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Microsoft Agrees to License Windows Source Code
msbmsb writes "Stepping away from previous tradition, "Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday it will license its Windows source code to comply with a European Union antitrust ruling." But in an effort to stop the cloning of the OS, developers will still have to pay an unspecified amount for the code. This is an addition to the "12,000 pages of technical documents and 500 hours of free technical support" to those who purchase a license."
Man, and all we get is clippy to help us out.
"If you have legs and are flammable, you are never blocking a fire exit." -- Mitch Hedberg
But in an effort to stop the cloning of the OS, developers will still have to pay an unspecified amount for the code.
One Cajillion Dollars
Does that mean that Microsoft competitors will be able to add MS(c)SecurityHoles(tm) in their products to ensure compability with all kinds of exploits?
"The day Microsoft makes a product that doesn't suck is the day they make a vacuum cleaner."
developers will still have to pay an unspecified amount for the code
That means it's either free, or will cost trillions of dollars. I vote for the latter.
DEVELOPER: I'd like to purchase your code, please.
MS: Sure, no problem! Sign here.
DEV: Wait, how much is this again?
MS: It's an unspecified amount.
DEV: Oh, okay, that's right. Here is my signature. My company will foot the bill.
MS: We will send the bill soon--it will take a few weeks to finish printing. Very good doing business with you, sir. You are an intelligent man. We are a small company.
Yeah, I can see it now. People flocking en masse to fix the holes, and pay for the privilege!
Now I can learn how to create secure bugfree code from the masters.
http://saveie6.com/
You act like it's something new ... just watch any infomercial, or commercial for exercise/kitchen gadgets at 2am:
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
Spoken like a true Brit. Those Europeans aren't like us Brits, we're fricking great at everything.
Can someone mod me as "insightful" as well please?
i hope it gets leaked on the web.
that way i can cut-and-paste it into a Obfuscated code contest!
i don't care
Did I just see a pig fly by overhead?
Shiny. Let's be bad guys.
I can assure you that the Man Moth is no myth--he is very much a reality.
English is easier said than done.
And also why the Irish economy is kicking the British economy's ass. Britain is in decline, while Ireland and much of europe is in the ascendency.
When the posters fear their moderators, there is tyranny; when the moderators fears the posters, there is liberty.
Like any self respecting Brit would use the term "fricking"!
And you know what that is? Love... MS takes cares that each copy of the windows code has that special touch that makes the code seem likes it got freshly out of your mom's computer.
Windows, now with something special(TM).
Available to you for only an unspecified amount of money.
[]'s Victor Bogado da Silva Lins
^[:wq
Name one game developer that has control over the vast majority of desktop computers.
:P
Sony?
Sorry I just HAD to...
Connection closed by foreign host.
Ummm, I think Microsoft hit this one too late. The Windows source code has already been reverse-engineered, and has been floating around for quite a while. I will reproduce it here for convenience' sake: /* Source Code Windows 2000 */
//if
// if //while
//if /* printf("Welcome to Windows 3.1"); */ /* printf("Welcome to Windows 3.11"); */ /* printf("Welcome to Windows 95"); */ /* printf("Welcome to Windows NT 3.0"); */ /* printf("Welcome to Windows 98"); */ /* printf("Welcome to Windows NT 4.0"); */
// while
// main
#include "win31.h"
#include "win95.h"
#include "win98.h"
#include "workst~1.h"
#include "evenmore.h"
#include "oldstuff.h"
#include "billrulz.h"
#include "monopoly.h"
#include "backdoor.h"
#define INSTALL = HARD
char make_prog_look_big(16000000);
void main()
{
while(!CRASHED)
{
display_copyright_message();
display_bill_rules_message();
do_nothing_loop();
if (first_time_installation)
{
make_100_megabyte_swapfile();
do_nothing_loop();
totally_screw_up_HPFS_file_system();
search_and_destroy_the_rest_of-OS2();
make_futile_attempt_to_damage_Linux();
disable_Netscape();
disable_RealPlayer();
disable_Lotus_Products();
hang_system();
}
write_something(anything);
display_copyright_message();
do_nothing_loop();
do_some_stuff();
if (still_not_crashed)
{
display_copyright_message();
do_nothing_loop();
basically_run_windows_31();
do_nothing_loop();
}
}
if (detect_cache())
disable_cache();
if (fast_cpu())
{
set_wait_states(lots);
set_mouse(speed,very_slow);
set_mouse(action,jumpy);
set_mouse(reaction,sometimes);
}
printf("Welcome to Windows 2000");
if (system_ok())
crash(to_dos_prompt)
else
system_memory = open("a:\swp0001.swp",O_CREATE);
while(something)
{
sleep(5);
get_user_input();
sleep(5);
act_on_user_input();
sleep(5);
}
create_general_protection_fault();
}