Windows Source Code Leaked

[Roland]

Here's the story on the issue.

I want to switch to Linux more and more each day. If it wasn't for my gaming habits, I would. :P

[--Pete]

Hi,

. . . how going public with the Windows code is going to hurt Windows while a public code base helps Linux? I'm wondering if Microsquish is more concerned about hackers using the swiss cheese for attacks, or all the wrongful death suits from people looking at MS code and dying laughing.

I want to switch to Linux more and more each day. If it wasn't for my gaming habits, I would.

Build a bleeding edge Windoz game machine. Use your old machine as a "new" Linux box (it'll do better for most tasks than a bleeding edge machine under Windoz). Give your old Linux machine to a computers for schools program. Repeat every two years or so. That way you'll have the best of all worlds. You'll have the necessary killer machine for games, a very usable Linux box, and you'll be helping the infiltration of a real system into the schools. :)

--Pete

[Shaft]

I thought that windows is #$%& too, but when i buy XP PRo, i like it
Now I wait Longhorn, if you heard about it plese post here

[kandrathe]

I think you are talking about this.

Edit: I spoke with a friend of mine who works at Micro$oft about "longhorn", and his synopsis was that they are improving the API's and interfaces to allow developers better access to a richer toolset (driven by troubles developers have with .NET). The presentation layer (and API's) is being reworked as a project called "Avalon". They are incorporating a small SQL Server engine to manage the file system which will enable people to store data in more complicated structures (rather than the current hierarchical file system), and changes in the communication infrastructure (codename "Indigo") to base inter-program communication on Microsoft's XML (XAML).

Sounds like the MCP (ala. TRON) is attaching some more functions (ala. Internet Explorer, SQL Server, C#, XAML and .NET components). Further making Microsoft applications THE only choice for the Microsoft operating system.

[--Pete]

Hi,

It appears to me that Shaft may not be a native English speaker. If so, the fact that he is willing to try to communicate in a foreign language is much more important than how well he does so.

As to Longhorn, thanks for the (impartial? :) ) link. I suspect that it will be implemented as well as most Microsquish products are.

--Pete

[TheDragoon]

On the other hand, it's not too overly difficult to run a spell-check if you're not sure of your spelling. I doubt anyone here would really get on a non-native speaker about grammar, as much, given that it is harder to check than spelling. :)

[--Pete]

Hi,

I know I've made more than one mistake in a post. Looking at Shaft's post, I only see one clear spelling error ("plese"). A couple of grammatical errors ("i" should be capitalized when used as the first person singular pronoun, punctuation), and what could be a couple of typos. If Shaft is not a native speaker, then I still think the reply was too harsh. OTOH, if he is, then he did deserve it.

--Pete

[kandrathe]

...in a gentle tone and I did not condemn or criticize.

A spell check plugin would have revealed some of the errors. It just took me far longer than most posts for me to try to interpret the intent of the message. I can appreciate how difficult it would be to post in a language in which one is not proficiant. My implication was that he might be used to the fractured IM jargon and incomplete sentence structures common on the internet, but a post on a forum requires just a little more time and review. Just a nudge by me. A little one.

But really at first I was thinking;



and then;

http://www.texassports.com/

... and then I recalled that Micro$oft had a new project code named "longhorn". Ah HAh!

[Cryptic]

Ah, well. I'm surprised it took as long as it did.

As an avid gamer, I'm pretty much stuck with Windows until Linux has greater market share; and perhaps even after that, I'll still choose Windows, simply because I find the whole Linux-adoption holy war to be rabid, overly aggressive, and condescending to "Lusers" who happen to be intelligent but not technologically proficient.

Windows sucks, MS sucks. Sure, we can agree on that a bit. But I don't want any poor gamers to be shuffled off on some damn fool crusade simply to do the bidding of the Linusdroids.
:P

[kandrathe]

Maybe you just need to wait a short time for the how-to's to be figured out for a particular game.

I just saw this.

Diablo II on Linux (in German)

SUSE Wine Rack

[Roland]

That's actually my plan, more or less (minus the donation of computers, but maybe once I amass a good half dozen or so I'll do just that). Unfortunately, funding is non-existant at the moment, so I can't get a new machine. But, I am re-setting up my old one, now that I have a (very cheap, very old) monitor for it. :D Dropping Mandrake Linux 9.2 on their, while I wait for 10.0 to "officially" come out. Plenty of time to debate taking "Community" edition, or wait for the "true" release. We shall see. :)

Hopefully WineX will get better (in terms of the founding company, and software itself), or something new will come about to take its place. :P

[Roland]

and perhaps even after that, I'll still choose Windows, simply because I find the whole Linux-adoption holy war to be rabid, overly aggressive, and condescending to "Lusers" who happen to be intelligent but not technologically proficient.

Windows sucks, MS sucks.  Sure, we can agree on that a bit.  But I don't want any poor gamers to be shuffled off on some damn fool crusade simply to do the bidding of the Linusdroids.
:P

Otherwise, you're no better than "them" that you so eloquently condemn. :P

Not all Linux advocates are rabid MS-haters. I, personally, am a F/OSS advocate, who happens to like Linux over the other F/OSS alternatives (BSD, etc.) There are plenty more rabid MS-lovers that bash Linux users and advocates than there are Linux advocates who bash Windows users and advocates. Do not judge all for the actions of a few.

