first few hours alone. SCO completely and utterly destroyed by IBM wouldn't attract that much comment.

    --
    "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
  186. Somewhat ironical by rauhest · · Score: 1

    Next to the press-release, there's a Related Links section with the link "Microsoft Resources: * Shared Source Web Site"

  187. Microsoft dodges the bullet yet again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Because people have basically overlooked the release of the NT4 source. The NT4 tree is reportedly more complete, and contains driver code which can be used to "fill in the gaps" in the Windows 2000 source tree.

  188. Re:source out on the open -- according to MS by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 1
    may legally impair their ability to make contributions to open source resembling anything that exists in Windows

    Which, according to Microsoft, will be any operating system, program, applet, virus, or worm that runs on any computer physically smaller or newer than an IBM System 360/40.

    --
    "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
  189. maybe you have it backwards? by *weasel · · Score: 1

    Maybe it was an intentional leak on Mainsoft's part - in the interests of the OSS community.

    Consider that the leak was traced back to Mainsoft, a company who ports Microsoft code to *nix boxes.

    If you were a low level coder at Mainsoft, and you saw GPL'd code in Windows, how else would you get word out without risking your job? You code on unix all day, you work on linux servers, so you're just as likely to be a fan of OSS as any other *nix geek. Either way you're likely to be a moral/ethical coder.

    But, what if you're wrong? What if it turns out the code in question is in the OSS project illegally? Then you're not only out of work for crying wolf, but you personally will always be remembered as a Judas.

    So why not 'leak' the source anonymously and let the community sort it out?

    Granted it's not a probable scenario - it's much more likely just an outside hack and theft like the half-life 2 debacle.

    But it's slightly more reasonable than some diabolical conspiracy by Microsoft to entrap OSS coders.

    --
    // "Can't clowns and pirates just -try- to get along?"
    1. Re:maybe you have it backwards? by Ironica · · Score: 1

      If you were a low level coder at Mainsoft, and you saw GPL'd code in Windows, how else would you get word out without risking your job?

      Uh... you do it in such a way that doesn't leave Microsoft able to sue your employer into oblivion?

      --
      Don't you wish your girlfriend was a geek like me?
  190. amazing responses from the "Channel" by uncadonna · · Score: 1
    Google linked me to this story, with some astonishing quotations that show just how confused the Microsoft camp is about itself.

    The main spin is whether "leaked source code" and "wide open to hacking" are pretty much the same thing. Imagine someone saying 'we are concerned if Linux source code has been leaked to the internet and gets into the wrong hands. A talented hacker with source code can wreak havoc and will cost our enterprise clients, consumers and businesses time, effort and money to combat it'

    here

    --
    mt
  191. Too dramatic by truthsearch · · Score: 1

    I hate MS as much as anyone. But I think that's a huge stretch. It would be a far bigger PR scandal if this was some sort of stunt and they got caught. They're not in a position yet where they need to take such risky and drastic measures to tarnish the competition. If they were near their demise I would agree it's possible, but they're nowhere near dead. In this case they really are a victim. Although they still don't get my sympathy...

  192. More FUD within FUD? by hacker · · Score: 3, Interesting
    "Clues to the source code's origin lie in a "core dump" file, which is left by the Linux operating system to record the memory a program is using when it crashes."
    1. What would the Microsoft source code be doing on a Linux machine? Mainsoft ports applications from Windows to Unix, not Linux. IE and WinAmp are two examples that they've ported.
    2. What would a "core dump" file be doing with a directory list of files inside it, especially Microsoft source code files. What application dumped that included this file list? It is highly unlikely that they were building code with Microsoft Windows 2000 source code ON Linux, so what was it doing there?
    3. Core files don't contain "lists of files or directories" on Linux. That information is completely irrelevant to the purpose of a core file... diagnosing the reason for a crash. Lists of files in a directory or on the filesystem are completely irrelevant to WHY the app involved crashed.
    4. Core files on Linux are set to 0 bytes by default. The only reason this would have been changed, is so that you can debug crashes. If this is the case, Mainsoft was porting Windows applications to Linux as well as Unix.
    5. Lastly, if they were not porting to Linux, perhaps the media is once-again confusing Unix with Linux. On FreeBSD/etc. coredumps are not disabled by default. It is entirely possible that some flavor of Unix was used to hold the Microsoft source code, which makes sense. It doesn't, however, implicate the underlying OS holding this directory of files as guilty of the crime.

    I think this is FUD within FUD, to try to generate some ill-will towards Linux, as if the computer running Linux had something to do with the code being put on the Internet by a HUMAN process.

    1. Re:More FUD within FUD? by Etcetera · · Score: 3, Informative

      What would the Microsoft source code be doing on a Linux machine? Mainsoft ports applications from Windows to Unix, not Linux. IE and WinAmp are two examples that they've ported.

      ...If this is the case, Mainsoft was porting Windows applications to Linux as well as Unix.


      Umm.. did we not click on our links today? The article linked to has a big, fat link to the MainWin product page which states, in part:

      Visual MainWin is an enterprise-class application-porting platform that enables software developers to develop C++ applications on Windows using Visual Studio and deploy them on Unix and Linux. Visual MainWin is a complete cross-platform solution that speeds development and deployment. Developers will also appreciate Visual MainWin's J2EE Integration Package and industry-leading XML support. And it actually recompiles Windows source code with the Unix compilers to create native Unix applications.


      I think it's certainly safe to assume that they were compiling on a box.
    2. Re:More FUD within FUD? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, it has more to do with you being just plain wrong. The core file in question was from someone at Mainsoft using vim on a source file. vim cored and left the user's entire shell environment inside the core. Including his login name, home directory, ostype, and the company name from his mailer: Mainsoft.

    3. Re:More FUD within FUD? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Core files don't contain "lists of files or directories" on Linux. That information is completely irrelevant to the purpose of a core file... diagnosing the reason for a crash. Lists of files in a directory or on the filesystem are completely irrelevant to WHY the app involved crashed.

      Depends on what that app was doing when it crashed. If the app was generating listings of files and directories, those lists would be in memory when the crash occurred - and therefore in the dumpfile.

    4. Re:More FUD within FUD? by spitzak · · Score: 1

      The only "FUD" is some clueless readers who don't realize that you can get information out of a computer without "cracking" it. Ask them if they think their ability to read email means there is a security flaw in their computers.

      Here is how the core file worked:

      1. Mainsoft is certainly interested in compiling stuff on Linux, and somebody copied all this code to a Linux machine.

      2. Somebody went into one of these directories and ran vim. Vim was asked to list a directory, leaving the directory list in it's memory. Vim then later crashed and left a core file containing it's entire memory in this directory.

      3. Later, somebody (possibly a different person) saw this directory, said "Look at all the Microsoft source code, I think I'll post it to the net, because I am an idiot and want to risk jail time". They did not notice or care that there was a core file in the directory as well. They zipped the entire directory and posted it to the net.

      3a. Alternative is that somebody legitimately backed up the direcory, copying the core file by accident. This could have gone through any number of steps and people. Eventually it reached somebody who said "hey this zip file contains Microsoft's source code, why don't I post it to the net" and it was posted. Therefore there is no proof that the owner of the machine or even a user of a Linux machine was at fault.

    5. Re:More FUD within FUD? by jstott · · Score: 1

      In reverse order...

      4. Core files on Linux are set to 0 bytes by default. The only reason this would have been changed, is so that you can debug crashes. If this is the case, Mainsoft was porting Windows applications to Linux as well as Unix.

      This depends on the distribution. The system default is easily changed

      3. Core files don't contain "lists of files or directories" on Linux. That information is completely irrelevant to the purpose of a core file... diagnosing the reason for a crash. Lists of files in a directory or on the filesystem are completely irrelevant to WHY the app involved crashed.

      They don't always, but they can. If you have, say, an opendir() directory handle that hasn't been closed, that directory will be sitting in memory somewhere. Dump core, and it will be written out with everything else.

      I remember a few times, way back in the day, where some FTP daemons would leave you a copy of the local shadow password file in the core file if you could overflow any random buffer. The programmer had dropped root privledges by the point the overflow occurred, but they had forgotten to call endpwent(), so the information was still in memory. Rather elegant attack, actually.

      -JS

      --
      Vanity of vanities, all is vanity...
  193. Re: I don't think so... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well maybe not... We have the possibility to verify the sources in case of accusations. I don't think Microsoft would be able to pull a SCO on this one.

  194. Casual Friday cancelled at Mainsoft? by smchris · · Score: 1

    Perhaps a special Friday the 13th executive board group sepukku at 4:00?

    Hard to find a lot of positive outcomes but maybe Microsoft will have to tone down security through obscurity.

  195. Found Some Interesting Stuff by kubed · · Score: 1

    /* this doesn't work properly yet, but....ah screw it, it's good enough. we gotta meet the deadline */ /* could be a potential security problem, but we'll just release a patch later */ /* wtf does this do again? i wrote this while i was drunk, but i can't remember its purpose. */

    1. Re:Found Some Interesting Stuff by Zeuthen · · Score: 1

      That explains a lot, doesn't it?

    2. Re:Found Some Interesting Stuff by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nice troll, faggot

  196. So how are people going to react to the revelation by Beavis! · · Score: 0

    that the code was gotten from a Linux box? I think Microsoft would be playing this for all it's worth claiming that this wouldn't have happened if the code was kept on a commercial Unix (like SCO, HP-UX or Sun) as opposed to Linux. Silly really, but you know how people play these games. Mind you I'm not claiming that the code leak was a game in itself. It, very well, could have been accidental. But this new information gives Microsoft a powerful tool to make claims about their security vs. Linux.

    --
    I try to be fu
  197. I got the code!!! by galo_2099 · · Score: 1

    $ grep -r "shit" * ie.c: // this is really shit $ grep -r "fuck" * outlook.c: // this de BaKAD00r to f0ck you

  198. A question about source and product size by Baron_Yam · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'm going to show my complete and total ignorance of programming here... but how can there be 40GB of source for a product that doesn't even half fill a 640MB CD? Even if you add in all the variants and patches, it doesn't approach a significantly larger fraction of 40GB.

    1. Re:A question about source and product size by christopherfinke · · Score: 1
      but how can there be 40GB of source for a product that doesn't even half fill a 640MB CD?
      Comments?
    2. Re:A question about source and product size by Vexler · · Score: 2, Informative

      No, not comments. Those are just ignored when the source is compiled and then passed through the linker. You only get to see the comments when you have the source. (The machine wouldn't understand them, anyway.)

      Microsoft does have its own proprietary file compression format called ".CAB" file that can hold amazing amount of stuff. I don't know what the ratio is, though.

      But since all their work is closed-source, we are ultimately speculating.

    3. Re:A question about source and product size by Baron_Yam · · Score: 1

      Well - since the comments are excised at compile, one would expect the source to be larger. Still, a better than 39:1 comment-to-code ratio? That'd be nuts!

    4. Re:A question about source and product size by complete+loony · · Score: 1
      Do resources count in that 40GB (eg bitmaps, icons, etc) that are not on the "source" CD?

      The number's I've seen bandied about suggest it would fill a CD if it was uncompressed.

      --
      09F91102 no, 455FE104 nope, F190A1E8 uh-uh, 7A5F8A09 that's not it, C87294CE no. Ah! 452F6E403CDF10714E41DFAA257D313F.
  199. What about Microsoft's private keys??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Anyone see if the Microsoft private keys were possibly stored in the source code? That would be the worse!

  200. Who cares by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who cares! It's just source code for crying out loud! And, really, Windows was (and will be for years to come) already the target of thousands of virus attacks and also extremely unstable without this source leak. Which, really, it might even help them.

    So, stop watching CNN and learn how to react properly to news.

  201. Open Source Security vs Close Source Security by John+Harrison · · Score: 1
    The reason that you having the source to Linux available doesn't cause there to be a huge number of viruses is simple: The code has been out there all along. It is "innoculated" against holes because they have been found over the years. Open source by its nature avoids "security through obscurity" solutions. Thus open source is a two edged sword in this regard. Your holes are made public, but that allows the good guys to find them and fix them.

    Microsoft may or may not be relying on security through obscurity. I don't know since I haven't looked at the code. It might be that there will be a rash of worms and exploits that will be crafted by programmers who have searched through this source for holes. In this case having the source out in the open (as opposed to open source) will not be a two edged sword. Nobody is going to look at this code to submit fixes back to MS. So it is possible that now that the obscurity is gone, so is the security.

    Interestingly, though there will probably be a short-term rash of problems due to this, in the long term this will lead to an "innoculation" effect as MS plugs holes that are found and possibly plugs similar holes that are not found.

    If you ask me, I would guess that the next few months are going to be filled with Win2k patches.

  202. libpng 1.0 beta 2 - version 0.88 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's kind of interesting that IE seems to use libpng1.0 beta 2 - version 0.88. That's very out of date and vulnerabilities have been found and fixed since then. Hopefully some critical upgrade upgraded libpng.

  203. Could this be the reason for The Year Of The Worm? by BenBenBen · · Score: 1
    The machine it was stolen from, or at least a machine it had been stored on, was infected by Nimda. This is proven by the presence of riched20.dll in folders containing .eml files, a Nimda giveaway.

