Windows XP source code has leaked • Hacker News Board

Re: Windows XP source code has leaked

#351

Post by Hackbraten » Fri, Sep 25, 2020, 5:43 PM UTC

ripdog wrote: post #294

moshimoshir wrote: post #158

On this note, does anyone know where to legally obtain windows xp, hopefully for cheap ? I should note that I've tried at multiple places and none seemed fine so kindly speak from experience. (Or sell me your own, I'd trust anyone here).

Why, if you don't mind my asking? Even if you paid anything for such an old product, your money wouldn't be going to MS anyway. Not sure what difference it makes, paying for an abandoned product.

While you’re not wrong, I think no one should have to explain themselves for wanting to stay compliant with the law.

Re: Windows XP source code has leaked

#352

Post by banana_giraffe » Fri, Sep 25, 2020, 5:48 PM UTC

ko9000 wrote: post #342

banana_giraffe wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting, this one adds nt5src.7z windows_research_kernel/Windows Kernel Source Code like.7z windows_research_kernel/wrktools.7z to a version of this torrent that was released a few days ago. I wonder if this is going to be an ongoing leak.

looking at filenames in top one there's a bunch of built dlls and exes there which looks like it is just installation of built code instead of source..

There are some source code archives in there:

https://pastebin.com/LyLH9bLR

There is a lot of filler, though. I assume the videos are trying to convey some point, but I'm not sure I care.

Re: Windows XP source code has leaked

#353

Post by gigel82 » Fri, Sep 25, 2020, 5:52 PM UTC

themaninthedark wrote: post #304

gruturo wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have a problem with forced security fixes. I DO have a problem with forced updates which are completely unrelated to security, install thinly veiled ads disguised as apps, break existing functionality, change my browser/PDF reader preferences, occasionally brick the whole machine. Also I have a huge problem with so much of this crap needing a reboot. Reengineer the damn thing so it doesn't in 99% of cases.

How many forced Windows 10 updates have bricked peoples computers? Just looking at the dates after googling has dates from '18, '19 and '20. So at least once a year. On an OS that has been out for 5 years now. Do I control my computer or not? If I do then I should be able to control what happens when.

You control your computer, turn off updates, get malware, then come back and complain how M$ / Windows is crap. I really don't understand why so many people in this thread are actively complaining about not being able to turn off updates. It's like once a month and they give you advance notice and "pick a time"; you have a whole week to choose a good time to restart and apply some updates...

Re: Windows XP source code has leaked

#354

Post by gigel82 » Fri, Sep 25, 2020, 5:54 PM UTC

pmontra wrote: post #296

dx034 wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, I've never heard anyone complain apart from tech people. Long reboots are annoying but overall, Windows 10 is pretty well accepted by every non-technical person I know.

A friend of mine uses his PC only in the weekends (he uses the company's PC during the week) and hates Windows because every time it takes hours to download and install updates over his slow ADSL (I think there is no fast Internet there.) He has to remember to turn the PC on in the morning to use it in the afternoon. If he forgets, next weekend. Of course he could turn it on Friday night but the user experience is st…

That makes no sense, I never had Windows block waiting to download updates and not let me use the computer.

Re: Windows XP source code has leaked

#355

Post by qz2 » Fri, Sep 25, 2020, 5:55 PM UTC

dgellow wrote: post #27

qz2 wrote: post #21

This will be interesting. I learned a lot from the mainsoft leak.

Would you mind sharing some of those things your learned? I'm sure people here would be interested to hear about it (I know I would!).

I learned how the win32 common controls combo box worked, which was handy as I had to fix a bug related to it, how they handled compatibility between windows versions and lots of little bits of weird design info in the comments. I spent a good couple of weeks picking interesting bits and analysing them.

Re: Windows XP source code has leaked

#356

Post by kbenson » Fri, Sep 25, 2020, 5:57 PM UTC

dehrmann wrote: post #76

kbenson wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are mistaking "source code available" for open source, which means a specific set of things, and does ensure you can compile and run the code.

I chose the most literal definition because it's complicated. Debian calls it "free software," but that has its own issues because there's "freeware" where source might not be available and the license isn't permissive. Then there's the JSMin "no evil" (unless you're IBM, its customers, partners, or minions) license.

> I chose the most literal definition because it's complicated.

