Windows Source Code For Integrators

Microsoft will make Windows source code available to about 150 systems integrators through a new Systems Integrator Source Licensing Program (SISLP). The new program is primarily intended to help systems integrators debug their Windows programs. But it also marks the latest in a series of steps to gradually make Windows source code available to a wider circle of partners, which helps Microsoft improve its software and appeal to developers who are attracted to competing software (such as Linux and Apache) for which full source code is available.

Largest Partners Get Operating System Code

The SISLP covers the Home, Professional, Server, Advanced Server, and Datacenter versions of Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows .NET Server, including x86 and IA64 builds for Windows XP, plus all betas and service packs.

The code is delivered on CD-ROM, DVD, or through the Microsoft Code Center Premium (CCP) program, which provides a secure Web site. (For more information about CCP, see the sidebar “The Microsoft Code Center Premium Program“.)