ActiveWin.com has confirmed yesterday’s article at NeoWin.net regarding the source codes of Windows 2000 and Windows NT being released onto the web. The files are large, weighing in at 204 MB for the compressed Windows 2000 code and 240 for the compressed Windows NT source code. Uncompressed, the Windows 2000 file takes up about 630 MB. The Washington Post estimates the total code for Windows 2000 comprises roughly 40 gigabytes. For a company that has been so protective of its code, though, any leak is devastating.

It is hard to say just what effect this will have on the IT industry. Some extremists have gone as far as predict the fall of Windows dominance. They say that crackers will be able to design viruses that will do much more harm, since they would be able to better manipulate the OS and that they would be able to create many new viruses since they can find vulnerabilities more easily. This could create havoc for businesses, since Windows 2000 is still widely used in such an environment. Consumers, however, would have less to fear as Windows 2000 is not meant for general use and most home users are on the newer Windows XP. Windows XP, however, is built on top of Windows 2000. It is unknown if Windows 2000 code that leaked was also used in Windows XP.

We’ll bring you more news as we get it.