'Midori' to replace Windows as Microsoft's lead OS?
updated 11:10 pm EDT, Wed July 30, 2008
Midori replaces Windows
Microsoft is allegedly crafting a completely brand new operating system, completely removed from the Windows code base, as a way of beating the venerable operating system's bad rap. SDTimes writes the Redmond-based software developer is nurturing a project it calls Midori – a supposed offshoot of its Singularity operating system – for deployment on native x86-, x64-, and ARM-based systems, Windows Hyper-V hypervisors, or hosting by a Windows process.
Rob Helm, director of research for Directions on Microsoft, notes that it is "possible," having previously heard of a secret OS project headed by former Microsoft Servers and Tools vice president Eric Rudder. He continues, saying that the project is most likely conceptual at this point, but of a more serious nature than ideas tossed about at Microsoft Research.
The need stems from a vastly different modern-day computing scenario: users are increasingly spreading their work among local and remote computing devices, as well as the Internet's considerably larger, and more public, presence.
Midori's focus will be on concurrency – multiple sources accessing a centrally hosted "cloud" of applications, documents and services. According to the report, Midori will make use of a technology known as Asynchronous Promise Architecture, which will efficiently distribute applications across nodes.
Midori will also feature a different programming model ideal for addressing state management, by migrating APIs, apps, and developers to a constrained model.
Microsoft will allegedly position Midori as an answer to Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, which is expected some time within the next year. Midori has not yet been slated for release,.
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Bizarre
"Microsoft will allegedly position Midori as an answer to Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, which is expected some time within the next year."I find this a tad bizarre. Why should the largest OS company in the world (90% saturation levels) be preparing to answer an OS from a 4-8% market position? Shouldn't MS be calling the shots and setting the standards for everyone else to answer. It almost seems as they have been forced into this position. If that's so, rock on Apple.