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Microsoft Makes MS-DOS and Word for Windows Source Code Public

Posted March 25, 2014 4:22 PM

From Engadget RSS Feed:

Microsoft believes the children are our future, and to prove it, it's teamed up with the Computer History Museum to make source code available for two groundbreaking programs: MS-DOS and Word for Windows.

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lyn
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#1

Re: Microsoft Makes MS-DOS and Word for Windows Source Code Public

03/25/2014 10:31 PM

WOW,

What a magnanimous gesture.

That's like Henry Ford releasing the original drawings for the Model A.
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tcmtech
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#4
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Re: Microsoft Makes MS-DOS and Word for Windows Source Code Public

03/26/2014 11:59 AM

"That's like Henry Ford releasing the original drawings for the Model A."

Yes but in an attempt to get others to find his design flaws fix them improve them and then leave the improved version where he can take and implement them into his next model all without ever having had to spend a dime on R & D himself.
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lyn
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#5
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Re: Microsoft Makes MS-DOS and Word for Windows Source Code Public

03/26/2014 12:17 PM

That's been SOP for Microsoft since day one.

Put it out half finished, let customers de-bug it.
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adreasler
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Engineering Fields - Electrical Engineering - New Member Fans of Old Computers - Commodore 64 - New Member Popular Science - Evolution - New Member United States - Member - New Member

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#6
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Re: Microsoft Makes MS-DOS and Word for Windows Source Code Public

03/27/2014 10:31 AM

Yeah, and how useful would the Model A plans be today? If you build one from the plans it won't be street legal, and it's too young to be an 'antique car' and be 'grandfathered.'

Modern Windows doesn't even work off of MS-DOS anymore, it's built from the NT line. MS-DOS is interesting from a historical perspective, but as far as usefulness for learning modern computer OS programming, it's about as helpful as an abacus in Advanced Trigonometry Class.

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70AARCuda
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#2

Re: Microsoft Makes MS-DOS and Word for Windows Source Code Public

03/25/2014 10:47 PM

Yeah, but ALL the included bugs, glitches, and problems are now FREE for kiddies to learn how to replicate!

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aDIYguy
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#3
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Re: Microsoft Makes MS-DOS and Word for Windows Source Code Public

03/26/2014 11:00 AM

Agreed! The hacker world is advancing on the civilized world. We should not be helping them but too many are making that too easy for them.
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