Microsoft has pulled an update tool for Windows 7 from your Microsoft Retailer internet site after a report indicating that the tool included open-source code inside a way that violated the GNU General Public License.Rafael Rivera of the “Within Windows” blog reported on November 6 that he had found something suspicious when mucking around int he code for the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Instrument. (That tool, which Microsoft made available on October 22,
Office 2010 Home And Business Key, is designed to help netbook users upgrade from XP to Windows seven inside a more streamlined way.)On November 9,
Office 2010 Home And Business Key, Microsoft pulled the download instrument from its web site. A spokesperson sent me the following update:“Microsoft is looking into this issue and is taking down the WUDT instrument in the Microsoft Shop website until its investigations are complete. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience.”Rivera noted the Microsoft tool may violate more than a few GPL terms and conditions. From his post:“A simple search of some method names and properties,
Office Pro 2007, gleaned from Reflector’s output,
Microsoft Office Pro Plus, revealed the source code was obviously lifted from the CodePlex-hosted (yikes) GPLv2-licensed ImageMaster project. (The author of the code was not contacted by Microsoft.)…“Microsoft did not offer or provide supply code for their modifications to ImageMaster nor their tool…. Second,
Microsoft Office 2007 Standard, Microsoft glued in some of their own licensing terms, further restricting your rights to the software (TermsOfUse.rtf).”Microsoft has run afoul with the GPL licensing terms on a few occasions. Most recently, there were questions raised by some in the open-source community about Microsoft;s motives for making some of its drivers available for inclusion within the Linux supply tree. (Microsoft officials maintained the company didn;t release the supply code because of potential legal issues; some within the open-source community begged to differ.)Stay tuned for more on this, as Microsoft proceeds with its investigation….