[Reader-list] Now you see it; now you don't -- MS magic

[Are Flagan]

Some readers of the list may be quite interested in this article from the
Economic Times of India, on the "revelation" that MS will give the Indian
Government access to the Windows source code (in return for a lucrative
contract, of course):

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?artid=31
102968

Slashdot runs a follow-up discussion at:

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/12/12/2046255

MS is already allowing insight into the source code to major clients, under
the threat of a non disclosure agreement (see slashdot discussion for how
one client is allowed to view the source), and the end all and be all of law
suits that may result when/if it is proved that the source has been leaked.
Effectively, the source code would be quite "useless" to anyone under these
circumstances (this is NOT "open source"), except, perhaps, to settle
government security concerns with regards to backdoor spying etc. Of course,
there is no guarantee that the source code revealed will even be the one
running Windows, as it will, most likely, be restricted to piecemeal viewing
and not execution. Furthermore, when the US Department of Justice asked MS
to open up the source for viewing, it was huh and hah and that's quite
impossible. Of course, there was and is NO talk of Linux among US officials;
there was no need to negotiate any insight (and we know the outcome of that
bogus trial). Here's the funny version of the MS source code, already
released (and readable as plain English), as a tickling antidote to how
depressing this charade of "open" is:

/* Source Code Windows XP */
#include "win31.h"
#include "win95.h"
#include "win98.h"
#include "workst~1.h"
#include "evenmore.h"
#include "oldstuff.h"
#include "billrulz.h"
#include "monopoly.h"
#include "backdoor.h"
#define INSTALL = HARD
char make_prog_look_big(16000000);
void main()
{
    while(!CRASHED)
    {
        display_copyright_message();
        display_bill_rules_message();
        do_nothing_loop();
        if (first_time_installation)
            {
            make_100_megabyte_swapfile();
            do_nothing_loop();
            totally_screw_up_HPFS_file_system();
            search_and_destroy_the_rest_of-OS2();
            make_futile_attempt_to_damage_Linux();
            disable_Netscape();
            disable_RealPlayer();
            disable_Lotus_Products();
            hang_system();
            } //if
        write_something(anything);
        display_copyright_message();
        do_nothing_loop();
        do_some_stuff();
        if (still_not_crashed)
        {
        display_copyright_message();
        do_nothing_loop();
        basically_run_windows_31();
        do_nothing_loop();
        } // if
    } //while
    if (detect_cache())
        disable_cache();
    if (fast_cpu())
        {
        set_wait_states(lots);
        set_mouse(speed,very_slow);
        set_mouse(action,jumpy);
        set_mouse(reaction,sometimes);
        } //if /* printf("Welcome to Windows 3.1"); */ /* printf("Welcome to
Windows 3.11"); */ /* printf("Welcome to Windows 95"); */ /* printf("Welcome
to Windows NT 3.0"); */ /* printf("Welcome to Windows 98"); */ /*
printf("Welcome to Windows NT 4.0"); */
    printf("Welcome to Windows 2000");
    if (system_ok())
        crash(to_dos_prompt)
    else
        system_memory = open("a:\swp0001.swp",O_CREATE);
    while(something)
        {
        sleep(5);
        get_user_input();
        sleep(5);
        act_on_user_input();
        sleep(5);
        } // while
    create_general_protection_fault();
} // main