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0 pointskoheripbal3y ago0 comments

Or a copy of Windows or Office source code.

0 comments

10 comments · 2 top-level

gambiting3y ago· 8 in thread

I don't think that's right - even if you had the full source code for either of those, it's extremely unlikely you'd be able to build them on your own machine.

ddulaney3y ago

Building them would be a challenge, but definitely not an insurmountable one. I’ve worked on a couple of C++ projects at a similar scale to Windows (millions of LOC) and the build systems were a major pain. But a determined engineer with the readme file and no other help could get it building in a week or so.

(This probably says more about how hard it is to build C++ than anything else)

furyofantares3y ago

Some years ago someone that worked at Microsoft told me he didn't think any individual engineer who already works on Windows could ever get Windows building by themselves with just the code.

1 more reply

nicoburns3y ago

> But a determined engineer with the readme file and no other help could get it building in a week or so.

That's probably true, but I wouldn't be surprised if something like windows doesn't have a README file. And it does have build instructions they may well be in some wiki separated from the source code.

VHRanger3y ago

Fwiw C++ is hard to build specifically, but any large project with assets is a challenge to build.

Video games build systems are a thing onto themselves even taking the c++ issues out of the equation.

Hell even comparatively simole microservices in modern CRUD apps have resorted to docker to do away with pains of rebuilding stuff.

DownGoat3y ago

I don't really think it is a language ting, just more of a project size thing.

1 more reply

Palomides3y ago

there's 99% complete leaked windows xp source code that people have managed to compile

Kwpolska3y ago

There are even nice timelapse videos of that process: https://vimeo.com/464644850 (you’ll need a Vimeo account to see it, because Vimeo is weird like that. This was on YouTube originally, but it was taken down.)

YetAnotherNick3y ago

I think the comparison is windows ISO image, not the source code. Code used to train LLAMA is open source, but it still requires money to use that.

underwater3y ago

More like a compiled version of Windows.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

10 comments · 2 top-level

gambiting3y ago· 8 in thread

I don't think that's right - even if you had the full source code for either of those, it's extremely unlikely you'd be able to build them on your own machine.

ddulaney3y ago

(This probably says more about how hard it is to build C++ than anything else)

furyofantares3y ago

Some years ago someone that worked at Microsoft told me he didn't think any individual engineer who already works on Windows could ever get Windows building by themselves with just the code.

1 more reply

nicoburns3y ago

> But a determined engineer with the readme file and no other help could get it building in a week or so.

VHRanger3y ago

Fwiw C++ is hard to build specifically, but any large project with assets is a challenge to build.

Video games build systems are a thing onto themselves even taking the c++ issues out of the equation.

Hell even comparatively simole microservices in modern CRUD apps have resorted to docker to do away with pains of rebuilding stuff.

DownGoat3y ago

I don't really think it is a language ting, just more of a project size thing.

1 more reply

Palomides3y ago

there's 99% complete leaked windows xp source code that people have managed to compile

Kwpolska3y ago

YetAnotherNick3y ago

I think the comparison is windows ISO image, not the source code. Code used to train LLAMA is open source, but it still requires money to use that.

underwater3y ago

More like a compiled version of Windows.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse