Windows source code leaked?

[SKULLS_Viper 0]

Quote[/b] ]Windows Source Code Leaked?

Mystery files begin rampant rumors

Rumors abound web-wide that the Win2k and NT4 source code has been leaked and is floating around the internet. If true, it could spell trouble for Redmond and security experts alike. On the heels of a dangerous exploit this week comes a rumor than could prove downright painful. Neowin this afternoon announced that two packages containing Windows 2000 and NT4 source code were making the rounds. Slashdot soon followed up with their own mention of the rumored leak, effectively knocking Neowin off-line with traffic. So far the authenticity or extent of the leak has not been confirmed, though it does appear to be at least a portion of the code.

From the original Neowin report:

"At this time, it is hard to establish whether or not full code has leaked, and this will undoubtedly remain the situation until an attempt is made to compile them. Microsoft are currently unavailable for comment surrounding this leak so we have no official response from them at the time of writing.

This leak is a shock not only to Neowin, but to the wider IT industry. The ramifications of this leak are far reaching and devastating. This reporter does not wish to be sensationalist, but the number of industries and critical systems that are based around these technologies that could be damaged by new exploits found in this source code is something that doesn't bare thinking about.

We ask that for the wider benefit of the IT community that members and readers support Microsoft by forwarding anything they know about the leak to the Microsoft's Anti-Piracy department."

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/38738

I wonder if XP is affected?

[Blink Dog 0]

This is great maybe we will see an end to Microsofts monopoly in the market.

[kegetys 2]

This is great maybe we will see an end to Microsofts monopoly in the market.

I dont see how this would cause that

[edc 0]

If only M$ would see the logic in making Windows open-source. Bugs would be gone in just a few days, instead of like years. It'd be cheaper for them, and better for computers in general. But that'll never happen. Oh well.

[bn880 5]

Yeah I have been experiencing the wonders of open source for a few weeks now. Better have at least one OS which has a standard kernel etc... you got Unix based OS's which are open source already.

[Ex-RoNiN 0]

I wonder if XP is affected?

Of course it is. First, there was NT. Then there was 2k. 2k was married with 98, and XP was born.

[theavonlady 2]

I wonder if XP is affected?

Of course it is. First, there was NT. Then there was 2k. 2k was married with 98, and XP was born.

The bastard!

[WhoCares 0]

...

Of course it is. First, there was NT. Then there was 2k. 2k was married with 98, and XP was born.

The bastard!

Actually it is more like incest, as they are all one family...

[toadlife 3]

...

Of course it is. First, there was NT. Then there was 2k. 2k was married with 98, and XP was born.

The bastard!

Actually it is more like incest, as they are all one family...

Actually XP and 98 or only related by marriage, and share no bloodlines.

Windows XP and 2000 are paternal twins - 2000 being the successfull one, and XP being the evil twin.

DOS, Windows 95, 98, and ME are all blood related. There's your incest.

[theavonlady 2]

...

Of course it is. First, there was NT. Then there was 2k. 2k was married with 98, and XP was born.

The bastard!

Actually it is more like incest, as they are all one family...  

A Jewish theological footnote:

In modern English, a bastard refers to a child born out of wedlock.

In Jewish law, a bastard ("mamzer" in biblical Hebrew) refers to a child born out of an adulterous or incestual relationship. There is no particular negative term in the Torah for a child simply born out of wedlock.

So, what you said is what I meant!

Back on topic............................................

This code would make great wallpaper for some computer nerd's room.

Any takers?

[denoir 0]

If only M$ would see the logic in making Windows open-source.  Bugs would be gone in just a few days, instead of like years.  It'd be cheaper for them, and better for computers in general.  But that'll never happen.  Oh well.

I disagree on two points. First of all, I think a company has every right to protect its intellectual property. Second it's a myth that open-source leads to less bugs. Take a look at the linux scene and you'll see what I mean. While open-source on occasion leads to great results, overall the quality of it is very inconsistent. With Microsoft, you get ... well Microsoft. It's centralized and holds more or less a consistent level of quality.

