[lug] Fwd: OT: Access to Windows Source Code

[Jeffrey S. Haemer]

This from Jeff Copeland, formerly at Microsoft and, before that, Softway.

>From my end, I can say, from conversations with someone who helped set
their policies, that even if you get to see Microsoft code, the chances
that you'll get to contribute to it are nigh unto zero. "You can look but
you better not touch. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRfRITVdz4k>"

Microsoft sees itself as a juicy target for litigation, and their attorneys
are unwilling to let them risk shipping code that wasn't developed
internally.

This prohibits, in interesting (okay, to me) ways, a major advantage of
FLOSS software: the possibility of an independent, outside, "developer
community."

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jeff Copeland <jeff.copeland at gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Jan 16, 2013 at 9:23 PM
Subject: Re: [lug] OT: Access to Windows Source Code
To: "Jeffrey S. Haemer" <jeffrey.haemer at gmail.com>
Cc: "Jeffrey L. Copeland" <copeland at alumni.caltech.edu>


Drafted, but forgot to mail this yesterday.....

Some developers, under some circumstances.    In general, the Windows
source is pretty closely held.   Academic licenses for Windows source are
not impossible to get, but as I recall, the academic license doesn't
include the complete source.  Softway Systems built Interix (which became
part of the Services for Unix product) from the Windows source for
Microsoft's POSIX subsystem, but that was a special case involving personal
relationships to drive the license, and again, I think Softway only had the
relevant parts not every line of Windows code.  That said, Microsoft MVPs
("Most Valued Professional" -- outside developers who actively participate
in online forums) in the Windows division are allowed a source license, but
the license is pretty restrictive about what they can do with the source.

On Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 12:42 PM, Jeffrey S. Haemer <
jeffrey.haemer at gmail.com> wrote:

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: "Stephen Queen" <svqueen at gmail.com>
> Date: Jan 15, 2013 1:04 PM
> Subject: [lug] OT: Access to Windows Source Code
> To: "Boulder Linux Users Group -- General Mailing" <lug at lug.boulder.co.us>
> Cc:
>
> In a discussion today regarding Open Source Software, I mentioned access
> to the Linux Kernel source code. One of the people present, says that
> Windows source code is available to developers. Does anyone know if this is
> true or not?
>
> Thanks,
> Steve
>
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-- 
Jeffrey Haemer <jeffrey.haemer at gmail.com>
720-837-8908 [cell], http://seejeffrun.blogspot.com [blog],
http://www.youtube.com/user/goyishekop [vlog]
*פרייהייט? דאס איז יאַנג דינען וואָרט.*
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