Microsoft co-opts open source approach? (fwd)

[R C]

On Fri, Mar 09, 2001 at 08:26:34AM -0800, JParker at coinstar.com wrote:
> 
> G'Day !
> 
> The reports I saw said that they are releaseing source to INTERNAL APPLICATIONS
> developement teams, within major customers, so that they may optimize thier code
> for high avability.  With all the NDA's in place.

There was a largish thread on this in linux-kernel.  MS has been doing this
for a while, they're just opening it up a bit more (customers with 1500+
licenses).  You don't get any special support treatment on support (well,
aside from any special treatment 1500+ licenses gets you.)  No modifications,
strict NDA.  The idea, as stated above, is to let app developers see the
internals and figure out what's really happening (because most windows
programmers have been bit by undocumented or wrongly documented behavior
at some point.)  One person claimed it wouldn't help much, as the code
is extremely difficult to read, with a very confusing exceptions model.

R C