Windows 7: Already?

[Aristotle]

So there is already a new version of Windows in development? I guess that makes sense, but I am surprised it is already to the stage where people are talking about it.

Microsoft Windows 7 Exclusive

In Windows 7, Microsoft will break from the Windows' norm by breaking previous API compatibility, offering new API frameworks as a native solution, and providing support for legacy frameworks (COM, ATL, .NET Framework, etc) through monolithic libraries designed to provide the functionality of all previous revisions of the modules in question. This extends/replaces the WinSxS philosophy, providing every single function, past and present, in fully comprehensive libraries. This should allow the majority of legacy applications to run perfectly, while still retaining native performance for applications compiled specifically with the Windows 7 platform in mind. It should also be possible for applications produced with previous versions of Visual Studio to be directly recompiled into native code using the new API frameworks.

I believe this means that all backward compatibility will be done via a pseudo-virtual machine, instead of having core, native support like Windows always does now.

This might be a very smart move actually.

I do wish they could find a way to move forward with Windows in a real, functional way. All the legacy crap is painful for everyone. A little short term pain might be best for all computer users.

[Rosuav]

Well, good luck to them. I wonder if they'll make big sweeping changes to the kernel. They should; but the trouble is, that takes a LONG time. The Windows codebase is such a mess; if you don't believe me, go look at Wine (the source code for which is available); the Wine source is convoluted, but it's still better than the Windows documentation, believe it or not. (I've had to refer to the Wine sources just to figure out certain esoteric bits of real Windows. On many occasions.)

But a full rewrite, from the ground up? That wouldn't be possible. I doubt that MS have the guts to chuck out their entire codebase and start over (keeping current code for the emulation level maybe, but having NONE of it in their new kernel); and yet, how else are they going to achieve this change? Here's one option. (This isn't my own idea, I read something along these lines in a blog post some time ago, but I can't find it to linky, so I'll just post it anew.) There already exists an operating system which is reliable, extensible, and has a good basic threading model. It will give the basic structure, handle protected mode memory, thread priorities, process resource ownership, all that sort of thing. All MS would have to do would be to write the windowing API on top of it.

What is this OS? Linux. Or Unix. Some variant thereof. It's already been done once - Mac OS X is BSD Unix - so Microsoft could do their usual technique of stealing someone else's idea. Actually, I'm quite impressed with the Apple marketing. They used to have a distinct difference between Macs and PCs (Motorola vs Intel chips), and now they sell Macs with Intel chips, but it's been publicized as an improvement, not as admittance that the Motorola chips are inferior to the competition. Microsoft is all about marketing (and lawyers, but leave that aside). They ought to be able to achieve this change and still make it look as though they're "winning".

The interesting thing about that would be that the entire world would be moving to a Unix base. The internet is already run largely on Unix; we'd get to the point where practically every computer connected to the internet has some variant of Unix as its kernel. That would do wonders for the interoperability and reliability of connections. And since it's all open source, an exploit found today can be fixed tomorrow, thus ameliorating the risk of "everyone uses the same, vulnerable product".

But I don't think MS dare. So they're going to try to do it all themselves - and they're going to take much more time than they budget for, and much more time than they have available. So they'll have to back down on their goals a bit. Duh... when they could have done it properly.

[Serith]

I heard its based on a completely new kernel.

Way to chop the balls off of Vista. Odd timing.

Whats funny is that Bill gates dropped this tidbit as a keynote speaker for a microsoft event, which is even stranger to me.

[Pyrosama]

Originally posted by Serith
I heard its based on a completely new kernel.

Any links and/or tidbits to share?

[Aristotle]

Originally posted by Serith
I heard its based on a completely new kernel.

Way to chop the balls off of Vista. Odd timing.

Whats funny is that Bill gates dropped this tidbit as a keynote speaker for a microsoft event, which is even stranger to me.

I have to agree that the timing of this sounds weird as hell.

Is Windows Vista going to be the next Windows ME? The version that you are better off skipping?

This sounds sorta like Blu-ray/HD-DVD issue. Just ride out the older version until the REAL upgrade (hard drive based high definition storage) comes along.