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Microsoft Planning on Opening Up More Source

mhh5 writes "It's a bit surprising, but it looks like Microsoft is considering making some of its code open source. Obviously, Microsoft's OS or Office are not going to be opened, and it seems like Microsoft is just trying to get more developers, but it's a interesting change of policy."

30 of 482 comments (clear)

  1. Finally! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can't wait to get my hands on that DOS 3.3 source. I shall build the mightiest DOS EVER!!!!

    1. Re:Finally! by elasticwings · · Score: 3, Funny

      What are you talking about? Everybody knows, it's going to be MS GOLF!!! :P

    2. Re:Finally! by elasticwings · · Score: 5, Funny

      Better yet, we can finally have the source to port Clippy to every application.

    3. Re:Finally! by Performaman · · Score: 2, Funny

      " The article said two projects. The other one is probably MS-Bob."
      No, it's probably that Hound from WinHEC that you see whenever you search for files in Windows.
      And the weirdest thing happened when I started to read this item the first time: my XP machine BSOD'd.

      --

      I have gas, but my car uses petrol.
    4. Re:Finally! by maxbang · · Score: 5, Funny

      Ha! From the article: "There's more of that on the way," said Microsoft's Stephen Walli...

      That's like a fat chick showing you a boob and saying, "There's more where that came from."

      --
      I also reply below your current threshold.
    5. Re:Finally! by justkarl · · Score: 2, Funny

      "Hi! It looks like you're trying to $ls -l | grep. I'm not sure what that is, but if you'd like some help, I'll keep popping up, and see what I can do."

  2. Open vs. Shared? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    When they say Open Source, do they mean actually open source, or shared source? Of course I didn't RTFA.

  3. apartment analogy by i621148 · · Score: 2, Funny

    hey you can work on improving your apartment as much as you want. when the next guy moves in, we are going to paint it pink and throw all your crap out ...

    we really like that you fixed the garbage disposal for us free though.

    1. Re:apartment analogy by CaptainCarrot · · Score: 2, Funny
      when the next guy moves in, we are going to paint it pink and throw all your crap out ...

      Ah! That's how they got Windows XP! I was wondering about that...

      --
      And the brethren went away edified.
  4. I have the source... by Wig · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...it's just a bunch of "if-else" loops anyway. Millions. Although, they iterated an array once that and used a "for" loop pretty nicely...

    1. Re:I have the source... by TheShadowHawk · · Score: 5, Funny

      What about GOTO's?

      Surely there must be at LEAST ONE GOTO!

      --
      Friends don't let Friends use Internet Explorer.
    2. Re:I have the source... by Fulcrum+of+Evil · · Score: 4, Funny

      They do use a lot of gotos, for exiting out of loops for cleanups and such.

      It's a hell of a lot nicer than 10 level if statements.

      --
      "We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
  5. developers, developers, developers! by neon777 · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's what it's all about.

  6. Figures by jokach · · Score: 2, Funny

    What other choice does MS have at this point?

    Seems they want people to believe they are playing along with the OSS market ...

    1. Re:Figures by black+mariah · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well, they could always completely ignore OSS and all the childlike whining morons that come with it. It's not like it's going to hurt them.

      --
      'Standards' in computing only impress those who are impressed by things like 'standards'.
  7. Re:Just one thing by Alphanos · · Score: 4, Funny

    Don't be silly. For instance, we know there are lots of great features in IIS that could be ported to Apache to improve it, like the ability to be automatically exploited! Internet Explorer has similarly advanced code that Mozilla could make use of;).

    --
    Alphanos
  8. If the Office source code was released by stox · · Score: 5, Funny

    Thousands of open source developers around the world would die as their head's exploded.

    We used to have a joke at Bell Labs regarding the source code for the 5ESS. If we ever wanted to eliminate any competition, we would send them a copy of the source, and they would go bankrupt trying to figure it out.

    --
    "To those who are overly cautious, everything is impossible. "
  9. Ahh, you beat me to it by TiggertheMad · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...Although, the possibilities of porting MS Bob to LINUX are intriguing...

    --

    HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
  10. Tcp/Ip stack by obdulio · · Score: 5, Funny

    They are going to open the source of their network protocols. The first thing they are opening is the TCP/IP protocols. ;-)

    --
    PENAROL: Seras eterno como el tiempo y floreceras en cada primavera.
  11. Re:Watch out. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    MS could be 100% trustworthy on this.

    Man, that's so funny, I just spewed coffee out my nose!

  12. Old news. by Steamhead · · Score: 4, Funny

    Microsoft opened up lots of it's source last year, lest we forget. :)

  13. Re:How sweet. by mingot · · Score: 4, Funny

    I find it interesting that Windows is so widely deployed, yet so few people are truly "in love" with the operating system.

    Oddly enough, most people only use operating systems to facilitate whatever work it is they happen to be tasked with accomplishing. When it comes to love, passion, etc, these same weird folk usually look towards members of the opposite sex (or the same sex, even) and not penguins, devils, or peices of mealy fruit. Crazy, huh?

  14. LOTR analogy by neon777 · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is like Sauron giving rings to all the elvish and dwarven kings in order to enslave them.

    Yes, I'm a nerd.

  15. I got my hands on some of it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny
    It goes like this:

    void main() {
    while (true) {
    //
    //**Secret Proprietary Microsoft Code Removed**
    //
    if (rand() % 2)
    doCrash();
    }
    }

  16. Re:Just one thing by 1010011010 · · Score: 2, Funny

    At the rate they're going, not even "open source." They'll be the biggest "partially-published-but-heavily-restricted-source please-copy-it-so-we-can-sue-your-ass" software company.

    --
    Napster-to-go says "Fill and refill your compatible MP3 player", which is a lie. It's not MP3. It's WMA with DRM.
  17. Re:Just one thing by Collestonpie13 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Since when was Communism Un-American? Im moving to cuba...

    --
    Coffee, you can sleep when you're dead!
  18. Erm.... by Turn-X+Alphonse · · Score: 2, Funny

    Just think of the next adverts.

    "Microsoft, bringing out the best in you by using your knowledge because we ain't got a clue"

    --
    I like muppets.
  19. Huh? by Performaman · · Score: 2, Funny

    But they already have a (cracked) open source version of NT, don't they?

    --

    I have gas, but my car uses petrol.
  20. When will they learn? by hunterx11 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I have nothing against Microsoft open-sourcing anything, but don't they realize that you can't have your FUD and eat it too?

    --
    English is easier said than done.
  21. BSOD by accidental_1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Even better, we can find out what all those BSOD messages are.