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Microsoft, Erik S. Lesser/AP
New Documents Offer Look at Microsoft’s Next Operating System
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Internal documents obtained by a software magazine preview Microsoft’s explorations into an Internet-based operating system called Midori.
30-Second Summary
The tech world is discussing a Software Development Times story about a Microsoft project called Midori, which the BBC describes as “software that will take over when [Microsoft] retires Windows.”
“Building Midori from the ground up to be connected underscores how much computing has changed since Microsoft’s engineers first designed Windows; there was no Internet as we understand it today, the PC was the user’s sole device and concurrency was a research topic” wrote David Worthington in SD Times.
Midori would use cloud computing. Les Jenkins of the blog Stupid Evil Bastard explains that this means someone buys services over the Internet instead of installing software on a personal computer.
Microsoft representatives told the BBC that Midori is one of many projects the company is working on.
Peter Bright at Ars Technica, said that whatever the company’s operating system plans are, “Microsoft cannot let the problems that plagued the development of Windows Vista recur.”
The software giant is also planning to use touch technology for its next version of Windows, which is slated for release in the next few years.
“Building Midori from the ground up to be connected underscores how much computing has changed since Microsoft’s engineers first designed Windows; there was no Internet as we understand it today, the PC was the user’s sole device and concurrency was a research topic” wrote David Worthington in SD Times.
Midori would use cloud computing. Les Jenkins of the blog Stupid Evil Bastard explains that this means someone buys services over the Internet instead of installing software on a personal computer.
Microsoft representatives told the BBC that Midori is one of many projects the company is working on.
Peter Bright at Ars Technica, said that whatever the company’s operating system plans are, “Microsoft cannot let the problems that plagued the development of Windows Vista recur.”
The software giant is also planning to use touch technology for its next version of Windows, which is slated for release in the next few years.
Headline links: Microsoft’s post-Windows plan
The Software Development Times, which obtained internal documents on the operating system, describes Midori in great detail and offers some expert commentary on its possible components.
Source: Software Development Times
Dave Austin of Citrix said Windows, in its current form, is “tied very tightly” to an individual computer. The system has trouble with the different ways people receive their files and the mobile devices they use, he added.
Source: The BBC
Opinion & Analysis: Midori
Larry O’Brien, former editor of Software Development and Computer Language, examined the documents Software Development Times obtained for its story. He said he has no idea who wrote them, when they were written, or how the Times got them. He called them “quite technical and quite provocative.”
Source: Knowing.NET
“Although Midori has some compelling features for a ‘next’ operating system, it’s premature to proclaim it to be the post-Windows OS. Going to an all-new OS means sacrificing both the hardware and software support that Microsoft has been nurturing for the past 20 years, and that’s a very high price to pay,” Bright writes. “The current Windows code has also had a vast amount of real-world testing; though it’s not perfect, it works well in a huge variety of configurations and workloads, and giving this up is sure to give Microsoft pause for thought.”
Source: Ars Technica
Jenkins says of the Midori news: “The whole thing is an interesting read if for no other reason than to get an idea of what software developers in general, and Microsoft in particular, are working on as the Next Big Thing in computing.”
Source: Stupid Evil Bastard
Related Link: Microsoft incorporates touch technology
Another Microsoft project is Windows 7, which is going to use touch-screen technology similar to what’s used in Apple’s iPhone. Windows 7 is set to launch in 2010.
Source: findingDulcinea
Reference: How computers work
FindingDulcinea’s Web Guide to Computers hosts information to help readers understand how computers work, and offers tips on choosing the right system for your needs.
Source: findingDulcinea
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