On Wed 09 Jul 2003 02:23, David Walser posted as excerpted below: > MS-shared-source doesn't allow you to recompile the code, so there's no way > to be sure the code they hand you is what's actually behind the binaries > you're running.
I'm no expert on it, but I believe that's why some of it you have to go examine on the MS campus, they won't let you examine it elsewhere. I think they allow you to compile it there. Of course, then we have the question of whether the compiler can be trusted. Ideally, you could examine the compiler code, then use it to compile itself, then use that to compile the code you are looking at and verify that it produces an identically sized and hashed binary copy as compared to the official version. How far they let you go down that road, and whether you could trust the machinery they supply in the first place is a good question. However, it's better than nothing, altho I'm sure everyone on Cooker agrees it's a poor substitute for truly open code. However, this is going wide a-field of topicality for this list, so.. -- Duncan - List replies preferred. "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin
