Microsoft Working on Windows 8 Docs for DoJ

By Kevin Parrish
published

Microsoft is working on documents related to Windows 8.

Softpedia reports that Microsoft is currently working on technical documentation of Windows 8 for the U.S. Department of Justice. Microsoft Server and Tool Business president Robert Muglia is at the helm of the project, overseeing what is part of an antitrust settlement it reached with the Department of Justice back in 2001.

"Approximately 500 Microsoft employees and contingent staff are involved in work on the Microsoft Communications Protocol Program (MCPP) technical documentation," said the DoJ in this document. "Given the substantial overlap between the MCPP and the European Work Group Server Protocol Program, all of these individuals' work relates to both programs or is exclusive to the MCPP."

Although the DoJ doesn't actually specify Windows 8 or Windows 8 Server, the referenced version in the following statement should be quite obvious.

"Of these, approximately 232 product team engineers and program managers are actively involved in the creation and review of the technical content of the documentation, including periodic work on TDI resolution as well as developing new content for the next version of Windows Client and Windows Server," the document reads.

Since 2001, Microsoft has made available technical documentation through the MCPP. This is for third-party companies wanting to develop Windows-compatible applications. Microsoft must also provide access to Windows APIs necessary to make their software compatible.

Kevin Parrish
7 Comments Comment from the forums
  • rpmrush
    Windows 8 already! I'll take Win 7 for the next 5-7 years. LOL!
    Reply
  • seriousazn
    hope they don't rush it like they did with vista...
    Reply
  • Windows 8 - 64 bit only. I wish MS would overhaul the registry in Windows 8, among other things.
    Reply
  • randomizer
    Windows 8 - 64 bit only. I wish MS would overhaul the registry in Windows 8, among other things.
    I'd prefer it if they did away with a registry.
    Reply
  • cryogenic
    randomizerI'd prefer it if they did away with a registry.
    The registry is quite fine, much better than hundredths of configuration files scattered in system folders each with it's own format and quirks (after all, the registry is a unified hierarchical database with a well defined uniform API for all applications and system components, optimized for fast access (unlike config files that need constant parsing and knowledge of their format), config files become a mess really soon and they are really hard to repair with a generic tool once broken)

    The problem of the registry is the lack of component ownership over registry keys (ownership can be set at user level). If they add component ownership of registry keys, once a component is gone, all keys owned by that component can be automatically purged, while maintaining the benefits of having a system wide database of configuration values with a standard and unified API.
    Reply
  • requiemsallure
    i hope these 232 people do not make the technical content essentially of windows 8 as inefficient as RS-232 (an unbalanced electrical standard for serial connections that is out of date, and was replaced by RS-530, which is also more or less obsolete with the introduction of fiber and TCP/IP Cat 5/6, even Coaxial makes it obsolete)

    ok so this doesn't make sense to most people, i just hope they don't mess it up. in other words, take a good 4 years on it Microsoft, even 5 years would be fine. windows 7 will last for a while, God knows Windows XP did.
    Reply
  • Windows 8.... 2 to 3 years, back to the old release schedule... 95 98 2000 2002. Win XP was atypical, only lasted as long as it did because of the security development shutdown MS did.
    Reply