WTF is happening with microsoft lately? 2 scares in 2 days, this time about scource code on the net..

did bill gates's deal with the devil expire or what?

Update me on the news please, what source code?

EDIT: Ah here:

BREAKING NEWS Microsoft is currently investigating a potential severe security breach that has possibly let loose onto the Internet source code for its Windows 2000 operating system. Portions of the code viewed by BetaNews contain a mix of library files, executables, text documents, scripts, and un-compiled code.

In addition, rumors have begun to circulate claiming that the source code to Windows NT4 has also gone astray.

If the leak is in fact deemed legit, it is unknown how much of the source has been compromised, and just how damaging its disclosure will be for Microsoft.

The claimed Windows 2000 source code archive contains 30,915 files written with 13.5 million lines of code. The source is dated July 25, 2000, placing it after the official release of the operating system, which was rumored to contain between 35 and 50 million lines of code in its entirety.

Early references to "Whistler" -- the code-name for Windows XP -- can be found in the files, which is consistent with the post-Windows 2000 time frame.

A Microsoft spokesperson told BetaNews that the company was looking into this as a matter of due diligence. "At this time, all we have to say is the rumor regarding the availability of Windows source code is based the speculation of an individual who saw a small section of un-identified code and thought it looked like Windows code," the spokesperson said. "If a small section of Windows source code were to be available, it would be a matter of intellectual property rights rather than security."

Sources indicates the leak is valid, but incomplete. Comments -- which are added to track changes to source code during development -- refer to specific bugs, Microsoft employees, and even organizational charts. Product code names are abound, with references to Daytona, Cairo, and Memphis, as well as beta timetables. The archive contains graphics files for Windows 2000 and Internet Explorer 5.0 included in resource files, according to sources.

Comments such as, "potentially off-by-1, but who cares..." are buried within code for the Windows Taskbar. Sources tell BetaNews there is no reference that calls Netscape developers "Weenies," as was alleged in court documents. Other comments range from mundane technical jargon to all out profanity.

This is not the first time Microsoft has experienced a code leak. Incomplete source to Microsoft's DOS version 6.22 surfaced years ago, but received little attention due to its obsolecence.

Senior Jupiter Research analyst Joe Wilcox told BetaNews he was surprised by the news. "I find it hard to believe that source code would leak. After all, companies put source code under lock and key, typically with no outside access available. That said, a substantial leak would be devastating for Microsoft."

"A source code leak would present multiple problems for Microsoft," explained Wilcox. "First, the loss of valuable intellectual property worth hundreds of millions in development cost. Second, hackers could look for and exploit new security vulnerabilities. That could create credibility loss for Microsoft, as some businesses question the security of Windows. Finally, Windows NT and 2000 are the foundation of Windows."

Source: BetaNews

Suuuuuuuure... because if you started a company and made lots of money, you'd be all for giving away your source of income.

i never did any deal with him! you can't prove anything! *looks suspicious*

i hadn't heard about this. could be bad, could be good. obviously it's bad coz if this IS the source code (or at least an earlier version and so similar to the real thing) then it's going to be a hell of a lot easier for new viruses to appear and be even nastier. but then again it could be good, simply coz smaller companies that are good but just have no recognition could potentially look at the code and manipulate it to make a windows-like, better OS. Of course, they'd get the pants sued off them for copyright but hey

Ah well. Big problem for MS, microscopic problem for us consumers. I dont believe any of this shit will effect us. Ive been warned sooooo many times on the frikkin news about these kind of scares and virus alerts, and nothings happened to me.

I think they let it out on purpose. They where talking about making the source free anyway. Its a marketing scheme.

I doubt they'd leave in comments like "might be off by one, but who cares" if it was on purpose.

I bet some pissed off employee leaked it. But, bah, who gives a shit. Microsoft won't lose shit, because all their money's on the NEXT O/S which won't come out for another 2 years. It's incomplete source code, so noone's gonne be able to semi-clone Windows. Pirates already pirate... source code means shit to them.

As far as "hackers", what's the difference between seeing the source code and causing damage and just cracking it like usual? A hack will appear, a patch will appear. Nothing different from usual.

The only possibly cool thing is people making mods/hacks for windows that'll let you do cool stuff with it. Like change the start menu layout entirely, or change 'Start' to 'Menu', or actually arrange the control panel in a smart way, etc etc.

IMO, it's a win win situation for the consumer.

i agree. 11b, by "source-free" do you mean "open-source"?

i doubt it.

Yes, I read a article somewhere a while back talking about Microsoft was considering makeing their code open-source. Or at least you have to buy the source then you can play with it.

Microsoft and Open Source? I thought they get a heart attack when someone even mentions open source?