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DOJ To Oversee Windows 7 Development

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the start-looking-for-back-doors dept.

MrKaos writes "Windows 7 is already being reviewed by U.S. government technical appointees. Under the terms of Microsoft's November 2001 Justice Department settlement, and final court judgment issued about a year later, a government-sanctioned 'Technical Committee' has been formed to oversee Windows development. The TC is responsible for ensuring that Microsoft complies with the terms of the final judgment, investigating complaints about Microsoft abuses and regularly reporting on the company's compliance."

8 of 427 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Yup. by hkgroove · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Is it just the conspiracy theorist in me that finds this scary as to what could be added into Windows 7? Super-secret backroom deals that the DoD / DoJ can covertly spy on the unwitting populace?

  2. Win 7 is officially vaporware by Thelasko · · Score: 3, Interesting

    With this much oversight, any development will slow to a crawl. If anything gets released at all, it will be a rehash of products they already make.

    Insert Windows Vista joke here.

    --
    One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
  3. How about.... by ArIck · · Score: 4, Interesting

    they check for illegal cooperation between a OS powerhouse (Microsoft) and a music/movies powerhouse (RIAA/MPAA)

  4. Re:I am _so_ calling this one: by darkmeridian · · Score: 5, Interesting

    We can hate Microsoft but as a libertarian, I find this development scary. Getting the federal government involved in the design and manufacture of a product is unwarranted and is akin to precrime. The US Government should leave Microsoft's development of Windows 7 alone. If it turns out to have anti-competitive effects, then the government can punish Microsoft for it. Everyone may say that would be too little, too late, but preemptive strikes are un-American. (And besides, we can always break MS up if it keeps pushing out monopolistic products.)

    --
    A NYC lawyer blogs. http://www.chuangblog.com/
  5. Re:You're kidding? by JCSoRocks · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I love how much abuse FEMA gets. Everyone always leaves out the awesomely retarded governor of that state. The few things she did do... were interesting.

    --
    You are using English. Please learn the difference between loose and lose; they're, there, and their; your and you're.
  6. Re:I am _so_ calling this one: by Amiga+Trombone · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I disagree on two counts. First, this is not a preemptive strike. This is the punishment for past wrongdoings. I would liken it to being on parole. No, it's not like parole, parole has a defined expiration date. What's the expiration date of Microsoft's parole?
  7. Re:I am _so_ calling this one: by erroneus · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Really? Do you REALLY find Libertarians scary? I mean, in the sense that they want to change the status quo, they are scary... I'll go along with you on that. But Libertarians just want to bring us back to the ideals of the founding fathers of the country. Do you think that US independence was a bad idea too? Honestly?

  8. Bureaucracy in itself IS bad! by mangu · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The problem with Katrina wasn't Katrina itself, it was the idiots who built levees that allowed a city to exist below the natural water level in a zone where hurricanes happen from time to time.


    The problem with MS-Windows is the legislation that allows copyrights for binary executable files. Check the US Constitution: "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries". Which part of "Writings" they didn't understand? Where is it mentioned the exclusive Right to codes compiled from Writings?


    If the US Constitution were fully respected, programmers should have to publish their source code in order to get copyright protection.