Microsoft yanks Windows 7 tool over open-source code swipe
Blogger Rafael Rivera accuses Microsoft of lifting open-source code for netbook upgrade utility
Computerworld - Microsoft has yanked a tool it touted as a way for netbook owners to install Windows 7 without a DVD drive after a prominent blogger accused the company of using open-source code without acknowledging where it originated.
The free utility, Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool (WUDT), has been pulled from Microsoft's site, as has the page of instructions on how it was to be used.
Microsoft released the Download Tool last month, and at the time trumpeted the utility as a workaround that would let netbook owners create a bootable flash drive from a downloaded .iso file, or disk image, of Windows 7 purchased from Microsoft's online store.
"We are currently looking into this issue and are taking down WUDT from the Microsoft Store site until our investigations are complete," a Microsoft spokeswoman said in an instant message reply to questions Tuesday. "We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience."
Microsoft's move was prompted by Rafael Rivera's claim last Friday that WUDT included code gleaned from a GPLv2-licensed open-source project. Rivera, who writes the Within Windows blog, said Microsoft had "obviously lifted" code from the ImageMaster project, and had then compounded the problem by not sharing the source code for its modifications, or the tool itself, to the project, as required by the terms of GPL (GNU General Public License).
GPL is a widely-used free software license that was originally drafted by Richard Stallman of the GNU project.
Microsoft has previously released several code modules under GPL, including the Live Services Plug-in for Moodle last July.
Today, Microsoft declined to answer questions about the future of WUDT, including whether it would re-release the tool at some point, and whether the utility had been removed from its site because of the GPL brouhaha that Rivera instigated.
Rivera said he was "99.9999% sure" that Microsoft used the open-source code within WUDT, and provided code examples to prove his point.
"I'm not a GPL expert -- the thing reads like Latin -- but it is my understanding that the tool would have to be open-sourced, as required by GPL," Rivera said today in an interview conducted via instant messaging.
Actually, the algorithm in question originated with the open-source file archiving software, 7zip, which is licensed under the LGPL, or GNU Lesser General Public License, a software license published by the Free Software Foundation, said Rivera. Microsoft's tool grabbed code from the GPL-protected ImageMaster project, however.
As to Microsoft's next step, the company was mum, although Rivera took a stab at its alternatives. "Ultimately, I believe one of two things will happen: The tool will either be rewritten or open-sourced," said Rivera. "I suppose the third option would be [to make it] no longer available."
This isn't the first time that Rivera has called Microsoft on the carpet. Last January, he and fellow blogger Long Zheng, who writes I Started Something, argued that a change to User Account Control (UAC) in Windows 7 could be exploited by attackers to secretly disable the feature.
Microsoft first denied that it was a bug, saying instead that it was by design, but then backpedaled and promised to fix the problem several days later.
Windows 7
- At CES, Microsoft sets stage for lower Windows revenue
- Windows 7 to crack 40% share by year's end
- Microsoft TV ads to target old PCs with anti-'good enough' angle
- Windows 7 share tops XP for first time in U.S.
- Windows 7 breaks 20% share barrier
- Microsoft to wind down Windows 7 Family Pack sales by year's end
- Microsoft delivers Windows 7 SP1 blocking tools
- Enterprises: We'll run Windows XP even after retirement
- Microsoft may face resistance to Windows 8
- Windows 7 Family Pack discount deal returns
Read more about DRM and Legal Issues in Computerworld's DRM and Legal Issues Topic Center.



- Excel 2010 Cheat Sheet
- Register for this Computerworld Insider Cheat Sheet and gain access to hundreds of premium content articles, guides, product reviews and more.
- Overcome Top 7 Admin Challenges of Active Directory
- As Active Directory's role in the enterprise has drastically increased, so has the need to secure the data. Gain insight on creating repeatable,...
- Insiders Can Ruin Your Company. Take Action.
- Did you know that 80 percent of threats to an organization come from the inside? The threat from insiders is often overlooked in...
- Top Solutions and Tools to Prevent Devastating Malware
- Custom malware frequently goes undetected. According to Forrester Research, the best way to reduce risk of breach is to deploy file integrity monitoring...
- Streamline Compliance and Increase ROI
- Streamline, simplify, and automate compliance related activities; especially those that impact multiple business units. This white paper from NetIQ, outlines solutions that will...
- X-Ray of the PCI Process-4 Proactive Steps
- This white paper from Forrester Research Inc., helps break PCI into understandable components. Security and risk professionals will gain knowledge and insight into... All DRM and Legal Issues White Papers
- Optimizing Networks for the Cloud
- Join guest speaker, Rohit Mehra, IDC Director of Enterprise Communications Infrastructure, to explore current trends, discuss best practices for optimizing Data Center and...
- Apps QuickStart Series Part 2: Designing and Deploying SQL Server on VMware vSphere
- Download this webcast to learn about the design considerations for virtualizing SQL workloads, performance and scalability information and high-availability options, as well as...
- Apps QuickStart Series Part 1: Designing and Deploying Exchange 2010 on VMware vSphere
- Download this webcast to learn the virtual hardware design considerations for Exchange 2010, deployment using the building block approach, options for high-availability and...
- Customer Spotlight: How IPC The Hospitalist Company Implemented Oracle on VMware
- Have you been looking to hear about customer's experiences with the new VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager product? View this webcast to learn...
- Virtualize Business-Critical Applications with Confidence
- Virtualizing business-critical applications has become a key focus for organizations as they move along their virtualization journey. With the launch of VMware vSphere®... All DRM and Legal Issues Webcasts