    I get these worms mixed up, but doesn't Nimda drop a backdoor? Couldn't the code have been an unexpectedly excellent find for someone? How long ago does this mean it was stolen? Can it be 2 years, as Nimda is?

    Do the exploits used by slammer, blaster, mydoom [and maybe more?] exist in this part of the source?

    --
    The Slashdot Paradox: "100% Overrated"
  204. Gotta love spin by bogie · · Score: 2, Interesting

    MS has said for years that Linux is more vulnerable because the source is out there yet now a chunck of 2k(aka XP) is out there and its "no big deal". Sorry but XP is 2k with eye candy and an improved kernel. XP wasn't a new OS from the ground up and knowing how poor a job MS does with finding security problems I don't see how logically you can say this is anything but devastating. 15% of the source code for Microsoft's newest OS is floating around the Net. That is a big deal.

    I don't know why I expected Microsoft to finally act like an honest company and tell the truth here, but they are in even worse denial then we oringally thought if they think we are buying the no big deal line.

    --
    If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
  205. Has anyone... by xaoslaad · · Score: 1

    ... I haven't downloaded this stuff, but I've heard a lot of people stating that there are tons of empty .eml files, suggesting it was taken from a system infected with Nimda.

    And now we have a core dump files from a Linux PC....

    If no one has been able to explain the .eml files then it sounds like this source may have been copied from one to another, and without some more conclusive evidence, who is to say which it was actually stolen from...

  206. THAT old saw again. by dmaxwell · · Score: 4, Informative

    For the kajillionth time, putting GPLed code into a proprietary codebase DOES NOT make the whole thing GPLed. If MS did put GPLed code into one of their products accidentally or otherwise and then distributed it, that is copyright violation. The GPL does not rely on contract law and therefore CANNOT specify the penalty for violating it. Since the GPL is a straight copyright license pure copyright law applies. This means MS' hypothetical penalty would be between them, a court of law and the aggreived FOSS project.

    The judge is such a case is unlikely to order MS' codebase GPLed. MS would have to either put out a sanitized patch for the code in question or pay the developers for an alternative license. The exact circumstances of the case would determine what if any punitive damages MS would have to pay in addition to recompensating the developers.

    MS would have the OPTION of making the entire contaminated codebase GPLed to satisfy the license but I doubt they would take that option. They could do it for the FUD value but since the aggrieved FOSS project wouldn't accept that as a settlement, MS would just have to do something else. Imagine that! A FOSS project could rule out an MS product being GPLed to PREVENT harm to a project or FOSS in general.

  207. Hah by subtronic · · Score: 1

    One of the only realistic ways a terrorist organization could bring down the United States governement isn't through military might, but through it's continued support of Microsoft Window's (tm) "Operating" Systems. It doesn't matter that only _part_ of the code was released. Because with the moment NIX is gaining through IBM and Apple and to a lesser extent, Sun... this only adds to that momentum. I wouldn't be too suprised if I saw more leaks in the coming months, either. If only Janet Jackson's nipple was sporting a Tux ring :(

    1. Re:Hah by subtronic · · Score: 1

      Actually, it probably would have been more favorable if she was sporting an MSN butterfly.

  208. BSD licence by Sepper · · Score: 4, Interesting

    the best exemple of BSD code in Windows (all version I think) is the ftp.exe file... Just open it with notepad and search for:

    "Copyright (c) 1983 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved."

    And I think the TCP/IP stack is also based on it (they would be really stupid to do otherwise)... But I think this is all old news...and it's all very legal in case you didn't know

    --
    I live in Soviet Canuckistan you insensitive clod!
    1. Re:BSD licence by Phroggy · · Score: 1
      --
      $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
      $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
    2. Re:BSD licence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You don't have IPv6 installed do you? :^) If you did, your last modified time for ftp.exe would be a date in 2002. At least on Windows XP it does, after installing the advanced networking pack.

    3. Re:BSD licence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "And I think the TCP/IP stack is also based on it (they would be really stupid to do otherwise)..."

      The NT4 source may contain a copy of that old TCP/IP stack, but the stack used in Windows 2000 and most other versions of Windows [WinSock2] is a total rewrite.

    4. Re:BSD licence by SiegeTank · · Score: 1

      Which brings up an interesting question... Will SCO now sue Microsoft for allowing the code to be release to the public since they claim it is a 'derivative product'.

    5. Re:BSD licence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The NT4 source may contain a copy of that old TCP/IP stack, but the stack used in Windows 2000 and most other versions of Windows [WinSock2] is a total rewrite.

      Hrm. I always wondered where the "2" in Winsock2 came from.

  209. Win2k leak by Rip+Van+Winkle · · Score: 1

    My question is as follows:

    If MS are so worried about the source code being exploited to find security holes then it leads me to believe that MS knows these holes. Why aren't they pro-actively fixing it?!?!

    Big hint to MS... Fix the exploits then it won't matter if the source code is leaked!

    --

    Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are not the responsiblity of the user, as I probably stole them anyway
  210. TAX Advantage? by segmond · · Score: 1

    Leak parts of your code, claim billions in damage, deduct from tax

    --
    ------ Curiosity killed the cat. {satisfaction brought it back | it didn't die ignorant | lack of it is killing mankind
  211. Friday the 13th by DR+SoB · · Score: 1

    Anyone find it interesting this is Friday the 13th? Microsoft has some bad luck this year.. Today's trading show's share's are falling steady. Well, what's bad luck for some is good luck for others, huh? I wonder if we'll have a new "I love you" for v day tomorrow?

    --
    Mod +5 Drunk
  212. Stock symbol "PEP" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    MD is owned by Pepsi.

  213. Some interesting comments from the source by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    "// WARNING: doesn't handle buffer overflow"

    Heh. Great job!

    "// potentially off-by-1, but who cares..."

    Yeah, who cares about security anyway?

  214. Freenet download by FutureShoks · · Score: 2, Funny
    Anyone know of a FreeNet site with the code on?
    --
    ___FutureShoks___
    1. Re:Freenet download by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please, oh god, please, explain to me how this is even remotely funny ?!

  215. Totally Shattering that Idea by NZheretic · · Score: 1

    sangreal66 desperately proposed " Or... Perhaps they've improved their code.". I hardly think thats the case.
    See Shattering Windows: Is a Disaster Lurking?

  216. Those clever bastards! by filmsmith · · Score: 1

    They didn't release the code to set-up the Open Source community, they did it to buy a stay of execution!

    Due to the recent leak of our source code, Longhorn will not be available until approximately 2009. We apologize for the delay, but the recent leak will require us to rewrite our code from the ground up.

    Note: I don't actually believe they'll have to rewrite anything, but they can use it as an excuse none-the-less.

    fs

  217. The Xbox source code leaked over a year ago by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The Xbox kernel + SDK source code leaked over a year ago. The Xbox source that was stolen is complete enough that at least one warez group - Xecuter - has compiled customized kernels from source. If you look at their compiled version, it is very obvious that they didn't do patches to make their hacks.

    The forcedeth driver authors have ignored the many emails to them containing the nForce register list and documentation from the leaked Xbox source code.

    WINE has ignored emails to them about the real name and purpose of the SystemFunctionXXX calls in advapi32.dll. (The header file doing the #define's to rename them was in the Xbox source, supposedly.)

    anonymous woman

    1. Re:The Xbox source code leaked over a year ago by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      RtlEncryptBlock SystemFunction001
      RtlDecryptBlock SystemFunction002
      RtlEncryptStdBlock SystemFunction003
      RtlEncryptData SystemFunction004
      RtlDecryptData SystemFunction005
      RtlCalculateLmOwfPassword SystemFunction006
      RtlCalculateNtOwfPassword SystemFunction007
      RtlCalculateLmResponse SystemFunction008
      RtlCalculateNtResponse SystemFunction009
      RtlCalculateUserSessionKeyLm SystemFunction010
      RtlCalculateUserSessionKeyNt SystemFunction011
      RtlEncryptLmOwfPwdWithLmOwfPwd SystemFunction012
      RtlDecryptLmOwfPwdWithLmOwfPwd SystemFunction013
      RtlEncryptNtOwfPwdWithNtOwfPwd SystemFunction014
      RtlDecryptNtOwfPwdWithNtOwfPwd SystemFunction015
      RtlEncryptLmOwfPwdWithLmSesKey SystemFunction016
      RtlDecryptLmOwfPwdWithLmSesKey SystemFunction017
      RtlEncryptNtOwfPwdWithNtSesKey SystemFunction018
      RtlDecryptNtOwfPwdWithNtSesKey SystemFunction019
      RtlEncryptLmOwfPwdWithUserKey SystemFunction020
      RtlDecryptLmOwfPwdWithUserKey SystemFunction021
      RtlEncryptNtOwfPwdWithUserKey SystemFunction022
      RtlDecryptNtOwfPwdWithUserKey SystemFunction023
      RtlEncryptLmOwfPwdWithIndex SystemFunction024
      RtlDecryptLmOwfPwdWithIndex SystemFunction025
      RtlEncryptNtOwfPwdWithIndex SystemFunction026
      RtlDecryptNtOwfPwdWithIndex SystemFunction027
      RtlGetUserSessionKeyClient SystemFunction028
      RtlGetUserSessionKeyServer SystemFunction029
      RtlEqualLmOwfPassword SystemFunction030
      RtlEqualNtOwfPassword SystemFunction031
      RtlEncryptData2 SystemFunction032
      RtlDecryptData2 SystemFunction033

  218. Re:Article doesn't say it was *stolen* from Linux by BenBenBen · · Score: 1
    the image could have been a CD that was burned on a Linux box
    Linux can burn CDs now?

    Windows can burn CDs. People who can contribute linux bits have seen the source code.

    Sue!
    --
    The Slashdot Paradox: "100% Overrated"
  219. Win 95 anyone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You could get Win 95 source code nearly ten years ago and what impact did that have, Chicken McLittles?

  220. Case in point by InaneDrivel · · Score: 1

    In its statement, the company said the main concern is the potential theft of its handiwork rather than the possible security threat that such a leak might pose. This is a marvelous statement from a company whose main focus is now security.

  221. GEE, You All- by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...Let's use techniques found in the source ("accidently" released) & modify Linux so MS can sue the penguin world for IP infringement.

  222. Key phrase. by dmaxwell · · Score: 1

    Granted, it may be devastating for Microsoft if everybody sees their code, which was developed under the assumption that nobody else would ever see it.

    It is always assumed from the beginning that anyone can view FOSS code. The awareness that what one is writing will be public has a pervasive effect on the author. There is no end of subtle bugs and vulnerabilities that can affect either style of development. However, FOSS code that is a complete turkey from stem to stern will be well known and laughed at on IRC within hours of its release.

  223. Re:source out on the open?: conspiracy theory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I want to document how those undocumented functions work that office uses, and then let wine hackers implement them.

    The thing is, the people who wrote those undocumented functions probably wish that office didn't use them. This leak could be hell for the folks making sure Longhorn still runs all of today's apps.

  224. rm core by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Even a WISE one would not forget to do that...

    Must be another sign of end of the world... ;)

  225. Seriously, don't download this shit! by danila · · Score: 5, Funny

    Guys, let me warn you, this is nothing to laugh about! DON'T TOUCH THAT STUFF! Two of my friends work in Motorola research laboratory. Yesterday one of the downloaded the code at home and then they both looked at it. One of them was lucky - his retina burned the second he saw the code. The second did not escape that easily. His eyes glued to the screen, his hands typing madly... the paramedics found him 20 minutes later clutching the mouse and writhing in agony. After 2 hours in intensive care he (or, rather what left of him) was sent home. Today, after they were not let into the office building, both of them got pink slips by courier mail.

    A cousin of a girlfriend of my former classmate yesterday went to the university computer lab to print his essay. He catched a glimpse of some code on the screen and didn't even thought about it for a second. When he returned home, he logged on to sourceforge.net and before anyone could stop him, he tainted a dozen software projects there. Shit, two perfectly good Xeon servers had to be scrapped and replaced with clean machines in a hurry.

    That's just crazy, this code is the strongest shit I ever saw... oh, fuck, forget what I just said - "the strongest shit I ever heard about and never saw". It's worse than the GPL, it taints your code so quickly you can't even notice that. PLEASE, FOR THE SAKE OF EVERYTHING GOOD IN THIS WORLD, DON'T DOWNLOAD THE CODE.

    Copy this message and send it to all your friends! You need to warn them not to look at the code! POST IT ON FORUMS AND MESSAGE BOARDS! THIS IS AN EVIL PLOT TO TAINT ALL CODE IN THIS WORLD! DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN!

    --
    Future Wiki -- If you don't think about the future, you cannot have one.
    1. Re:Seriously, don't download this shit! by MrPink2U · · Score: 5, Funny

      A friend of mine looked at the source code yesterday. He immediately recieved a phone call from a man who identifed himself as Bill Gates. The man whispered to him, "Seven days..." and then just hung up.

      Creepy huh?

    2. Re:Seriously, don't download this shit! by ryanw · · Score: 1

      A friend of mine looked at the source code yesterday. He immediately recieved a phone call from a man who identifed himself as Bill Gates. The man whispered to him, "Seven days..." and then just hung up.

      Creepy huh?


      ok, that was really funny...