That's not the most literal definition, and it's not complicated once you know what it is. Open source[1] is a term coined by people decades ago to refer to something very specific, not "source code can be seen". There are specific licenses that are considered open source, and others that are not. Open source specifically requires a license that allows certain capabilities.

You can read more about this at https://opensource.org/. There's been some misunderstanding over the years where people (including me) have misapplied the term to mean you can access the source, but that's not really what it means, so we shouldn't dilute its meaning by allowing that.

> Debian calls it "free software,"

Free software is also a term used to refer to open source.[2]

I understand it can feel pedantic to have this terminology so strongly enforced, but the reason people do so is because there have been efforts by commercial entities to co-opt the term for their own version of software and software as a service which does not conform to what open source stands for, and ride on the coattails of the movement and good disposition towards open source. Your first comment actually seemed to be trying to bring awareness about this. What you can say as a shorthand going forward if you want is that "releasing the source does not mean it's open source, which if it was would mean you had a protected right to actually build and run the software in question". That's both more correct, leads people to more information about the actual issue in question, and lets you offload some of the more complex explaining to the site made for it.

1: https://opensource.org/

2: https://opensource.org/faq#free-software

Re: Windows XP source code has leaked

#357

Post by gigel82 » Fri, Sep 25, 2020, 5:58 PM UTC

asveikau wrote: post #314

dx034 wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with Spyware but resource hog? Everyday performance is certainly better than on earlier Windows versions.

My experience is that windows 10 spends more time on scanning for viruses and serving ads than useful work. Maybe your experience is different.

It sounds like you got infected with adware. Maybe next time... don't turn off the updates? :)

Re: Windows XP source code has leaked

#358

Post by mixmastamyk » Fri, Sep 25, 2020, 6:02 PM UTC

hnlmorg wrote: post #240

pizza234 wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I personally tried to use Windows XP (for my Windows systems, which is mostly VMs nowadays) for as long as I could. First, it was the first solid (in relative terms) consumer operating system from MS. Second, it was lightweight (in relative terms) in terms of UX and, somewhat consequently, engineering. With Windows Vista (but in particular, Windows 8), MS started to add complexity on every layer. Nowadays, I'm really…

XP, when it was first released, was a more resource hungry and uglier version of Windows 2000. Win 2000 was amazing when it was released. Games (albeit not DOS ones) worked well, it was stable and really your only other options were worse (Mac OS 9 was less stable than Win 98, ME was a dumpster fire, Linux wasn't quite ready for the desktop and BeOS was awesome but barely supported). Then when XP was released, it had…

A few clicks and XP SP3 looks exactly like 2k, with a few useful features thrown in.

A decent number of not-ancient floss software supports it as well. Not so with 2k. Add thousands of security patches and firewall, and the choice is clear.

Re: Windows XP source code has leaked

#359

Post by mixmastamyk » Fri, Sep 25, 2020, 6:12 PM UTC

dotancohen wrote: post #92

fimdomeio wrote: post #43

Forgeting about legality for a moment, this is great. Windows XP is probably the greatest operating system if you factor usability and how many people it has reached. It was also from a time where people still did not expect proprietary operating systems to be actively working against you. So it's great that this source will not be forever lost.

> did not expect proprietary operating > systems to be actively working against you. What did I miss? I've last used Windows in 2005, I'm pretty sure that was XP Service Pack 2. What does it do now to actively work against you?

A lot. Others have mentioned most of them already. Ads, telemetry, etc.

I'll just add—forced upgrades to Win10. Still hard to believe how much (some divisions of) MS despises its own customers. I call them the "Balmer camp" as a shorthand.

Despite parts of MS turning over a new leaf, the sociopath wing persist.

Re: Windows XP source code has leaked

#360

Post by rightbyte » Fri, Sep 25, 2020, 6:15 PM UTC

stuaxo wrote: post #167

asveikau wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In early Windows XP days everybody said it was crap compared to Win2k. XP was the first one with product activation as well. And people called the Luna theme childish. Then Vista came along and people said XP was the good one.

XP was a bit crap in the early days, but by SP2 it was a lot better and by SP3 it was really solid.

It is quite sad that we might never experience that stability and usuability of commercial big apps/os anymore in the age of penny squeezing and spyware.

I had my Win XP, Photoshop and MS Office with ever lasting licsenses. You need FOSS today for that. As soon as you pay for software nowadays you are a loser, in general.