Microsoft will on Wednesday announce it will provide the underlying code of its Windows operating system to governments for the first time.
The world’s largest software group has decided to make nearly all the Windows code available to government and government agencies free in an effort to encourage them to use its software. It has already supplied it to Nato and the Russian government.
The decision to reveal the code is a surprise. The code was described last year by Bill Gates, chairman, as his company’s most critical intellectual property. During its antitrust trial, Microsoft resisted demands by rivals that it hand over its source code to competitors, arguing that it was a trade secret.
The move is aimed at strengthening Microsoft’s position in the government software market. Government was the largest or second-largest customer in most markets, said Craig Mundie, chief technical officer of advance strategies and policy at Microsoft.
The company has been trying to persuade national governments to begin e-government initiatives. Mr Mundie said he was confident governments would not leak its intellectual property.
The group’s effective monopoly in the PC operating system market has been threatened by the recent decision of a number of governments to consider using Linux open-source software. Mr Mundie said he wanted governments to see that Windows was secure and reliable.
Giving governments the access to the code, mostly over the internet, should allow them to improve the security of their IT systems, said Mr Mundie. The group would work with governments to help them validate the security of their Windows system.
The decision is part of the group’s “Trustworthy” computing initiative. Last year, in an unprecedented move, Mr Gates halted all software development work at the company, while its engineers assessed the security threats to its products.
Microsoft will provide the code for its most recent version Windows XP, Windows 2000, its new Windows server product due later this year, and Windows CE, the operating system used in mobile devices. The company will also allow government representatives to visit Microsoft’s campus to inspect a small amount of code not included. The group is talking to 20 governments and agencies and has signed agreements with 10.
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