Open-source projects are due to their decentralized nature very inconsistent. People that implement parts of such projects often have very different ideas on how things should be done and leading such projects through online collaborations is nearly impossible. Linus Torvalds (the maker of Linux) realized that and that's part reason why Linux has been so succesful. The core, the kernel, while open-source is tightly controlled by a very small group cenetered on Torvalds. People may come with suggestions for improvement, but ultimately Torvalds makes all the calls and it's very difficult to influence the kernel development from outside. And that's good. Because of that there is one main line of kernel development. Had everybody been allowed to participate, you'd have 500 different, roughly equal versions and Linux would have never even lifted off the ground.

[Badgerboy 0]

If only M$ would see the logic in making Windows open-source.  Bugs would be gone in just a few days, instead of like years.  It'd be cheaper for them, and better for computers in general.  But that'll never happen.  Oh well.

I disagree on two points. First of all, I think a company has every right to protect its intellectual property. Second it's a myth that open-source leads to less bugs. Take a look at the linux scene and you'll see what I mean. While open-source on occasion leads to great results, overall the quality of it is very inconsistent. With Microsoft, you get ... well Microsoft. It's centralized and holds more or less a consistent level of quality.

Open-source projects are due to their decentralized nature very inconsistent. People that implement parts of such projects often have very different ideas on how things should be done and leading such projects through online collaborations is nearly impossible. Linus Torvalds (the maker of Linux) realized that and that's part reason why Linux has been so succesful. The core, the kernel, while open-source is tightly controlled by a very small group cenetered on Torvalds. People may come with suggestions for improvement, but ultimately Torvalds makes all the calls and it's very difficult to influence the kernel development from outside. And that's good. Because of that there is one main line of kernel development. Had everybody been allowed to participate, you'd have 500 different, roughly equal versions and Linux would have never even lifted off the ground.

Not to mention that the most hacked/exploited OS in the world has now had its guts laid bare.

Better start running Windows Update every other day now!

[Balschoiw 0]

Quote[/b] ]Better start running Windows Update every other day now!

I´m suspiciouse about the windows updates a bit. You never know what Microsoft is doing with your data and you never know what they have in mind when it comes to User control.

A leaked source code opens doors for all the weirdos who want to find security gaps to create new viruses, trojans etc.

[vektorboson 8]

There is already an "open source windows", it's called ReactOS and it tries to implement the Windows-Kernel; with this and Wine you could get your open source windows.

The leaked source code will do nothing to M$-monopoly, rather the number of viruses, worms and trojans and of course M$'s behaviour towards its customers and the IT-industry. You already see governments (i.e. Israel) and cities (i.e. Munich) switching to Linux-Desktops, and hopefully game companies will offer more games for linux (BIS...?  

[MI_Fred 0]

Hmm I don't wish for a slap at M$' face, since then even innocent teens buying stuff at H&M will be effected, via an defunctioning counter application, that runs one of those Windows versions for them... I hope you know where it is used. But hopefully thanks to this it won't be used in those long range military missile systems, so a mass evacuation to the dark side of the moon isn't necessary.

[bn880 5]

Not to mention that the most hacked/exploited OS in the world has now had its guts laid bare.

Better start running Windows Update every other day now!

This must be a dream come true for some Linux kiddies... I'm sure Windows will hold up when you look at %usage vs malicious/sabotage problems.

I find it very sickening that some people look at sabotaging of the most successfull OS, that is easiest to use, as a good thing.

[EiZei 0]

This must be a dream come true for some Linux kiddies... I'm sure Windows will hold up when you look at %usage vs malicious/sabotage problems.

Apache is vastly more popular than IIS but I still hear more about IIS worms and hacked IIS servers. Of course it does not matter which one is used if basic security measures are not taken though.

[Ex-RoNiN 0]

and cities (i.e. Munich) switching to Linux-Desktops,

Is that why the S-Bahn is always late

[WhoCares 0]

and cities (i.e. Munich) switching to Linux-Desktops,

Is that why the S-Bahn is always late

Don't you live in London? Isn't that the city where they completly skipped the idea of timetables for the tube?!