I understand your point, and I witness what you describe everyday. But, in terms of volume of one vs. the other, the Windows *users* bashers are FAR fewer than those who simply advocate F/OSS. You can't let a couple anal retentive tech-geeks get under your skin, no matter what camp they live in (Mac, Windows, Linux, BSD, etc.).

Myself, I've switched over several of my more commonly-used applications to F/OSS alternatives. In some cases, I lose some features / functionality. In others, I gain so much more. I don't go around bashing Windows users anymore than I bash anyone else. I don't bash Microsoft, either, accept on account of their utter arrogance, and horrible practices. I don't hate Windows so much as I hate the driving mentality and policy behind the company that produces it. ;) I actually love my Windows 2000 box. Yet I still can't wait to get away from proprietary software and into F/OSS software exclusively, simply because of the mentality / principles behind the whole thing.

Anyway, enough ranting. I didn't mean to post such a long-winded retort. ;) Just don't be so critical of the software / mentality simply because of a few over-zealous anal retentive people who have a wee bit too much time on their hands. ;) Give Linux a whirl sometime. You may like it, you may not, but at least respect the ideals behind it. :D

BTW - Best way to test out Linux is through a "Live Eval" version, i.e. a distribution ("flavor", "style", etc.) that runs entirely off a CD-ROM disc. SuSE has long supported Live Eval versions of their distro, and Mandrake now has their own variant (MandrakeMove, based off of Mandrake 9.2). I gave it a whirl, despite already being somewhat familiar with Mandrake's products (not to mention a big fan ;)), and found it to be very nicely put-together. The best part about it is that you don't have to install anything to your hard-drive - it's all run right off the CD, so you can test it anywhere on any machine, no matter what OS is currently installed. VERY good for those who want to test out Linux without making the "commitment" required to install it, configure it, etc. And, what's more, it may just sprout up a whole new way to use OSes - portability. Take your MandrakeMove CD, a USB key, and you have not only an entire OS, but a way to store your data in a conveniently small package, all able to fit in your pocket and go with you anywhere. You don't even need a laptop! Personally, I find the whole idea very intriguing, and hope it broadens some, but it may stay just a niche area in the OS world. Who knows...

Ah, enough chat. I've drolled on for far too long already! :)

[TheDragoon]

I agree that I would have handled it differently but at least the post, itself, didn't come off as overly hostile to me. :)

[--Pete]

Hi,

And I did say "I think" and "a bit". :)

Let's not make any more of a mountain, shall we? After all, the whole still hinges on the native language of Shaft, an issue that's not yet settled. BTW, I did run my spell checker plug in on his post, and only the misspelling of please showed up. So, while spell checking is a good idea, it would not have helped much in this particular case.

--Pete

[Kartoffelsalat]

...
It appears to me that Shaft may not be a native English speaker.  If so, the fact that he is willing to try to communicate in a foreign language is much more important than how well he does so.
...

Just to clear things up, in a previous post, Shaft said

PS: Sorry for my english, i'am russian

...and his signature says "Russia"

So, he is a foreigner, and that post was not exactly error-ridden.



As for the on-topic discussion, I am not knowledgeable enough to discuss it effectively, so ignore me and go back on topic.

[nobbie]

Here's the story on the issue.

I want to switch to Linux more and more each day. If it wasn't for my gaming habits, I would. :P

IMO, the whole stolen code thing is just clever smokescreen tactics to protect the company against future security holes lawsuits.

I have tested "Knoppix" (the CD-Linux) yesterday, and it ran perfectly on my PC. Time to buy a "Suse Linux" and make a dual-boot system :)

[Jugalator]

Another nice Longhorn link:

Paul Thurrott's Longhorn Review. Read through the review and maybe also check the related links to the right of that page, and you'll get a decent understanding of what the state of Longhorn is today (with screenshots and all), and what's planned for the future. The review is based on the most recent Windows Longhorn Alpha (build 4051). It's not even beta yet, and the GUI will for example probably be nothing like what's seen in the shots.

[Guest]

It's funny that no-one comments on the use of wanker lingo, as the mispelling of Microsoft afaik is mostly used by linux zealots, ones highly prominent on slashdot.

[--Pete]

Hi,

I believe that the use of "Microsquish" originated in the strip Bloom County (Berkeley Breathed). And, I believe, that that took place well before most people had heard of the Internet, possibly even before Linux was started.

The appreciation of the fact that Microsoft puts out an inferior product through arrogance, ignorance, and greed does not require the existence of a better product for comparison. All that Apple and Linux have done is confirm the technical inferiority of Redmond products. That they were crap required no comparison to demonstrate.

--Pete

[Omni]

. . . how going public with the Windows code is going to hurt Windows while a public code base helps Linux?

The difference is that Microsoft has always relied on obscurity to keep its products secure, while Linux has had people poring over its source code from the get-go. I think each approach has its advantages and disadvantages, but it's clear that when you've got so much riding on people not knowing about your product's bugs and vulnerabilities in the first place, inadvertantly going open source is a very, very bad thing.

That said, keep in mind that only 15% of the source code was stolen, so don't start stocking that fallout shelter just yet. :P

Edit: Linux fans may want to check out Microsoft's Services for Linux 3.5, which is now free. Apparently even teenage girls love SFU! :D