    3. Re:Seriously, don't download this shit! by D_Gr8_BoB · · Score: 1
      Voice Over:
      This man is William Gates... writer of code. In a few moments, he will have written the worst code in the world... and, as a consequence, he will die... laughing.

      It was obvious that this code was lethal... no one could read it and live...

      All through the spring of '04 we had translators working to try and produce a Visual Basic version of the code. They worked on one word each for greater safety. One of them saw two words of the code and spent several weeks in hospital. But apart from that things went pretty quickly, and we soon had the code by April, in a form which decent programmers couldn't understand but which the MSCEs could.

    4. Re:Seriously, don't download this shit! by Halthar · · Score: 1

      Damn, to bad this wasn't posted yesterday when I had some mod points.

    5. Re:Seriously, don't download this shit! by Unnngh! · · Score: 1
      That's the funniest shit I've read in ages! I mean, the most serious shit! I mean, the most seriously funny! I mean, shit, I don't know what I mean. The code has already corrupted me. It is too big and fast to stop! It will take over Parliament, the U.S. Senate, there is nothing we can do. Soon everyone will be using Microsoft products!

      Oh, wait...

    6. Re:Seriously, don't download this shit! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hey everyone! Don't take the brown acid, it's bad!

  226. MSV == Mobile Satellite Venture? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    SSPI is Security Support Provider Interface,
    a security thingy.

    What is MSV?

  227. little problem here by psi42 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Looks like now we've got a little issue here:

    Some might believe MS has incorporated GPL'd code into windows.

    However, in order to ascertain whether or not this is the case, and to provide proof, one would have to grep through the windows source. However, one cannot do that without violating MS's proprietary license. One cannot learn if MS is using GPL'd code without first subjecting oneself to a flurry of lawsuits...

    But of course MS/SCO can look at GPL'd code whenever they want, and scream "They Stoled Our Source Codes" at the top of their lungs.....................

    --
    Defenestrate Windows...
  228. Interesting documents by Psychor · · Score: 1, Interesting
    A friend told me that there might be some interesting documentation on the IE4 integration with the shell in /private/shell/docs, including a cheesy Powerpoint presentation. Who'd have thought Microsoft actually used that Powerpoint crap?

  229. what i want to know is... by LowTolerance · · Score: 1

    what impact will this have on me? or end-users in general? Will access to this source give hackers any more to work with than a good understanding of windows API? Should we expect to find "underground" replacements of system .dll's and the like, with bugfixes, added functionality, or backdoors? Or is all this mostly just a threat to MS and to the open-source community?

  230. Doubt the code is going to leak into OSS by 0utlaw · · Score: 1

    The Half Life 2 code was leaked awhile back, there still isn't a linux/amiga/c64 port or anything to do with it. The only thing that can happen is, you'll find a whole lot of cheaters on HL2 once it comes out. Same way, we can probably expect a bunch of viruses/worms at the most. If the guys at Wine get their hands on the code, (I doubt they'd want to, they could get in serious trouble.) you could probably have a lot more working win32 apps on linux.

  231. Curious... by jav1231 · · Score: 1

    Could MS have leaked this in hopes that someone out there will find a way to fix Windows vulnerabilities? Makes you wonder! Okay...okay...but there would we be without YAMSCT! (Yet Another MS Conspiracy Theory).

  232. A way to avoid legal problems = Source-Notaries by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Contrary to what most posters here are advising, maybe we should set up a group, like a division of Groklaw for example, that has as much leaked closed-liscence code as possible.

    The purpose of this closed-liscence division would be to run independant comparisons of new OSS contributions against a library of leaked closed-liscence code to ensure nothing gets slipped by the project managers and poisons the project source.

    I was initially going to suggest that the project manager do this comparison, but that would be too risky for the project (closed-source legal teams might have a go at it). Instead using a trusted OSS community party to do the checking saves us the hassle of each project manager having to download all the latest leaked closed-source. The "source-notary" would have a central repository of leaked material, which would not be redistributed by them, only made available to the original authors and for use to run comparisons on new OSS project code submissions and therefore avoid having a company pay a developer to salt the OSS project with leaked code.

    I think this is a pretty mature way of handling this and should satisfy all parties.

  233. So much for "Security through Obscurity" by mgpeter · · Score: 3, Informative

    I have read a few articles on this, and most misrepresent why this could be very bad from a security issue as compared to Open Source Software.

    First, just because you can see the code does not make a product less secure (in theory anyway). With Open Source Software, everyone can see the code and find flaws, but anyone can also submit a patch to fix the flaws.

    With this Microsoft source code, anyone can find flaws and security issues, but NO-ONE would dare to send Microsoft a patch in fear of litigation.

  234. Misdirection maybe? by X-Nc · · Score: 3, Interesting
    A co-worker of mine made an interesting point about this. He said that he thinks the code "escaped" from MS for the purpose of taking the attention off of the ultra-massive security canyon that was just brought to light. Now everyone is all abuzz about the leaked code and has forgetting about the extreme lack of responsability and downright untrustworthyness of MS for waiting 6 months to fix their shit.

    Well, it seems to have worked.

    --
    --
    If I actually could spell I'd have spelled it right in the first place.
    1. Re:Misdirection maybe? by Gauchito · · Score: 1

      Not only that, but the leak can be used for a while as an excuse for security problems. And then their argument could continue "Since the releasing of only a PART of the source code caused so manynew security problems, how reliable can software whose entire tree is available be?". So, they become the vicitim of mailicious hackers, bury some bad PR, and take another marketting jab at OSS.

      Seems plausible to me.

  235. Re:Even so... by symbolic · · Score: 1


    If I remember correctly, even though QuickDraw wasn't anywhere near the entire OS, it *was* the underpinning of the user interface, it's the user interface that made the Macintosh what it was. Add to this, that some of the code was purported to be quite innovative, and there was a source for concern.

  236. Re:Winsock API Included... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    in SCO ware?! So, when are we going to see SCO take on M$ for stealing code from unixware and putting it in windows? =) I mean, after all, they didn't get much out of IBM, but now here's "thousands of files" that are probably direct copies of #include *.h files in windows source...Go get em' SCO!

  237. STFU by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    your tinfoil hat is on crooked

  238. A way to avoid legal problems = Source-Notaries by johnny6vasquez · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Hey, sorry but I wrote this and want to have my name on it. Ignore my AC post please. Contrary to what most posters here are advising, maybe we should set up a group, like a division of Groklaw for example, that has as much leaked closed-liscence code as possible.

    The purpose of this closed-liscence division would be to run independant comparisons of new OSS contributions against a library of leaked closed-liscence code to ensure nothing gets slipped by the project managers and poisons the project source.

    I was initially going to suggest that the project manager do this comparison, but that would be too risky for the project (closed-source legal teams might have a go at it). Instead using a trusted OSS community party to do the checking saves us the hassle of each project manager having to download all the latest leaked closed-source. The "source-notary" would have a central repository of leaked material, which would not be redistributed by them, only made available to the original authors and for use to run comparisons on new OSS project code submissions and therefore avoid having a company pay a developer to salt the OSS project with leaked code.

    I think this is a pretty mature way of handling this and should satisfy all parties.

  239. Econium? by paranoid.android · · Score: 1

    Wow, great company name. It's only one letter away from meconium.

  240. grep -r 'expletive' * by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Not as much potty mouth as in the Linux kernel, but funny enough nonetheless.

    I love the frustrations that one writer shows when referring to the alpha cpp compiler. Quite funny! Microsoft programmers can drop the f-bomb with the best of them.

  241. Re:This may sound crazy, but M$ would likely gain. by Nimloth · · Score: 1, Informative

    Longhorn is 6.0.

  242. Parallels with xbox dev scene - future of Linux? by BenBenBen · · Score: 1, Troll

    This could lead to a similar situation to that seen within the Xbox developers scene - there's software developed to run on a modded xbox without using Microsoft's copyrighted XDK, which is semi-not-quite-yet-illegal and therefore can be considered "virgin" or "white", and software developed very much with the XDK which is illegal and which you have to look slightly harder for.

    Could we see Virgin, White, Corporate Linux and alongside it dark Linux products, built to no legal compliance and used by the quite large group of people who don't care about copyright issues? As the flourishing 'piracy' culture [I'd guestimate 70-80% of any sample population will have borrowed/copied/cracked/shared/downloaded/shoplift ed software or content in their possession] demonstrates, there's a hella lot of them...

    Will keeping the 2 seperate be one of the main challenges to Linux growth, development and ultimately commercial success?

    Just my 1/50th of a theory.

    --
    The Slashdot Paradox: "100% Overrated"
  243. Won't be much time differential anyway... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Windows 2000 support is set to expire in 2007 anyway... One year won't make a difference. That's assuming longhorn is out in 2006, which I think is a dubious claim.

  244. HTML Parser is also there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The html parser code is also there (htmparser.cpp) and has more than 10k lines!
    If I only could parse HTML exactly like IE... ops. Forget it.

    1. Re:HTML Parser is also there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Imagine what the Mozilla project could do with that source file!

  245. Short resume of leak chump (with picture) by chris_7d0h · · Score: 1

    (at the bottom)
    http://www.mainsoft.com/corporate/exec_pr ofiles.ht ml

    --
    In a society that believes in nothing, fear becomes the only agenda ~ Bill Durodié
    1. Re:Short resume of leak chump (with picture) by chris_7d0h · · Score: 1

      Or to save you about one second of your life, a clickable link.
      http://www.mainsoft.com/corporate/exec_profiles.ht ml

      --
      In a society that believes in nothing, fear becomes the only agenda ~ Bill Durodié
  246. Information wants to be free by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It may be the wrong decision for you to free information if you will be caught, but when it is not I who have done it, and when no one has been caught, the fact remains that information has been freed.

    This is a good. Users who suffer as a result of this freedom will be driven to freedom or will go down with the ship clinging to illusions of power.

    Though Microsoft may suffer ecnomically, it is inevitable that they will. Only so long will they be able to drive us apart - divide us.

    We will come together triumphant.

    I cheer the freedom that has been wrought today. It is the unfolding of history unto its natural end.

  247. Re:Karma WHORE. by Saeed+al-Sahaf · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    No, it's just that simply by posting the copy of a story that *has not been slashdotted* is just plain silly. The whole system of karma points is rendered silly and useless by giving points jost for posting a story anyone can get by following the link. Silly.

    Other than that, no, I really don't care that much. Got a life, you know, if I want to see the story I'll click on the link. Otherwise I'll just go back to masturbating in my office with the door closed like all the other slashdotters.

    --
    "Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
  248. Wait, STEAL from OPEN SOURCE? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Call me crazy, but I thought that the GPL allows reuse of Linux source code. So you can't "steal" it unless you copy it w/o the copyright notices.

    1. Re:Wait, STEAL from OPEN SOURCE? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The most important part of the GPL is that it requires anyone who uses GPL code to provide access to all of their source code.

  249. Mod Parent +6 Funny by handy_vandal · · Score: 1

    Gandalf : There are few who can. The language is that of Redmond, which I will not utter here. In the common tongue, it says "One OS To Rule Them All, One OS To Find Them, One OS To Bring Them All And With The NDA Bind Them"

    Made me laugh -- Double-Plus Funny -- best parody on SlashDot, ever!

    -kgj

    --
    -kgj
  250. What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Microsoft goes Open-source?!

  251. time to take classes by AlienRancher · · Score: 1

    Now that you have the source, you can go here to understand it: http://www.osr.com/seminars_wsci.shtml

  252. AH! MY EYES! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The compiler, it does nothing!

  253. Source code release by Morosoph · · Score: 3, Funny

    Isn't it traditional for someone to post a bittorrent?

    1. Re:Source code release by Krunch · · Score: 1

      I don't know about BitTorrent but it's not really hard to find on the eDonkey network (see Jigle). Anyway it doesn't seem to be a very good idea to download it. However here is the files listing.

      --
      No GNU has been Hurd during the making of this comment.
  254. Re:Karma WHORE. by diersing · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    I'm not sure how to articulate the contents of the article (as demostrated when I submitted it a good hour before this story was posted and it was rejected). Rather than spin or taint it with my own point of view I C&P'ed it.

    I provided links so people could validate the source as I don't want anyone to think this is my work. The real reason I C&Ped it, is to prevent a good site from being slashdotted.

    You may now return to masturbating in your office, good luck with that.... personally, I'm not sure that validates your claim of having a life.

  255. MainSoft statement by theCat · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is from their web site:

    Statement to the Media Regarding Microsoft Source Code Leak

    Mainsoft has been a Microsoft partner since 1994, when we first entered a source code licensing agreement with Microsoft. Mainsoft takes Microsoft's and all our customers' security matters seriously, and we recognize the gravity of the situation.

    We will cooperate fully with Microsoft and all authorities in their investigation

    We are unable to issue any further statement or answer questions until we have more information.

    From Mike Gullard, Chairman of the Board, Mainsoft Corporation

    --
    =^..^= all your rodent are belong to us
  256. Not unsolvable. by abb3w · · Score: 1

    Since no other entity than Microsoft is officially allowed to access the Windows code, every kernel patch should be sent to them as of today.

    Not necessarily true-- which brings to what I want.

