Open up Windows source code, says Sun boss

MS on Trial Sun boss Scott McNealy sallied-forth against Microsoft again yesterday, recommending that Microsoft's source code should be opened up, and that it should be compelled to use open and non-exclusive contracts. As trial junkies will be aware, these two - if policed adequately - would have a devastating effect on Microsoft's operations, so Scottie-Babe wasn't being entirely generous when he added that he didn't think Microsoft should be broken up. McNealy was taking part in a three day congressional high-tech summit. His Billness spoke to it yesterday, but was so dull we didn't bother with the report. Gates, curiously, said there wasn't anything wrong with US regulation of business, so apparently he still thinks he'll beat the DoJ rap. McNealy, on the contrary, urged Congress and the DoJ to take a long, hard look at Microsoft's recent activities in the cable and communications areas. Funnily enough he focussed on the Microsoft-AT&T deal. Action against AT&T, of course, spawned the Baby Bells that provided the tag for the Baby Bills that would appear if Microsoft was broken up. And here's another exquisite irony. Said McNealy: "Wouldn't it be great to own the English language and charge upgrade fees to add new letters?" Well Scott, funny you should say that, but according to today's WSJ Microsoft is going into the dictionary market. It'll be building one from the ground up (if you don't know how much work goes into dictionaries, you won't realise how funny this is), and it'll be aiming it at people who use email. It will also be integrating it into its other software. It'll be out on August 4th (building from the ground up my ass), and we're already compiling a list of relevant words we're eager to look up. So lots more good stuff on Microsoft's bid to subvert English by growing polluted geekspeak at that point, if not before. ® Complete Register Trial coverage