Singularity is a research project in Microsoft Research that started with the question: what would a software platform look like if it was designed from scratch with the primary goal of dependability? Singularity is working to answer this question by building on advances in programming languages and tools to develop a new system architecture and operating system (named Singularity), with the aim of producing a more robust and dependable software platform.
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Member since:2005-07-06
It's great but...
1)Forget about BC and create a modern, *great* OS: imagine what could be achieved with the hardware we have and Microsoft resources.
Since I'm involved in developing software I can assure it's easier to say than to do. It takes years (say 3-4-5 years) to develop a new OS and make it ready. And *then*, people should start developing for it if it has no BC and that means at least 2-3 years more to have decent application.
Look at OS X: it took at least 3-4 years to make it a very cool thing (and they didn't even started from scratch since they had FreeBSD ready!) and it only worked because it remained compatible with older software.
2)Ask the ISVs to "port" their apps to the new OS
Again, easier to say than to do. Do you know that MS even puts code inside their OS which is aimed solely to mantain backward compatibility for software which is important but would break otherwise? Do you know that MS helps (read "writes code in their place") many companies to port their software to newew OS versions? This is *not* easy and sometimes company are not interested to port their software or simply don't know how to do. Not to mention what it will *cost* to convert their code...
3)On top of that create a compatibility layer (like Wine for linux) so that people can still use their old apps until the transition is complete.
It's a good idea... just it doesn't work. Look at WINE: it's far from perfect after 10 years. Also consider Vista, which took 5 years to develop mostly because it changes a lot of internal OS structure and introduces layers to assure BC. Not easy, trust me. Not to mention that if you break compatibility, people will need to start from scratch in building their knowledge of your system... and nothing can assure that they will start with your system again ;-)
In the end, I'm not saying that we don't need new concept: we do need them. However, new concept (innovations) most of times comes from newer hardware rather than software, expecially now that there are millions coders and that many ways are getting *explored*.
I think they key for success is assuring BC (100% BC or the like...). There are simply too many disadvantages in not doing that.
Member since:"It takes years (say 3-4-5 years) to develop a new OS and make it ready."
Well, the time frame I had in mind was 5/6 years anyway :-)
"And *then*, people should start developing for it if it has no BC and that means at least 2-3 years more to have decent application."
Well, maybe not that long if they worked closely together with MS while the new OS is being developed,
"sometimes company are not interested to port their software or simply don't know how to do. Not to mention what it will *cost* to convert their code..."
But they would have to... After all, how long is the lifespan of an application?
"Look at WINE: it's far from perfect after 10 years"
But presumably the Wine people didn't have the source :-)
"Not easy, trust me. Not to mention that if you break compatibility, people will need to start from scratch in building their knowledge of your system... and nothing can assure that they will start with your system again ;-) "
But even the endusers have to learn new things all the time: just an example: look how much more can be done with UMTS phones than it could be done with first generation ones (just talk)
And then the interface of a new OS doesn't need to be more difficult: on the contrary, it could be a lot easier...
Member since:
How about the following scenario:
1)Forget about BC and create a modern, *great* OS: imagine what could be achieved with the hardware we have and Microsoft resources.
2)Ask the ISVs to "port" their apps to the new OS
3)On top of that create a compatibility layer (like Wine for linux) so that people can still use their old apps until the transition is complete.