    I recall hearing that Eric Raymond had modified a program which took input file(s), cut the file(s) into overlapping 5 line snippets, generated MD5 checksums on each of the snippets, and output a list of MD5 checksums along with the generating file posistion. So, if Group1 uses it on their source code, and Group2 uses it on their source code, they can compare for identical code without any risk of letting the other guy steal any.

    What I would like is for some very careful person to:
    -Gather a group of witnesses, probably including a lawyer
    -Get an computer with an expendable hard drive
    -Put a clean install of an OS and whatever package you need to download the M$ tainted source
    -Download the M$ tainted source to this computer drive
    -Unpack the tainted source
    -Generate the MD5 checksum file -- with the witnesses making sure that the person at no point looks at the contents of any of these files
    -Upload the MD5 checksum file to a safe place
    -Remove and physically destroy the hard drive-- for safety's sake, send the pieces to Micro$oft afterwards
    -Have each party present fill out an affidavit saying they witnessed these above events, and that no-one saw the actual code in question-- include a certified copy with the package for Microsoft.
    - Distribute the MD5 checksum file far and wide.

    This will allow for easier checking of anyone trying to include tainted code into GPL code, to help automate such checking. I want a copy of that checksum file, dammit!

    --
    //Information does not want to be free; it wants to breed.
    1. Re:Not unsolvable. by Thomas+Shaddack · · Score: 1

      ...and at the end you end with something that can be fooled by even a single-character difference in the checksummed block. A fuzzy matching algorithm would be much better than comparison of hashes, but I have no clue how to prevent contact with the code then.

  257. It's actually code from W2K SP1 by chris_7d0h · · Score: 1

    $ strings win2k/private/security/msv_sspi/core|grep 'PWD='
    PWD=/usr/ms/win2k_sp1/private/security/msv _sspi

    --
    In a society that believes in nothing, fear becomes the only agenda ~ Bill Durodié
  258. 50 gigs?? by bwindle2 · · Score: 1

    I keep hearing that the entire Windows 2000 source code is 50 gigs.. I find that really hard to believe. Does anybody know how big the Linux kernel source, X, and KDE or Gnome would be to compare? My linux kernel tree, with object files, is only 226 megs.

    1. Re:50 gigs?? by glenstar · · Score: 1
      While I do certainly agree that 50GB is a bit excessive, I do have to ask if your linux *kernel* tree has:

      Apache (IIS), mod_perl and perl (closest equiv. of IIS/ASP I could think of), XFree96, KDE, Evolution, Pan, Mozilla, etc, etc, etc...? What about a message queue system, clustering support (well, at least on Advanced Server), and maybe even a media server?

      You can't compare apples and oranges. Linux is a *kernel* and Windows is a complete "OS". Also realize that the source code for Windows would have resource files for all of the languages that Windows supports, the "help" system and all of its associated files. Finally, from the little snippets I have seen leaked, it appears that the source tree still contains a good chunk of Alpha and PPC code.

    2. Re:50 gigs?? by whitekolovrat · · Score: 0

      bill gates just stores his porn there as well... u know, all secure and stuff

  259. Re:Karma WHORE. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    yeah right - el reg is going to get /.'ed

    you filthy filthy ho!

  260. Um, Troll? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How in the HELL did this get 5, Insightful? Make me sick, fucking Microsoft bigot.

  261. So whos going to check the code? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Whos going to check Open Source projects, or any other for that matter, to ensure they dont contain MS code?

    The Programmer cant
    The Maintainer/Leader cant

    Can you rely on *noone* in the open source community *ever* downloading this leak...

    So how about a new IT role, that of the "Analyst Code Screener", someone not involved in development that can freely look at MS code then look at project Y to see if its all clear.

  262. this is better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    // BUGBUG (reinerf)
    // the fucking alpha cpp compiler seems to fuck up the goddam type "LPITEMIDLIST", so to work
    // around the fucking peice of shit compiler we pass the last param as an LPVOID instead of a LPITEMIDLIST

  263. Bill Gates announces new security group by theCat · · Score: 1

    [parody]
    In other news today, MSFT Chairman Bill Gates announced the creation of a new software division at Microsoft, whose job it will be to study FOSS source code to look for similarities with Windows code. Says Mr. Gates, "Due to the recent unfortunate release of our IP, we will now be keeping the open-source community honest by comparing all past and future versions of Windows code to all past and future versions of all open-source applications, as well as the Linux kernel. We don't expect to find anything, but if we do we will certainly take action."

    Part of the effort will be the construction of a clustered supercomputer to constantly analyze code downloaded daily from SourceForge and similar web sites, comparing against a database of Windows code. This will employ "fuzzy logic" that will not only detect direct copies of Windows code, but also code that approximately matches Windows code or comments in code. Continued Mr Gates, "We're going to be reasonable with our findings, and will fund the creation of a panel to review all findings preliminary to legal action, but with this illegal Windows source code release we have no choice but to aggressively protect our IP."
    [/parody]

    Hope that doesn't give them any ideas...but if they aren't already thinking along these lines I'd be amazed.

    --
    =^..^= all your rodent are belong to us
  264. Sigs by tiny69 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I wonder how many people on /. will start using comments or code snippets from the windows source in their sigs?

    --
    Go not unto/. for advice, for you will be told both yea and nay (but have nothing to do with the question)
  265. Or to put it another way by wowbagger · · Score: 1

    Or to put it another way:

    "Everybody! Stay away from the brown source code! Do NOT take the brown source code!"

  266. Don't forget ... by Dukael_Mikakis · · Score: 1

    ... the IP claims against MainSoft, who ported MS' code, so now a $699 license for all who run Windows, and -- Darl's convulsing with joy here -- if you run Linux and Windows, using MainSoft to integrate, well ...

    $699 + $699 + $699 = $2097 (plus the software costs from MS and MS).

  267. Linux source code leaked!! by CjKing2k · · Score: 1

    But businesses have been advised to be vigilant and beef up their security teams.

    <sarcasm>
    I am responsible for a number of systems that employ technologies including the Apache webserver, OpenSSH, and the Linux kernel. I am deeply concerned to find out that the source code of these very programs have been released into public, for free! Anyone from anywhere in the world can download the source, compile it on their own machines, change it, and even submit their changes back to the developers to be included in the next release. I can not even start to believe the security implications that this must cause. I mean, how can a system like Apache be secure if everyone in the world with decent programming knowledge can look at all of its source and find its weaknesses? And Apache runs two-thirds of the Web!! I hear that people all over the world have contributed to the Linux kernel. How do I know that I can trust something that was written in a country not ruled by Capitalist lobbying and corporate power, where the dollar is the bottom line and one expects to pay a high price for quality? How can something developed for free be better than a system which costs thousands of dollars and forces restrictive licensing upon its users?

    The only solution is to switch to something that is carefully guarded and kept closed.
    </sarcasm>

  268. All ready happened by bezuwork's+friend · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I think you were kindof being funny, but it can happen. One famous case is where Harrison (from the Beatles) was found to have infringed subconsciously a song he had heard 7? years earlier. From the court case (Bright Tunes Music Corp. v. Harrisongs Music, Ltd., 420 F.Supp. 177, D.C.N.Y. 1976):
    • What happened? I conclude that the composer, [FN12] in seeking musical materials to clothe his thoughts, was working with various possibilities. As he tried this possibility and that, there came to the surface of his mind a particular combination that pleased him as being one he felt would be appealing to a prospective listener; in other words, that this combination of sounds would work. Why? Because his subconscious knew it already had worked in a song his conscious mind did not remember. Having arrived at this pleasing combination of sounds, the recording was made, the lead sheet prepared for copyright and the song became an enormous success. Did Harrison deliberately use the music of He's So Fine? I do not believe he did so deliberately. Nevertheless, it is clear that My Sweet Lord is the very same song as He's So Fine with different words, [FN13] and Harrison had access to He's So Fine. This is, under the law, infringement of copyright, and is no less so even though subconsciously accomplished. Sheldon v. Metro-Goldwyn Pictures Corp., 81 F.2d 49, 54 (2d Cir. 1936); Northern Music Corp. v. Pacemaker Music Co., Inc., 147 U.S.P.Q. 358, 359 (S.D.N.Y.1965).
    1. Re:All ready happened by SirSlud · · Score: 1

      Hey, I believe know it happens, but the point is that he didn't need the sheet music (ie, the code) to infringe, nor are musicians way more likely to commit copyright infringement if they read sheet music from other composers.

      In the least, it doesn't in any way demonstrate that musicians who read the source code of other musicians are more likely to commit this sort of infringement.

      --
      "Old man yells at systemd"
  269. Who needs MS code anyway?!? by cha0t1c · · Score: 1

    Let's look at this another way. OSS is going strong, we've made serious inroads in recent history. Redmond has Redmond for programmers. We have the world. MS is corporate (with all the associated baggage that goes with it) and we have the personal initiative, pride and the results to show for it. True, I'm not a programmer, but what could be sooo earthshattering in NT code that would tempt someone to even consider messing with such an obvious success? We're on a roll. Leave it alone. We don't need it!!! My 2 cents.

  270. I'll taint you... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, well.. Does the fact that my employer uses warez instead of buying software make any difference?

  271. MS is getting what they signed on for by killmeplease · · Score: 2, Informative

    Having the most widly used program in the world be closed source opens a company up for all kinds of problems. But this is to be expected when the source is also vital for low-level system developers to make programs that access the OS. MS can only have it both ways (Closed source, large software development community w/ source access) if they monitor computer security for any company with source code access.

    It is impossible for every company to be unhackable and have every developer be moral and ethical. We already discussed that programmers leak confidential information about abused welfare children, Apple system APIs, and that large companies like Valve can get hacked and lose the source to a video game with huge development costs. Isn't it safe to say that the leak of this source is innevitable. I would be really interested to see if a lawyer could prove that this is an innevitable incedent and MS should have assumed a liability like this would occur. What were the minimum req. of the code repository and network security?

    The other side of the coin is that MS can sue Micro**** that leaked the code for the 3 years of support on W2k that they are going to be at risk with over possible security threats because any hack can now create breaches in security, with the ability to see where buffer overflows are created in the code and such.

    --
    - Kill Yourself, spare us all! -
  272. Addendum - ear candy by bezuwork's+friend · · Score: 1

    I forgot to post that Columbia has a website where you can compare Harrison's song My Sweet Lord with the 'original' Ronald Mack song He's So Fine and judge for yourself if Harrison infringed on Mack - it is here.

  273. Microsoft exaggerates their own bloat? by phiwum · · Score: 1

    Spoke to someone in Microsoft Support today, they told me it was less than 1% of the OS code.


    In the first discussion on this topic, I mentioned the oft-quoted claim that the total source code is somewhere near 40 gig (estimate attributed to at least one "analyst), while only one CD worth was leaked. I asked whether 40 gig could even be a reasonable estimate.

    One of the respondents said he's putting together a Linux distro that weighs in at under 6 gig at the moment. I still don't know whether the 40 gig is reasonable or not.

    Anyway, evidently Microsoft's support staff wants to increase the bloat figure by 50%. If 600M is less than 1% of the source, then the source for Windows 2000 must be 60 gig.

    (Yeah, yeah, I know. The alternative is the too unlikely to be believed theory that the MS support guy was talking out his ass.)

    --
    Phiwum's law: anyone that names an obvious law after himself and then puts it in his own sig is just pathetic.
  274. MS Windows source code "escapes" by Ateryx · · Score: 3, Funny
    Even better than the article is the "related article" on the bottom of the story link: MS Windows source code escapes onto Internet

    Only w/ Microsoft will you find the code "escape". It may not be the smartest code... but its united in its resistance.

    --
    "The truth suffers from too much analysis"
    1. Re:MS Windows source code "escapes" by Master+of+Transhuman · · Score: 1


      I think they mean somebody hit the "Escape" key and Windows did what it always does - lost it.

      --
      Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!
    2. Re:MS Windows source code "escapes" by Geek+of+Tech · · Score: 1
      >> Even better than the article is the "related article" on the bottom of the story link: MS Windows source code escapes onto Internet

      Wow. I guess information really does want to be free.....

      --
      Stop the Slashdot effect! Don't read the articles!
    3. Re:MS Windows source code "escapes" by Sri+Lumpa · · Score: 1


      I guess it was Klingon code:

      It wasn't released, it escaped leaving a trail of bloody developers.

      --
      "The obvious mathematical breakthrough would be development of an easy way to factor large prime numbers." Bill Gates,
  275. best LOTR parody ever by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do we finally get to see Rosie Cotton naked?

  276. That's not a low id. by Smack · · Score: 1

    Have we such short memories?

    1. Re:That's not a low id. by maugt · · Score: 1

      and I thought mine was low :(

    2. Re:That's not a low id. by Soul-Burn666 · · Score: 1

      Heh... now i'm waiting for one of the editors to reply ;)

      --
      ^_^
  277. Market predicts it? by Knights+who+say+'INT · · Score: 2, Informative

    I think everyone has seen the creepy creepy creepy plunge the S&P 500 has taken the September 10th, 2001.

    But just looky at the MSFT chart, specially if compared with the S&P 500 chart plot for the same period.

    MSFT has dived a whole 10% in one week.

