[Steve]

I’ve been doing a great deal of work on my personal website recently and all that coding has got me thinking about bigger things. How do companies like Microsoft and Apple for example code products that big (os/office etc) and keep it secure? I mean take something like Windows which if I understand correctly is coded by 100’s possibly even 1000’s of different MS employees all over the world at the same time, how do they co-ordinate that and manage to still keep the code secure. I also believe that, like or loath them, MS are very good employers in that you are allowed a lot of flexibility and obviously net connections etc, how do they keep it all secure and ensure that their employees don’t share the code?
Does anyone know anything about that side of MS?

[SammyC]

Depends what you mean by secure?

If its a security module you are writing then only certain trusted people will be allowed to do that. But if you are developing the 'Left-justify' code in Word then what security do you need? It's no use to anyone else unless they are also writing MS Word.

At the end of the day you could probably fit all the source code for Windows on a Gb flash memory key and walk out the door if you so choose but the come back from MS would be 'rightous and terrible vengence'

[Steve]

No I was thinking of the actual code of say windows, I believe that it is written or at least worked on by many people all over the world in different MS offices, how do MS keep that code from "getting out". I am sure that there are other companies that would be willing to make it worth while for an MS employee to take the risk. ?

[Matty]

MS is supposed to be opening up sections of its code to 3rd parties soon. i suspect the people have to sign NDAs that make it possible for MS to come round and beat the person with hard celery and rhubarb if they break it, possible law suits and all that sort of thing written into it...

[SammyC]

There is no way they can stop it, people are always the weak link in any security system.

They just have to make sure the carrot and stick incentives are comessurate with the level of code you are getting. There will always be sections of code that will be restricited to certain groups and people who have the appropriate security clearances but they can still be influenced by tying up their families as was recently the case with that bank job.

[stepheno]

I would imagine that coding would be done on a "need to know" only basis. Rather like the hierarchical pyramid - simply put, 100 coders report to one leader time ten, ten leaders work on their cells' code and report to 1 super-leader and so on and so on.... in effect only a small select group "at the top" knows the whole story and brings it all together. They probably get paid so much that they don't need to sell secrets.

regards

[Bachs]

There are documented 'easter eggs' hidden in various versions of Windows coded by disgruntled Microsoft employees that are lets say 'derogatory'.

I wish I could remember where I found them but they were quite funny but quite worrying at the same time.

[CT]

Some easter eggs HERE including one in Photoshop.

[Matt]

Bullyboy tactics springs to mind.

I think last year microsoft took out an injunction to stop one of its former employee's jumping ship to google.

They failed.

Here's an article on the subject.

I remember getting hold of the source code to Windows 98 (before it was released of course).

I don't think it's actually a case of having so much security that it can get out, in that for the most part, alot of the code isn't, shall we say, the holy grail of source.

If you think on, to someone sneaking the source code out to another company, then the other company can't use it for fear of the backlash from Microsoft.
The groundbreaking (and innovative) stuff will be, I suppose, down a lesser amount of trusted staff, with the 1000's of coding monkeys just working on bog standard stuff.

Then the further up the heirarchy as stepehno says, the more pieces of the puzzle you get to play with, with the selected few at the top being able to put together the whole jigsaw.

Speaking of Easter Eggs, I've just found one in PS CS2...The Adobe Space Monkey

See if you can find it (and no googling!)

[Dave]

Employees sign a contract with company which includes your agreement to protection of company assetts including code etc. If you break the contract you are sacked & possibly sued by Company. Obviously doesn't stop people if they really want to share code etc..

[Warspite]

Another factor is that alot of code is now classified as Intellectual Property and as an employee this would typically belong to your employer.

Therefore if you go somewhere else and take your work with you not only could your previous employer sue you, but they could also sue your next employer is they use code you developed at your previous company.

This is why alot of Silicon Valley is in constant litigation for years at a time, almost everyone is suing everyone else for theft of ideas, code, breach of patented property, etc.

Just because it isnt big news dont think it doesnt happen, but usually the people / companies that breach this usually and up paying a license fee to use the technology - at an exagerated price (also known as an out of court settlement).