More then 5 minutes delay are rare here in Munich and are mostly caused by some drunken Greeks jumping on the tracks...

[freddern 0]

I'm not a genius in theese sort'a stuff, but wouldn't open source make life hell for game developers..?

[WhoCares 0]

Not as long as someone controls some kind of official release versions. Let everybody mess around with a configuration for his own needs, but let there be one official entity that has the control over official releases. Like it was/is done with other open source projects like Linux or Netscape.

So game developers have just to comply with those official versions.

[Ex-RoNiN 0]

and cities (i.e. Munich) switching to Linux-Desktops,

Is that why the S-Bahn is always late

Don't you live in London? Isn't that the city where they completly skipped the idea of timetables for the tube?!

More then 5 minutes delay are rare here in Munich and are mostly caused by some drunken Greeks jumping on the tracks...    

Quote[/b] ]

Don't you live in London? Isn't that the city where they completly skipped the idea of timetables for the tube?!

Normally I live near London, but I'm on work placement, so I will be in Munich until August

The tube is just fine, if you disregard the recent derailments They usually come every 5-10 minutes, that is not too bad, esp. for a city the size of London.

Quote[/b] ]More then 5 minutes delay are rare here in Munich

No they ain't. Had 15-25min delays at least 3 times the last two weeks. Tsk!

Quote[/b] ]and are mostly caused by some drunken Greeks jumping on the tracks...

Yeah, so what, got a problem with that? I like being drunk And I like jumping across the track sometimes Got a problem with that???

[shinRaiden 0]

The problem here is that the leaking was done by the black-hat community, as opposed to the white-hat crowd.

Code in this state is unreliable, as you have no idea as to whether it has been 'pre-tweaked'.

Aditionally, as we have seen in the case of HL2 and Warcraft:WOW, security breachs can result in lost of future development or indefinite postponement. While that is not as big a factor in MS's case,what you will see is litigation related issues.

Remember folks, MS is and has always been run by lawyers. Mr. Bill (pbh) Is a lawyer, NOT an engineer. So are all his associates. Classic photo from his High School days shows Paul Allen pushing the buttons and Mr. Bill supervising with his hands in his pocketz.

My prediction: nothing comes from the code other than more virii and garbage. The vast majority of the general populace will get migrated to truely draconian online DRM per-usage licensing, DCMA enforcement enhancement could be expanded to include automatic espionage authorization, etc.

From a legal standpoint, it's not unreasonable for MS to take self-protection actions that will then hammer all the rest of the users. The 'easiest' thing would be for everyone to 'just go along'... whether we like it or not.

- from a IT janitor onboard the Death Star.

[bn880 5]

This must be a dream come true for some Linux kiddies... I'm sure Windows will hold up when you look at %usage vs malicious/sabotage problems.

Apache is vastly more popular than IIS but I still hear more about IIS worms and hacked IIS servers. Of course it does not matter which one is used if basic security measures are not taken though.

Apache is not an operating system, you are looking at statistics of Web Servers!

you forgot to inculde this part of my quote for your purpose

Quote[/b] ]I find it very sickening that some people look at sabotaging of the most successfull OS, that is easiest to use, as a good thing.

EDIT: Just to exacerbate my point Apache is an OS independent web server

[EiZei 0]

This must be a dream come true for some Linux kiddies... I'm sure Windows will hold up when you look at %usage vs malicious/sabotage problems.

Apache is vastly more popular than IIS but I still hear more about IIS worms and hacked IIS servers. Of course it does not matter which one is used if basic security measures are not taken though.

Apache is not an operating system, you are looking at statistics of Web Servers!

you forgot to inculde this part of my quote for your purpose

Quote[/b] ]I find it very sickening that some people look at sabotaging of the most successfull OS, that is easiest to use, as a good thing.

EDIT: Just to exacerbate my point Apache is an OS independent web server

I was explaining my point that popularity != insecurity in software world.

Anyways, as far as I understand IIS is bundled with Windows servers and used in >90% of the cases while apache is used almost exclusively in unix.