    Yes, it's nothing as obvious and strong as the September 10th mini-crash, but leaked sources don't exactly mean the same as the world as we know it being under attack.

    Just clicky the charts.

    1. Re:Market predicts it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anyone knows what happened around the 17th november?

      According to that chart, at that date their shares were even lower than now...

  278. Ironic, given the program's name... by macshune · · Score: 1

    "Prior to Microsoft's Shared Source Initiative launched in 2001, Mainsoft, which calls itself "the software porting company," was one of only two partners with access to the Windows source code under Microsoft's Windows Interface Source Environment (WISE) program.

    heh, looks they should have called it "Underground Network Windows Interface Source Environment."

    *ducks*

    But seriously, given the fact that folks made off with only 15% of the Windows source, in about six months they'll be such great, write-home-to-mom projects as:

    31337 \/\/1nsock 3.455 fr33 pr0n edition
    hax0r c3rtificate handling w/ 178-bit encryption

    Any maybe...
    1337 Media Player DRM-free F0R3V3R

  279. Real Programmers... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    punch little holes in cards.

    Oh shit, thats how the grayhairs in FL vote...

  280. This Sentence From The Investigation: by Master+of+Transhuman · · Score: 1, Informative

    The leaked code includes 30,915 files and was apparently removed FROM A LINUX COMPUTER USED BY MAINSOFT FOR DEVELOPMENT PURPOSES.

    BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! They're using a Linux box to write Windows-compatible code? Or maybe it's their CVS server?

    My real question is:

    Has anybody examined the Windows code to see HOW BAD IT IS? I mean, with all those 24-year-old Windows programmers Bill hires, I'd like to see the code quality.

    --
    Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!
    1. Re:This Sentence From The Investigation: by Kor49 · · Score: 1
      Do you know "what" Mainsoft do ? Apparently you don't. Maybe you should check their website before posting such a question. Hell, if you had just read some of the comments on slashdot, even that would have given you an idea...

      From your second question I gather you're just a tad older than 24...

      Who in his right mind modded your comment full of question marks "informative"...

    2. Re:This Sentence From The Investigation: by Master+of+Transhuman · · Score: 1


      Actually I didn't read the article closely until I did see the Mainsoft products mentioned in posts.

      It's STILL funny. Microsoft regularly makes deals with companies, then steals their code and forces them into bankruptcy (like that cell phone software maker a while back). Now they get hit in reverse. That's funny to me.

      And real-world computer experience counts. Unfortunately, the age bias in IT is so extreme, programmers over 40 have almost no hope of being employed.

      --
      Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!
  281. It's brilliant! It's end game. by garyedwards · · Score: 1

    Damn those guys in Redmond are clever! Unethical, but oh so clever!

    The facts are that Microsoft's entire product line was developed for a personal computing architecture. Clearly they are having problems moving from the vision of their early roots to that of a networked world. Microsoft systems are inherently insecure the moment they connect to any kind of network because they were designed for a different purpose. Maybe when all the talking about Longhorn ends, and the new architecture is finally released, Microsoft will be able to transition the user base to a truly network platform. But that's a ways off. And there are so many quarterly reports to be filed in the meantime.

    The truth of this dilemma proves itself on a near weekly basis at incredible cost to the great monopolized herd of Windows users.

    So if they can't "fix" the fundamental design flaws of their pc oriented architecture, the marketing masters of Redmond had to come up with perception fix. With this strategic leak of source code, Microsoft can now shift the "blame" to open source evil doers. It's brilliant!

    Instead of the great herd blaming Microsoft for selling them shoddy products, that they are unable (or unwilling) to "fix", Microsoft can now point at evil robbers who have no respect for intellectual property (i.e. shoddy, half baked, woefully insecure and hap hazardly constructed software products that should never be connected to a network without the cover of a enormously precautious shell).

    We all know Microsoft has two very big problems. One is security. The other is convincing an angry user base of over 450 million users to upgrade to the next generation of profitable products. When it comes to basic product features, the great herd is quite satisfied with the applications and systems they've already paid for. Except for one thing - security! They're mad that the products Microsoft sold them are so susceptible to misuse and abuse of all sorts. Susceptible the moment they connect to other computers.

    So the challenge for Microsoft is to get out from under taking the heat, er, responsibility for their products, while shifting the blame to the only meaningful competition left standing. And do it in a way where the great herd finally accepts the bottom line engorging argument that the only way to resolve the security problems of end of life Windows systems is to upgrade enmass.

    Of course Microsoft will officially downplay the "security" concerns about the released code, while putting the blame on open source evil doers who have no respect for intellectual property rights. The tech press has already taken the bait. We are guaranteed that from this day forward there will never, ever, be a MyDoom type story in the press that doesn't reference the release of this code. Security pundits and techsperts of all sorts are already preparing their power points and bulletin templates with this soon to be boilerplate message.

    It's brilliant. The strategic release of this code paves the way for moving the installed base. It is exactly the woeful insecurity of those 450 million plus legacy Windows systems that will provide the impetus for force marching the great herd to the tightly bolted Windows XP Stack, rife with patent restricted interfaces, and yearly subscription licenses. A whole new generation of lock in, perfected at the expense of the only meaningful competition left standing - open source communities.

    It's brilliant! It's end game.

    ~ge~

  282. Great year for M$ by rezac · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    This has been a banner month for M$: first, myDoom.a, then myDoom.b, then Doomjuice, followed by two of the most critical security vulnerabilities, now leaked source code. ... They say your entire life flashes before your eyes in the final seconds, I sure hope BillG is enjoying that BSOD. zac

    --
    -- my sig got /.'d
  283. A possible upside for Microsoft. by Keith+Gabryelski · · Score: 1

    Can someone send me the scrollbar widget code? I'll fix the damn thing and send diffs back to them.

  284. Open Source Is Fertile Ground for Foul Play by protogoogoo69 · · Score: 1

    The fact that this comes out right on the heels of this quote just makes me laugh:

    "I'm not naive enough to think that proprietary commercial operating system software doesn't have the same sort of vulnerability, but the barriers to implementing them are much higher, because the source is better protected."
    --A. Russell Jones, "Open Source Is Fertile Ground for Foul Play".

    (Granted, the context was policing code insertion.)

    --
    ...small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri...
  285. Automatic Updates then by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    Win2k_SP1 added that, apparently.

  286. Why Windows is so slow!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny
    Here is a comment that explains why windows is so slow.

    // Don't let this go negative, otherwise we'll send 4 billion FreezeEvents(TRUE) to the DocObject

  287. NTFS? by dwbassett42 · · Score: 1

    Does anyone know if this leaked source code might enable someone to finally decode NTFS? That might really help people that want to try Linux but aren't willing to give up Windows.

    1. Re:NTFS? by bangular · · Score: 1

      There's no NTFS code in there.

    2. Re:NTFS? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, the source to the NTFS file system driver is in the NT4 tree.

    3. Re:NTFS? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Will this guarantee that the Linux NTFS project will never be completed? If it is, Microsoft could sue.

    4. Re:NTFS? by l33t+gambler · · Score: 0

      Then the US should sue M$ for being a di**. M$ is found guilty, time they gave up NTFS and Windows Media Format full documentation, lets have some more open Internet here!!!!!

      --
      Teasing the nobles, and rightfully so!
  288. Brew it in WINE by mnmn · · Score: 3, Funny

    There are two major problems blocking Linux uptake on the desktop. The windows binary pool is huge, and the lack of standards of packages, menus, interface etc on Linux.

    Now if the WINE project can be merged with this source code, or if the raw hardware interfaces of Windows is translated to linux APIs to make it something like usermode linux only windows binary emulation in windows using windows source code, that will fix one part of the problem. I believe the other part, standardizing packages and the GUI will eventually happen...

    With these two problems fixed, theres no reason Dell and HP wouldnt sell and promote Linux on laptops and desktops as the standard.

    --
    "Give orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me you." -Nim Chimpsky
    1. Re:Brew it in WINE by topgun98 · · Score: 1

      I'm assuming most of that was a joke.

      But as far as packaging standardization goes... WTF do you think Debian is, dumbass?

    2. Re:Brew it in WINE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I completely agree, and I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix.

    3. Re:Brew it in WINE by mnmn · · Score: 1

      I have NO idea why that was marked funny.

      --
      "Give orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me you." -Nim Chimpsky
    4. Re:Brew it in WINE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Obviously, but one should never brag about lacking a sense of humour.

      HTH

  289. Indemnity Filter by penguin_trainer · · Score: 1

    Some organiztion that has legal access to this code should create an indemnity filter, which can be used by the open source community to screen submissions.

  290. Re:Do you have the creation dates for those archiv by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Though file creation & modification dates/times can be changed with touch, can they not?

  291. Clever tactic by Microsoft. by Ectospheno · · Score: 1

    This is so clever its almost evil. What do you do when not enough people are upgrading from 2000 to XP? Simple. Stage a "leak" of parts of the source you don't really care if people have. Act like this code is uber-secret and its release will make 2000 far too insecure to run. Not only does this encourage people who wouldn't upgrade to upgrade but it also lets you continue the "open source is evil" campaign with an actual example. Gotta love Microsoft.

    1. Re:Clever tactic by Microsoft. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude, did you forget your medication this morning? Talk about paranoid.

    2. Re:Clever tactic by Microsoft. by Un+pobre+guey · · Score: 1
      Dude, did you forget your medication this morning? Talk about paranoid.

      El dinero es cabron, compadre.

  292. +1 Funny by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    I think that someone took me seriously. Never mind. I suppose that it wasn't that funny.

    ~Morosoph

  293. Integration Support by christoofar · · Score: 1

    "Developers will also appreciate Visual MainWin's J2EE Integration Package and industry-leading XML support. And it actually recompiles Windows source code with the Unix compilers to create native Unix applications..."

    Oh how true Mainsoft's marketing is...

  294. no kidding by plasm4 · · Score: 0

    and its not only in the software world, physicists and mathematicians and all sorts of people working independently often come up with the same work at around the same time.

  295. Visual SourceSafe for Unix (marketing schpeal) by christoofar · · Score: 1

    "How do you make sure the most current changes in a file aren't overwritten? How do you audit the changes made; when they were made and who made them? How are you supposed to know what changes were made?"

    Oh gosh I think Mainsoft must be burying their face in their hands...

  296. Old Joke by Ann+Elk · · Score: 3, Funny

    Microsoft has great "flextime". You can work any 80 hours per week you want.

  297. Torrent that works! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Here it is:
    http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=96614&cid =8267 131

    (remove the space between "ha" and "sh" in the url.

  298. Going to the Poor House by christoofar · · Score: 1

    Anybody gonna find a job for these guys??? I'll hire 'em

  299. Laura Didio - up close and personal by eric777 · · Score: 1
    Ms Didio will be speaking at ITF2003 in Santa Clara March 17th and 18th.

    ITF 2003

    Here's her bio from the site...

    Laura DiDio is a senior analyst for the Yankee Group's Application Infrastructure & Software Platforms Planning Service, which is closely aligned with the Enterprise Computing & Networking Planning Service. In this capacity, Ms. DiDio focuses on desktop and server operating systems, with a particular emphasis on Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, Active Directory, and Novell, Inc.'s NetWare. Additional areas of coverage are Web services platforms and standards including Microsoft's emerging .NET services and the rival J2EE. She also covers the directory services arena and interoperability and migration issues associated with Active Directory, eDirectory, and Sun's iPlanet, as well as desktop and server operating system security, software distribution, and third-party performance monitoring and management tools.

    Ms. DiDio has covered client and server operating systems, directory services, and OS and NOS security for 15 years as an analyst, reporter, and editor. Prior to joining Yankee Group, she spent three and a half years at Giga Information Group, where she held a similar position. Before that she held various reporting positions at a number of computer networking industry trade publications including: Computerworld, Network World, Communications Week, LAN Times, and Digital Review. Ms. DiDio also worked as an investigative reporter for various broadcasting and print outlets including CNN and Channel 5 News in New York. Her investigative reports have also appeared in The Village Voice and The Minneapolis Star Tribune. Laura DiDio holds a B.A. in Communications and a minor in French from Fordham University

    1. Re:Laura Didio - up close and personal by eric777 · · Score: 1
      whoops - make that spoke at ITF2003.

      This was last year.

      oops.

    2. Re:Laura Didio - up close and personal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think you want to see Laura Didio - up close and personal.

  300. Let's give it the Open Source treatment! by Laurion · · Score: 1

    Here's our chance to take the code, find all the bugs and errors, fix it, clean it up, and give it back to Microsoft, 10 times better than when it went out into the wild.... heh. What a way to get the benefits of Open Source code review without actually opening up the whole code base.... *grin*

    --
    "Is this not a rare fellow, my lord? He's as good at any thing, and yet a fool." -from "As You Like It", Act 5,
    1. Re:Let's give it the Open Source treatment! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What have you been smoking?

    2. Re:Let's give it the Open Source treatment! by calyptos · · Score: 1

      Come on... this is Microsoft. No matter how good of a deed you try to pull, they will try to sue the hell out of you for it. Give them a better, modified, version of the soruce and they'll first sue you for having it to begin with. And then they'll reject the proposal because there is way too much code for them to want to read through and make sure only their backdoors are in, and not yours.

