One of the things you seldom hear Microsoft officials talk about is how many lines of programming code go into Windows. Its a reasonable assumption that Microsofts operating system has grown in size in its 20-year history, with layer upon layer of new features added while major chunks of legacy code remain intact. By some estimates, Windows is comprised today of some 50 million lines of code. And it looks like Longhorn is shaping up to be the biggest Windows version ever.
Ive asked Microsoft folks about the projected size of Longhorn repeatedly over the past year or so because, in my mind, it indicates growing complexity and, for a company still trying to get Windows security vulnerabilities under control, a potential point of concern. If hackers are able to find holes in 50 million lines of Windows code, doesnt it stand to reason that theyll have a bigger target with, say, 75 million?
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