Vista is all the rage at the moment (and now even the Sunday Eve Column is about it). I don't think there's a single piece of beta software that has ever been discussed as much as Windows Vista. Obviously this makes sense, since Windows powers roughly 95% of the world's desktop computers; hence an update to that system will surely spark some heavy debates. Personally, I'm indifferent towards Vista. Read on for why.
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Member since:2005-07-06
hard to tell realy. only thing that i have picked up so far is that its using managed code for the whole system (iirc).
still, that could make backwards compatiblity simpler. in that when a program askes for a old interface, it will be handed over to a special sandbox where it can go nuts. but if it dies, nothing will happen to the rest of the system...
Member since:2005-07-06
There are lots of new OSs being developed in research. There is no reason to believe that any more willc ome out of Singularity than has come out of all the other research OSs that have preceded it. The only reason Microsoft exists today is because of backwards compatibility. Without the enormous market advantages of application compatibility, Microsoft never would've made it through the 1990s. Without application compatibility, Microsoft is nothing, and they know that. They'll never field an OS that isn't compatibile with the vast body of Windows software that exists.
Member since:2005-07-06
Yes, we all know about singularity; and like all R&D things, this was mearly a proof of concept; a rectum pluck along the lines of 'what would we do, if we could design something from scratch'.
Why not base a new operating system off Plan9? I mean, it corrects all the problems and limitations of UNIX; tries some new things; it would be simply a matter of Microsoft fixing up the GUI, and voila, you have the problem solved with minimum fuss.
Deploy it first as a server OS, then gradually start to sell it as a client operating system as new programmes come on board; backwards compatibility can be done via VirtualPC.
Member since:2005-07-06
Member since:
2005-07-06
They *are* developing a new OS in research, and I know you know that
What comes of it remains to be seen.