      --
      http://illhostit.com/ - Webhosting
  301. M$ stand to lose too by gidds · · Score: 1
    Isn't is perfectly legal and above-board for one person to read the source code, find out how some obscure protocol or another works, and post the results in a descriptive document that includes no actual source or copyright material? And then for other developers to use that document to write code making use of said protocol?

    Yes, this would take care to ensure that the first party never goes near code for related projects, and that second party never goes near the M$ source, and can prove how they came to know the protocol details, but isn't this enough of a risk that M$ would be foolish to release the code themselves?

    In other words, don't M$ stand to lose at least as much as they might gain from disclosure? While many of the conspiracy theories around them seem plausible, it makes this one seem a little less likely.

    --

    Ceterum censeo subscriptionem esse delendam.

    1. Re:M$ stand to lose too by Lost+Race · · Score: 1
      Isn't is perfectly legal and above-board for one person to read the source code
      No, it isn't. Their copy is unauthorized, unless they have a license from Microsoft.
  302. Code Here... by Haydn+Fenton · · Score: 1

    Source code can be found here. Enjoy, hehe..

    1. Re:Code Here... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How cool would it be if you loaned your laptop to a friend, that friend accidently allowed it to be stolen, and the thief who stole it posted all your files for everyone to read, you know the files, your e-mail, your kiddie-porn, your credit card numbers, your bank statements, the letters you keep sending to that girl you are stalking....

      Pretty cool huh...No just wrong, and we are suppose to trust the OSS community?

      First some OSS joker releases MyDoom and now this, oh yeah the OSS is a trust worthy bunch...you betcha....

    2. Re:Code Here... by kylegordon · · Score: 1

      Have you actually followed the link? I suggest you do...

    3. Re:Code Here... by calyptos · · Score: 1

      That zip file has no kiddie porn, credit card numbers, bank statements, or letters to microsoft's stalkee. It contains instructions. Instructions for how MY computer functions. I believe I have every right to know what's going on in my computer, and now I can.

      You have no idea this was done by the OSS community. Back that up please.

      at worst microsoft suffers a little embarassment and some viruses. But with all these viruses released microsoft will feel pressured to actually patch these and make their operating system actually good (or as close as they are capable to making it good). I believe this was done in an attempt to improve peoples' computer experience. Sometimes you have to get dirty to get things done.

      --
      http://illhostit.com/ - Webhosting
  303. Obligatory Geek Link by F-edz0r · · Score: 0

    http://www.gpf-comics.com/d/20010131.html

  304. Your Sig... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Who is this Anonymous Coward character, how does he post so much, and why is he always such a whore?

    um, technically, that would mean AC is a she not a he. I wouldn't mind getting to Karma though - in the biblical sense....

  305. Mod parent, send to congrescritters/officials/gov! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Somebody mod the parent up, and please send this logical connection of statements, events, and evidence to some congress critters, or any officials who may listen.

    You may think they pay attention to these things, but in reality they really don't. It takes someone to show them what is going on before they will take action.

    I regularly have coffee & see a house of rep. member, another 2 live in my neighborhood. etc. Being around DC has it's perks, let's make some good things happen slashdot, we have power in numbers!

    Seriously. Seriously. If it is known the microsoft is lying under oath, and showing foreign communist governments it's source code, they will be in a world of hate when proper authorities find out. The DOJ may be lax, but when this is learned, someone's head will roll.

  306. Nice code snippet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    From tweakui.c

    (Had to remove some *'s because of slashdot's filter)

    /*
    * CriticalInit
    *
    * Here is where we put the stuff to impede reverse-engineering.
    *
    * 1. All of our strings are encoded. Decode them now.
    *
    * 2. Get the shell32 internal entry points via GetProcAddress
    * so that a "hdr" won't see them.
    *
    */

    HRESULT PASCAL
    CriticalInit(void)
    {
    int itch;
    int iit;
    HINSTANCE hinst;

    itch = cA(c_rgtchCommon)-1;
    do {
    c_rgtchCommon[itch] ^= c_rgtchCommon[itch-1];
    } while (--itch);

    hinst = GetModuleHandle(c_tszShell32Dll);
    for (iit = 0; iit < sizeof(mit) / sizeof(LPCSTR); iit++) {
    DWORD dwOrd = ((LPDWORD)&mit)[iit];
    ((FARPROC *)&mit)[iit] = GetProcAddress(hinst, MAKEINTRESOURCE(dwOrd));
    if (((FARPROC *)&mit)[iit] == 0 && !HIWORD(dwOrd)) {
    return E_FAIL;
    }
    }
    return Ole_Init();
    }

    1. Re:Nice code snippet by Maljin+Jolt · · Score: 1

      It is really silly. They say encoding to that??? I can't believe it. All of their strings...

      The first time I broke a xor "encoding" was in early eighties, in 8-bit Z80 assembly, for some Spectrum arcade I was not able to win so I needed a cheat for lives count. Romantic times. Now, I wish I could have a cheat for gray hairs count.

      --
      There you are, staring at me again.
    2. Re:Nice code snippet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah but it prevents some reverse-engineers to crack it. It would probably prevent me, unless I really wanted to crack it (and cared enough to do it once I saw that it wasn't a TRIVIAL one to do).

      Not that many people would be interested in cracking tweakui I guess...

  307. Re:Karma WHORE. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ooo, ooo, stept on some toes? Hit a nerve? Look, there's nothing wrong with masturbation, and if you use oil, you'll have less hand burns.

  308. key technologies missing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    funny how some of their key technologies seem to have being carefuly removed from these sources...

    - at the ntos kernel it is possible to see their vm code, UDF fs but not a single NTFS. (just a routine to "detect" NTFS)

    - the functions reported buggy recently by eeyes advisory cannot be found either, like ASN1BERDecCheck().

    - no code to the netbios server that listen on ports 139...

    and the list goes... this whole thing is pretty strange.

  309. Microfiche by Detritus · · Score: 1

    DEC made the source for VMS available on microfiche. This allowed the customer to look at the code without making it easy for someone to copy and distribute the source code to unauthorized people.

    --
    Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
  310. Thiests & Science by Sivaram_Velauthapill · · Score: 2, Informative

    You either the follow the path of science or you don't. Everything in between is hypocrisy.

    What the theists say (and what you claim in your last paragraph) is true. BUT 99% of science is like that. The vast majority of science is THEORIES (not laws; not facts). You cannot really "prove" many things. For instance, can you prove that the radiation and light emitted by the sun is due to nuclear reactions occuring within the sun? Not really. We have never gotten through the surface (any probe will melt long before it gets through the surface). All we have are theories. For all we know, there might be some aliens living in the center of the sun might be responsible for relasing the radiation and heat.

    Can you prove that the techtonic plates underneath the surface of the earth causes earthquakes? Not really. It's just a theory. It's based on our best understanding.

    Can you prove that matter is made up of particles? Not really. It's all based on indirect observation and theories. The way things are going, it might even be so that particles don't exist*; all you have are strings. Strings cannot be "proven" but that seems to be our best theories right now (actually, strings haven't been widely accepted yet; however, I expect them to be accepted within 20 years).

    The same thing goes for theories relating to biology. Yes, you cannot prove the theory of evolution, natural selection, or anything like that. But that's our best models.

    So the point that you are making (i.e. need to emphasize appearance) is totally irrelevant. Stricly speaking, 99% of science is appearance. If you follow the path of science, the theist argument of "evidence" is moot--because you hardly ever prove anything (even observational evidence can be wrong). If anything, the theists will disagree EVEN if someone observed it. After all, theists still don't support the view that the universe is billions of years old (religion says a few thousand (Christianity) to a few million (hinduism)--all wrong).

    FOOTNOTE:

    * By particles not existing, I'm referring to the view that everything in the universe is composed of strings (re: superstring theory; M-Theory). What we thought of as particles are the results of the oscillation of the strings. NOTE: I'm not a scientist but that's my understanding of it.

    Sivaram Velauthapillai

    --
    Sivaram Velauthapillai
    Seeking the meaning of life... @slashdot of all places ;)
  311. Microsoft says theres no threat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://www.crn.com/sections/BreakingNews/dailyarch ives.asp?ArticleID=47983

  312. Risk of MS Intellectual Prop contaminating others? by MMHere · · Score: 1

    What's the risk of Microsoft's intellectual property "contaminating" other IP?

    Or, put another way, would MS have an argument for acting SCO-like against other OSs? MS could say "your code looks like ours, we think you stole it from the leak."

  313. FUD by Tiro · · Score: 1

    No. You're wrong. I looked at your link and they don't compare anyone to suicide bombers.. or even mention anything metaphorically similar. You're trolling for mods.

    1. Re:FUD by paco+verde · · Score: 1

      Because they removed that quote, apparently after a lot of slashdotters ripped them a new asshole for it.

      Yesterday, that same article quoted Laura Didio as saying, "With the open source community, there are a large percentage of tinkers and 'ankle biters' who are trying their hand at hacking. Some are even communicating with each other. So it only takes one or two of these groups sharing information to be able to pull something off. When you have this type of passion, it's hard to fight because these people are like virtual suicide car bombers."

      I think a post right above yours already pointed this out.

  314. Dildo... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Did anyone else read Laura's surname like this at a first glance.... fits perfectly.

    1. Re:Dildo... by paco+verde · · Score: 1

      I saw someone earlier write it as "Didiot". I'm not sure if it was intentional or a Freudian slip.

    2. Re:Dildo... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know.. but a Dildo is used to try and fuck someone over with something that's not the real thing.

    3. Re:Dildo... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's Laura D'Idiot. You missed an aphostrophy

  315. Re:Risk of MS Intellectual Prop contaminating othe by whitekolovrat · · Score: 0

    other os developers just have to make sure their new code won't look like anything like ms's.. but then still they have to look in win2k =/

  316. The big picture is XP... by atlacatl · · Score: 1

    It may have been mentioned, however, the idea here is to sell more XP software and get all the big cos. not running XP to upgrade to XP...There are big cos. still running on Win98 still. Not to mentioned NT and 2000.

    M$'s statement will read: "Pay us for XP and there will no security issues due to the code leak..."

    --
    Esta es una firma en Espanol.
    1. Re:The big picture is XP... by le_lotus_604 · · Score: 1

      yeah M$ : 2000 and NT are not safe anymore customer : Ha, what should we do? HELP? M$ : buy XP !

  317. Brilliant Strategy! by Geckoman · · Score: 1
    What better way to encourage old NT/2000 users to upgrade to XP or 2003 than by leaking the source code, then making everyone worry about hackers using it for attacks?

    It encourages upgrades that might not have happened otherwise, and it makes open source look bad, since MS can point to any attacks that result and say, "Look what happens when people can see your source code!"

  318. Every mathematician knows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... that the complete source code for each version of Windows is included verbatim as both ASCII and Unicode in some part of the digit string of pi.

  319. Um.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What powerpoint presentation wouldn't work right in CrossOver Office? I think you're going to have to find another example of an app not working on linux, 'cause powerpoint is fully supported in linux via crossover office/wine....

  320. Re: Not entirely by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    compressed tar files are far more efficient [than zip files].

    Not when you want to browse the contents of the archive or extract a single file. First it has to uncompress the whole thing, and then browse the tar.

    Did you ever press Enter in Midnight Commander on a .tar.gz of the kernel source? It sucks.

  321. Quick, someone release the source as GPL! by Namarrgon · · Score: 1
    Come on, WINE team - it's a golden opportunity, you can't pass it up.

    MS lawyers would be onto you faster than you could say "Santa Cruz Operation", but the irony is wonderful :-)

    --
    Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
  322. Groklaw by k4_pacific · · Score: 1

    Over on Groklaw there is an analysis of the implications on the MS code leak by Dennis S. Karjala, a law professor at Arizona State University. e basically says, among other things, that MS's trade secrets are now null and void.

    --
    Unknown host pong.
  323. unless they *SOLD* the PC... by mangu · · Score: 1
    the old tale of boss gets new PC, user inherits old PC


    Maybe the place where I work is unusual, but, according to my experience, computers are upgraded all at the same time in a company. Perhaps some old computers were sold at scrap value and the buyer had the common sense to check the disks for valuable stuff...

    1. Re:unless they *SOLD* the PC... by ImpulseX · · Score: 1

      I don't quite buy this at all.

      Common sense to check for valuable info but
      no common sense in deleting it? Dumping to
      the 'Net isn't what I'd label as 'common
      sense', unless common sense implies
      the need to be slapped by a ton'o'lawyers.

      Seriously, if Mainsoft(or whoever) sold
      the PC, they should have at least had
      the DECENCY to wipe the system clean.

      I cannot begin to imagine the stupidity
      involved if they just didn't consider
      this option. And if this(not wiping clean
      the pc) _is_ the case(doubtful), then
      Mainsoft should definitely be liable for negligence. An employee cannot just
      simply sell a company's PC(read: asset)
      without prior approval, then someone in
      Mainsoft has either stolen the
      computer, or those [seller, approver,
      IT admin, etc. plus the buyer] involved are
      all culpable to negligance. (Esp.
      the IT admin and approver. I don't
      know if the seller can claim ignorance
      of the contents though.)

      Ix

  324. It's the Ring all over again! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    DO NOT READ IT!

    If you do, you'll die in seven days time.

  325. HUNDREDS of people are spreading on Kazaa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Look at Kazaa P2P network - there are now HUNDREDS of people sharing the source! It's impossible to do anything about it now.

  326. Dear michael by Rogerborg · · Score: 1

    Please shut the fuck up, you hypocritical assweed. You are the worst culprit among the crud that passes for editors here for posting duplicate stories. Eat shit and die.

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    1. Re:Dear michael by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Again please, but this time try not to dribble.

  327. What we don't know... by tqft · · Score: 1

    well at least I haven't been able to pick up, was how long between the code being swiped and appearing on the 'net.

    It's older code w2000 SP1(?) or some such - so maybe it has done some underground rounds already before someone got careless, or wanted to get the script kiddies to download it to cover themselves.

    --
    The Singularity is closer than you think
    Quant
  328. Samba Shared, Half Life, by NZheretic · · Score: 2, Interesting
    As a regular slashdot user, you should know about Samba file servers and being able to access linux directories with Win2000 and XP. If you are following this story, you should also remember that the company in question is porting Microsoft software to Linux. It is more likely that it was one of the Microsoft boxes used as a reference system that was hacked.

    You might have forgotton how recent last great leak of source code occured.

    October 2003:Valve Software,Half Life 2 source,Microsoft Outlook

    Valve Software, maker of the popular first-person shooter, confirmed that code posted online late last week was in fact Half Life 2 source code stolen from the Kirkland, Washington-based software company through a simple breach of security, namely Microsoft Outlook e-mail.
    March 2000:Microsoft, "Whistler"/XP source code, QAZ Trojan
    Paul Rogers, network security analyst at MIS Corporate Defence Solutions, said the QAZ Trojan theory is "certainly one of the three most likely scenarios in this case and seems perfectly plausible".

    Another involves scanning the network for weaknesses, while a third cause could be a disgruntled employee disabling security protection methods such as firewalls.

    Rogers expressed surprise that the hack could possibly have gone undetected for so long. "Large organisations such as Microsoft should be more proactive in their security. The QAZ Trojan hasn't had much publicity but is well known within the security industry," he said.

    The QAZ Trojan was confirmed as the source of the leak.
  329. Not a problem. by Tape+Measure · · Score: 1

    vi /boot/grub/grub.conf

    Change
    Default=2 # Windows
    to
    Default=0 # Linux

    I'll bet more windows users wish keeping their computers secure for the next few months could be so easy!

  330. U of C will like this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The U of C will like this with their Virus writing credits. The winsock code has holes - now that the code is "open" it will not take long and the fun starts. Microsoft, I suspect is so full of holes that is why they close the source. But it is out of the bag now.

  331. I'm guessing someone "recycled" a computer... by slew · · Score: 1

    Why assume someone is dangerously negligent, when probably all it takes is some ordinary negligence with common practices. Although this is a wild ass speculation, maybe someone bought a "recycled" a computer and found this on a hard-drive partition...

    Maybe even a scenaro like this...

    Eyal's computer gets upgraded (because he's a bigwig and gets new toys as a perk). Person who recycles computers for Mainsoft either doesn't erase the disk or perhaps only erases the partition that doesn't have this data. The old disk is "recycled". Two years later, someone gets the recycled computer and when looking for credit card numbers and passwords stumbles upon windows source code...

    Or, maybe he downloads this on to his laptop and forgets his laptop at an airport security checkpoint after 9/11. Two years later, nobody claims it so it's auctioned by the TSA on e-bay...

    Seems to me it could happen pretty innocently these days w/o being dangerously negligent and apparently the service packs that were part of the code are around the 2-year vintage

    1. Re:I'm guessing someone "recycled" a computer... by rotomonkey · · Score: 1

      Eyal's computer gets upgraded (because he's a bigwig and gets new toys as a perk). Person who recycles computers for Mainsoft either doesn't erase the disk or perhaps only erases the partition that doesn't have this data. The old disk is "recycled". Two years later, someone gets the recycled computer and when looking for credit card numbers and passwords stumbles upon windows source code...

      Or, maybe he downloads this on to his laptop and forgets his laptop at an airport security checkpoint after 9/11. Two years later, nobody claims it so it's auctioned by the TSA on e-bay...


      Sorry for the late reply (it was damn nice not seeing a computer for a long weekend), but, given that assuming the computer stored licensed source code, I consider both of those scenarios dangerously negligent. I was talking to someone once who had worked at Los Alamos; when they got rid of hard drives, the drives were subjected to a cycle of re-formatting and filling with random noise (which happened three times) and then a giant electromagnet was passed over them. Any IT officer who doesn't take strong measures to ensure confidential data stays that way when a computer moves on deserves to be publicly humiliated.

      The CTO of a software company leaving his laptop at an airport? C'mon....

  332. Patching means....you dont' need to Compile by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Like windows 98 lite, and cracks... patching is a different method.. you don't need to compile to patch!!!

  333. Re:MOD PARENT DOWN - DISGUSTING KARMA WHORE!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think "funny" mods don't affect Karma anymore anyway. If you want to mod him up but not give karma, vote "funny"

  334. Heres the edonkey link... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ed2k://|file|windows_2000_source_code.zip|21374820 7|34bb9f3a3e8d3e0c4490a96ec30b9f3c|/

    Mmmmm...Buggy code.... :)

  335. WinXP Installation from Source by fanis · · Score: 1

    Hey,who knows someday we could as well see this: fanis@raven:~#apt-get install WinXp Reading Package Lists... Done Building Dependency Tree... Done The following extra packages will be installed: libwinxp-common , libwinxp0 , libBSOD The following NEW packages will be installed: winsock-0.0 , libDirectX , libDirectX-dev , iexplore-libs , iexlore-i18n-el Selected previous unselected package WinXP .......

  336. Look! Snippets of stolen SCO code right here! by Un+pobre+guey · · Score: 1
    snippet #3985G:

    #include <iostream>
    #include <iomanip>
    #include <string>
    #include <cstdlib>
    #include <unistd.h>
    snippet #753E:

    vector<string>::iterator i;
    for (i = oNameVector.begin(); i != oNameVector.end(); i++)
    {
    string sName = *i;
    oLog.writeLog(LogLevel::warning, "Name " + sName );
    StoreName(sName , oDbConn_, oLog);
    }
    snippet #88RS:

    using namespace std;
    Apparently, this source code was lifted directly and without modification from not one but possibly scores of files. In the case of snippet #88RS, the quoted code appears to have been copied directly tens of thousands of times!
  337. Re:Article doesn't say it was *stolen* from Linux by shadowbearer · · Score: 1


    In fact, it's possible that one of the copies of the cdrom in question couldn't be read by the person who had it and it was disposed of and found by someone digging thru their garbage.

    They probably have pretty good security against such an event, but no security is ever perfect. One imagines some junkyard scavenger digging thru piles of trash, finding the CD, thinking "Oh, cool!" and managing to reconstruct the contents of the disk, thereby gaining points with his 133t kazaa buddies.

    Heh. :) Farfetched, I know.

    SB

    --
    It's old. The more humans I meet, the more I like my cats. At least they are honest.
  338. Mod this down by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is total BS --y ou don't know what you're talking about, buddy!

  339. We know this, but many people in the corporate... by Assmasher · · Score: 1

    ...world do not.

    They'll move to XP because M$ will push it as a temporary solution until Longhorn comes out. Hell, only moving to a (cough) "trusted computing" environment now lets M$ guarentee to stockholders that people will upgrade in droves. They'll probably become very outspoken about security in the near future, LOL!

    --
    Loading...
  340. Maybe now the VMSNT debate can be settled? by mikefoley · · Score: 1

    There were rumours flying in the past that code from DEC's VMS OS made its way into NT. The rumour was that it happened and DEC settled out of court with Microsoft.

    It'll be interesting to see if anyone actually looks. (You can get not all, but alot of the VMS source code on microfiche and other media)

    Yea, I used to work there. No, I have no first hand knowledge. Just rumours. Take them for what they are.

    --
    What's my Karma Mr. Burns? "Excellent"
  341. yes they get paid but... by kerb · · Score: 1

    yes they get paid but not as expensive as before. 7K rupees rather than $70K.

  342. Working torrent for NT source by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative
  343. Maybe MicroSoft posted the code by John+Sokol · · Score: 1

    If Microsoft posted the code then in a few years they can sue the Linux companies like SCO is doing claming that someone contaiminated the Linux source tree with it.

    --
    I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso
  344. Monty Python's Useage of the word, 'fuck' by DubNoBass303 · · Score: 0

    So, I decided it would be neat to find all instances of 'fuck' in the source... and here, for your reading pleasure...

    // see if this file is loaded by kernel, thus something we don't
    // want to fuck with.

    // BUGBUG (reinerf)
    // the fucking alpha cpp compiler seems to fuck up the goddam type "LPITEMIDLIST", so to work
    // around the fucking peice of shit compiler we pass the last param as an void *instead of a LPITEMIDLIST

    // HighContrast mode is turned on. This totally fucks our style sheet as most of it will
    // get ignored. The best we can do is to resize our window so the gigantic fonts will
    // show correctly.

    * !!!!!!!IF YOU CHANGE TABS TO SPACES, YOU WILL BE KILLED!!!!!!!
    * !!!!!!!!!!!!!!DOING SO FUCKS THE BUILD PROCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    // !!!this is fucked if a map goes to multiple physical devices
    // we return the *last* dResult, this is
    // totally random for some messages (like MODM_GETVOLUME).

    // The user fucked up

    --
    ./weed | bong
  345. Hackers Got a Hold of Source? by Silvanx · · Score: 1

    THAT's the problem? People look at Linux' code all the time without this much worry. That's a pretty bad admission on MS' part if they did but know it. Linux thrives on people gandering at the code.. while Windows scampers, cockroach like, at the slightest light being thrown on it...?

  346. Silly, but TRUE. :( by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Very well wrought. :)

    Thanks bunches :)

  347. Trusted Computing... by sculpy · · Score: 1

    I haven't had time to sort through all 900+ replies on this thread but...

    Isn't this code leak going to open a huge gateway for M$ and others to promote Trusted Computing and the use of 'fritz chips'?

    Trusted Computing scares the living hell out of me...I can see this code leak as the gate to some bad times ahead for all...

    --
    --John
  348. Did anyone listen to NPR? by unborn · · Score: 2, Interesting

    A female journalist mentioned she viewed the code and found snippets of foul language in the comments.

    First of all, would Microsoft contract their code with curses to foreign governments and large corporations? If so is it possible that the copy was leaked directly from Microsoft or that the leaker inserted those comments?

    Second of all, isn't it illegal even for a journalist to download illegally distributed source code?

  349. This completely screws me by Permission+Denied · · Score: 1
    A lot of my work is Windows integration. This involves a bit of reverse engineering (days looking at hex dumps) and a lot of online research as Microsoft documents many things very poorly.

    For instance, one of my recent projects was writing a replacement GINA for Windows. This is the component that determines authorization, eg, the login window and associated logic. There were various that reasons existing products and projects were unsuitable. Microsoft's documentation is absolutely, incontrovertibly horrible (so incomplete that I get the distinct feeling it's intentionally meant to stop integration efforts). However, I managed to get through it by some reverse engineering (testing how various parameters affect a function) and some online research (third party websites, wine source when GPL is OK for the project).

    What if Microsoft decides that I couldn't have done this without access to their source? There are only a few companies that write real GINAs without passing through actual login to MSGINA and I know some of them have access to source, so it may have been very helpful.

    Obviously, I'm staying as far away from the leaked code as possible. In fact, I'm hesitant to even post to Slashdot as that might remotely associate me with some people that have the files or I might accidentally glance at a file listing or code snippet from some careless individual.

    I'm not naive: I know that if I get taken to court, I'll be the one that has to prove that I never looked at the source. How the hell am I supposed to do that?

    Even worse, a lot of the documentation I use comes from people who've reverse engineered it out of Windows. When I read something online, how am I supposed to know if it came from someone who truly reverse engineered it or from someone who had illegitimate source access? IAANAL (obviously) so this might even be OK legally, but I know that if Microsoft goes after me, I'll be destroyed due to their resources so I put little faith in the law (and Microsoft really hates people like me, I get people off of AD onto standard LDAP schemas).

    Some of my other projects include remote filesystems via IFS and some various driver-level stuff. This really, really scares me. I spent days looking at hex dumps to get some things working. For a lot of projects the only way to test anything is a reboot, so I've put a lot of time into these projects and this leak gives Microsoft an opportunity to easily destroy all my work.

    I'm seriously thinking of talking to a lawyer RIGHT NOW as I'd like to know exactly how I can protect my livelihood from now on and what steps I can take to gather evidence that I've never looked at Windows source.

  350. More importantly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Could you post a working link to said files?

  351. Lack of copyright notices in /shell source files by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Has any one else noticed the lack of copyright notices in lots of the /shell source files?

    Also saw some missing c/r notices in /ntcrypto sources. And other places too.

    Of the 4K source and 5k header files, I wonder how many are missing the required c/r notice that identifies i.p ownership. 5%? 10%? 20%? My guess - around 10% almost all in /shell.

    Looks like m.s legal has been getting sloppy the last few years.

    Guess what guys, this means that the Common Controls code maybe public domain. You'll never have to write another toolbar or tree control class ever again.

    The tooltips code looks a bit hairy though...

  352. Because CNN sucks? by fejikso · · Score: 1

    Honestly, after the war on Iraq coverage on CNN, I try to stay away from that ultrabiased news source as much as I can.

  353. URL for Microsoft Source Code !!! by dgmartin98 · · Score: 1

    It's right here for the taking...

    Here's an excerpt:

    /*
    Microsoft(r) Windows(tm) XP Source Code
    (c)copyright 1998 Microsoft Corporation
    This is closed-source software.
    Distribute it and die.
    */

    #include "dos30.h"
    #include "win31.h"
    #include "win95.h"
    #include "workst~1.h"
    #include "evenmore.h"
    #include "oldstuff.h"
    #include "billrulz.h"
    #include "monopoly.h"
    #define INSTALL HARD

    char make_prog_look_big[16000000];

    ASSIMILATION_CLASS main(int argc, char * argv)
    {
    char * eat_up_all_avail_mem;
    eat_up_all_avail_mem = (char *)malloc(sizeof(free_mem()));

    ...see the URL for more...

    /Dave

    --
    FPGA, Wireless, ASIC, Verilog, VHDL, HW, 10yr exp, Team Lead, Ottawa (More? Email above. slashdotusername=dgmartin98 )
  354. totally planned? by jabin_w · · Score: 1

    has anybody thought that maybe microsoft leaked this code themself? I mean look at the timeline

    1. announce nt4 will not be supported after end of the year.
    2. a few days later nt4 and win2k partial code 'leaks' out

    maybe this is just a plan by microsoft to have some of the code out in the open so exploits can be found so they can patch them then release a security update before ending support so those that don't want to ugprade from NT4 will feel secure.
    Releasing win2k partial code could be the same code that's in windows server 2003 and by getting it out in the public they are actually finding holes not previously found in win2k. Microsoft office xp sp3 code leaks out. Same code in office system maybe? Then once exploits get out in the open and they can release patches it will make the public look at m$ in a different way, and say OH WOW look! they are actually fixing things!

    This is great business sense by fixing and updating windows 2003 and office system cause if it's more then somewhat secure and less flaws found it will sell more copies

    But the downside is the consumer side. cause we the consumer get screwed by all the new bugs and worms that come out because of flaws found in the partial released code.
    In the end microsoft wins yet again, by gaining back the trust of the consumer and getting their almighty dollar

    My Two Cents

  355. Mainsoft develops for GCC by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    From Visual MainWin 5.0.2 System Requirements for Linux:

    "GCC 3.2 (Mainsoft fixed version)"

    GPL demands them to give back the source, but they gave us the wrong source!

    (Seriously, this means they developed for GCC and saw the Windows source. Are they "tainted" too?)

  356. That's a load of shit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Take a look at it. Take a good look at it. If you ever code anything so fucking horrible, I'M GONNA COME AND KICK YOUR ASS!

    You have been warned.

    No wonder MS code quality is so shitty, that code is of less quality than your average college programming assignment: swearwords, long chunks in comments, odd variable names, lots of bugs, bad design, etc.

  357. Oblivious about covers it... by BiOFH · · Score: 1

    But Microsoft's Stuart Okin said:"If you were to write perfect software, it would still be possible to find vulnerabilities. Every time you put in some type of protection against criminals, they work out ways of circumventing it."
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604, 11 48153,00.html

    Apparently Microsoft doesn't understand the meaning of 'perfect'. No wonder they're so far from it.

    --
    - I am made of meat.
  358. we have a Serious Problem by lkcl · · Score: 1

    problem 1: when i accidentally and i do _mean_ accidentally looked over the shoulder of someone who had access to AFPS - AT & T's "advanced file and print sharer" source code, which is actually NT 3.5 source code ported by AT & T to Unix, i was slightly freaked out by the similarity between the code there and the code that i had written in samba's NT Domain Services, like samrd. the thing is that in order to produce network-API-compatible code, there _is_ no other way to do the same job. so yes, i think that Wine and Samba have to watch it.

  359. Erm... comments are not compiled in... by thrill12 · · Score: 1

    ... so who cares what a developer writes in his code as long as he doesn't make it a static :)
    As written before, a lot of sourcecode has comments in it that could be viewed as offending by some, including Linux kernel code.
    The only thing it conveys is the way a developer thinks about it's users (ie. the "f**** stupid user" remarks, if any), which in turn can tell you a bit in which light the program was written.

    --
    Slashdot: stuff for news, nerds that matter, matter for news, stuff that nerd
  360. NSA_KEY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I remember there was some controversy about NSA_KEY being defined in Windows 2000. Is there any reference to this in the leaked source?

  361. How often is Microsoft . . . .? by vortexau · · Score: 1

    getting covered in DogPoo?
    Like THIS?
    .

    --
    (David Bowman, EVA near HUGE Monolithic Win-PC in orbit around Jupiter) "My God - its full of Malware!"
  362. like the matrix by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This olso happened with the second matrix movie. There were so many ideeas about the third movie, everybody speculated the future story by discussing even the smallest detail.Houndreds of ideeas, way to many flames, many possible stories were written.

    And then the third movie went out and it was crap.
    Yap same thing will happen in this case.

  363. Double Standard by GebsBeard · · Score: 1

    Am I the only one who finds it interesting that when Linux releases it's source code to the public it's "many eyes catch all bugs" but when the Windows source is leaked it's "many eyes exploit many bugs"? It kinda sounds like a gross double standard.

  364. TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE SEEN THE CODE by sc257 · · Score: 1

    Apparently the Microsoft Source Code contains notes with insults, swearing, admissions that stuff doesn't work, loads of funny stuff. One example I read in the papers was "potentially off-by-1 but who cares" Could anyone who has seen it please e-mail as many examples of these funny or incompetent sections. I'm on samuel_coates@hotmail.com I'm trying to get my hands on this stuff as soon as possible. If someone is particularly helpful, I'll make it worth their while.... Cheers Sam.

    1. Re:TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE SEEN THE CODE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It looks like people have posted bittorrent links even in this forum. Look for the word torrent

    2. Re:TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE SEEN THE CODE by splint3r · · Score: 1

      What's this stupid lameness filter? All I want to do is post
      this link and I have to type all this crap out.
      Jeesh.

  365. Re:Swearing? - TELL ME MORE, URGENT by sc257 · · Score: 1

    I am trying to find out as many examples of swearing, sloppy workmanship, insults to users etc etc in the Microsoft Source Code. Please e-mail me examples to Samuel_coates@hotmail.com I will make it worth your while if you reply promptly and come up with lots of examples.

  366. REWARD ******* PLS SEND ME FUNNY BITS OF CODE***** by sc257 · · Score: 1

    Hi I'm trying to track down examples of amusing, insulting, or devious notes inserted into the Microsoft code. I will make it worth anyones while if they e-mail me soon enough with lots of good examples of amusing notes inserted into the code. I'm on samuel_coates@hotmail.com Thanks

  367. REWARD OFFERED ***** FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE SEEN CODE by sc257 · · Score: 1

    To everyone who has seen the code. I'm looking for examples of notes inserted inthe code which are funny, insulting, random, insult Microsoft, insult the end user, all that kind of stuff. I you have seen it and can send me lots of examples to samuel_coates@hotmail.com in the next 24 hours I will make it worth your while.... Many thanks Sam

  368. Copywraith by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is there such a thing called copywraith? Just like a ringwraith enslaved by the One Ring to the Dark Lord, a copywraith is enslaved by the One OS to the Dark Gates. It can also be used to describe lawyers enslaved by RIAA or SCO.

  369. Laura "familiar bitch" Didio by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The classic yesterday was Laura Didio from Yankee Group comparing OSS hackers to suicide car bombers.

    Isn't that the same whore who signed SCO's agreement to see the disputed source code and reported that it did look like Linux stole from SCO? Real reputable information source there.

  370. windows longhorn source code by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    As well as the nt4 and 2000 source code, part of a recent build of longhorn has had its source code leaked too.

    edonkey/overnet url:

    ed2k://|file|windows longhorn build 4008 source code (partial ).rar|1357906140|dba2a19a3c822837ad6ade3b7f178862|

    I don't know of any torrents. If anyone finds one, please reply to this post with details.

  371. lol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    damn that's funny; wish I had mod points, as I'd mod you up; sadly(?) I've never registered a nick, so I can't

    GrimRC

  372. Re:Lack of copyright notices in /shell source file by Huusker · · Score: 1

    An explicit copyright notice has not been required in the U.S. since it joined the Berne convention in 1989. All documents are born copyrighted and stay that way until either the copyright expires or the copyright holder explicitly releases it into the public domain. IP property cannot be released into the public domain by mere exposure.

    In fact any good IP lawyer will tell you that trade secret documents like source code should not have a copyright notice, lest anyone wrongly get the idea that it is not secret material.

    I would be surprised if a single copyright notice appeared anywhere in the code.

  373. some interesting things by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    looking at a listing of the largest files:
    find win2k/ -not -type d -printf '%k' -printf '\t' -print | sort -rn | less

    some very interesting ones show up. you can even entertain yourself with some incidental music:
    win2k/private/shell/applets/welcome/res/mu sic.wav

    some of the more interesting .doc files:
    win2k/private/shell/docs/search.doc "Search Architecture"

    win2k/private/shell/docs/architec.doc "Basic Shell Browser Architecture"

    win2k/private/ntos/w32/ntgdi/icm/docs/monptr.doc "User Interface Functional Specification: ICM Printer, Display, and Scanner/Camera Color Management Tabs"

    win2k/private/ntos/w32/ntgdi/icm/docs/install2.d oc "User Interface Functional Specification: ICC Profile Installation"

    win2k/private/net/snmp/manager/winsnmp/docs/wins nm p.doc "Windows SNMP An Open Interface for Programming
    Network Management Applications
    using the Simple Network Management Protocol under Microsoft2 Windows WinSNMP/Manager API"

    win2k/private/ntos/w32/ntgdi/icm/docs/appui.doc "User Interface Functional Specification: ICM Application Common Dialog User Interface"

    win2k/private/windbg64/debugger/tl/remote/gambit /t ransport/democracy in flames.eml ???

    win2k/private/net/snmp/docs/snmp.doc "NT 5.0 Network Management SNMP Framework"

  374. New Version of WinDux1.0 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    soon we shall have Newer version of an inferior linux distro floating around known as windux

  375. Re:REWARD ******* PLS SEND ME FUNNY BITS OF CODE** by Menkhaf · · Score: 1

    Hi I'm trying to track down examples of amusing, insulting, or devious notes inserted into the Microsoft code. I will make it worth anyones while if they e-mail me soon enough with lots of good examples of amusing notes inserted into the code. I'm on antipiracy@microsoft.com Thanks

    --
    A proud member of the Onion-in-Hand alliance
  376. Re:Lack of copyright notices in /shell source file by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You obviously have had no direct experience of the law regarding copyright, trade secrets, and enforceable i.p rights with regards to computer software source code.

    The statute law and case law in the US is quite simple, no copyright notice equals no effectively enforceable property right. Unless you are will to spend a huge amount of time and money in court, and you escape a summary judgment of dismissal against you.

    The part of Berne '89 you referred to applies to publically published works not unpublished works.

    The copyright notice in the source code is the first step in asserting ownership over the source and the intellectual property contained within. The paper trail of patents, specs, reqs, working papers, change logs etc., plus the audit trail of regular backups and shipped binaries, are what are used to establish ownership if the i.p is ever contested in court.

    If you have no copyright notice you have broken the first link in the chain of a defendable i.p claim. It is usually considered gross negligence.

    And that's why the guys from legal are so anal about what you put in your source file headers.

  377. Re:Lack of copyright notices in /shell source file by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you have no copyright notice you have broken the first link in the chain of a defendable i.p claim. It is usually considered gross negligence.

    At our code shop our legal hired gun ordered us to never to insert copyright notices except in the splash panels. We do have the 'unpublished and proprietary blah blah' stuff.

    And there are no copyright notices anywhere in the 20,000-odd leaked files, at least that I could find via grep. So it looks like MS does the same thing.

  378. Non-infriging... by SharpFang · · Score: 1


    People keep saying:
    An open source programmer will write a feature X that is like in Windows and Microsoft will sue them for stealing the code because now the code is available.

    Somebody explain please... what stops the programmer from looking at corresponding part of Windows source code and making totally sure their code is all the way UNLIKE Windows source? Just making sure that no single line looks the same, that no single procedure uses all the same algorithm, and if it does, modify it in such a way, that it derives from Windows just in that way that it is completely opposite? And then ask MS people to show a single infriging line of code. It can still be a patent infrigement. But not copyright.

    --
    45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
  379. ED2K links for the source. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Download these two via eDonkey:

    (Remove the spaces in the links.)

    ed2k://|file|windows_2000_source_code.zip|213748 20 7|34bb9f3a3e8d3e0c4490a96ec30b9f3c|/

    And:

    ed2k://|file|windows_nt_4_source_code.zip|241131 48 3|afcb4b1fd05ed574e2ee77618222621d|/