Mailbag: An OS From Scratch?

Absolutely! When you're a leader, isn't it better to aggressively compete against yourself as opposed to aggressively competing with others? Besides, it sounds like Midori already has a starting code base, or at least architectural models from the Singularity project.
-Jim

Absolutely! How refreshing.
-Dallas

Absolutely! I am a former Microsoft software engineer; I worked as a developer on Microsoft Works and Office. We've learned a great deal about what works well in an operating system and what doesn't. Hindsight is 20/20, and taking a look back from where we are today, it's easy to see that there are things that we would have done differently before if we knew then what we know now.

Given this perspective, I would say that Microsoft engineers can build a new operating system that is significantly better than our evolutionary operating system of today when the engineers are free from the historical baggage that's pent-up in Vista. I think that there is a great potential for immense improvement and I'm very excited about Microsoft's new OS project!
-Chad

Yes. A new alternate OS with NO backward portability. Get rid of the junk, all of the emulation and legacy compatibility layers. Just make it work exceedingly well on modern hardware, perhaps 64-bit only. Create a subset of tools in one or more of the popular programming languages for it and call it done. That would be simplicity at its best.
-John

Although starting from scratch to build a new OS can be extremely time-consuming and complex, who else but Microsoft could pull it off in a short timeframe? And I think it is an excellent idea, considering that is basically where Windows NT came into the picture. Now, when we look back at Win9x, it looks ancient and very inferior. Now the NT codebase is reaching its limits and is getting way too bloated. I'd be very interested in seeing where this goes and how it turns out in the end.
-Dustin

IMHO, a less complex OS which stresses reliability (which includes security of data) is what MS desparately needs. Vista's market problems are largely the fault of the success of XP -- Vista is prettier and has cool features like the sidebar, but I haven't seen a truly useful application that requires Vista, and I have struggled with device drivers and program compatibility both at work and at home. Even this far into Vista's life cycle, that's still a problem. Vista recovers from crashes more gracefully than any previous MS operating system, but they seem to happen a LOT. If a "killer app" that requires Vista turns up, then maybe the picture will change, but I'm not holding my breath.
-Peter

In this respect, Microsoft's success is its own millstone. Having to maintain compatibility with prior versions (i.e., Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000 etc.) makes any improvements extraordinarily clumsy. If indeed Microsoft intends to offer a from-scratch version, I imagine their priority needs to be on speed, stability and security. I imagine as well that all the Microsoft apps must be rewritten or adjusted to work cleanly with the new OS.

If this were a possibility and we could gain a serious improvement in these three aspects (to me, this is the order of priority, as well) then supporting prior versions could be a purely secondary issue. Anyway, though I am only one of millions, a ground-up approach would be worth investing in from my point of view.
-Lindsay

Why not? Didn't they do this with Windows 95, ME to Windows 2000? What happened to DOS? Using Modori as a foundation, couldn't they then rebuild Windows around it, redesigning around it? Keeping backward compatibitliy using virtual technologies transparently. I can keep backward compatiblity using a VM now, except I need go thorugh a few more hoops than others may be willing to do.
-Stanley

If they're not going to let us continue to buy XP, most definitely! Vista has been such an administrative nightmare. It's really unacceptable. It's insane that we're forced to use sub-par technology simply because MS says so. While UAC is good in concept, I shouldn't have to buy a CAD capable system in order for a secretary to write Word documents.

As for your statement that "Singularity is designed to be simple and safe. For instance, components are isolated from one another, and code is automatically inspected before running to make sure it works with the OS. And all the components are tested to make sure they interoperate." Let's ask the real question: Will Microsoft create a new OS from scratch or will there be a new Linux distro? That quote sounds like Linux to me. MSX, Microsix or Winix, perhaps? I'm not very creative with names. It would be funny to hear what other people come up with.
-Cory

Posted by Doug Barney on 08/05/20080 comments

Mailbag: Google and Privacy

I think that you're just trying to bash Google ANY chance you get. Please try to write from a more unbiased position.
-Anonymous

There have always been technologies to compromise privacy, from telescopes to wiretaps. It does not mean that there is no longer a right to privacy. Google's argument is chutzpah, which is classically defined as a child killing his parents and then begging leniency from the court on the grounds that he is an orphan.
-Stephen

In the age we are in, we have to be very careful to not have our rights bulldozed over by a bunch of arrogant, rich companies who only see the moment and their profits. This type of blind disregard for the views, wants, desires and needs of those who currently are not in power can lead to serious backlash when the infamous worm turns. People will only stand for so much before they rise in mass and overthrow an oppressor.

Since the chains that bind us to companies such as Google are only those of personal choice, they can be severed in a heartbeat. Google needs to tread very carefully in this matter. There are plenty of alternatives for each and every function it offers. Piss us off and we as a people could shut them down by the most deadly method available in this Internet age: We could ignore them.
-Mike

Read "Woodswoman II: Beyond Black Bear Lake." If you're not familiar with who the author is, she's a self-described advocate for the environment and especially for the Adirondack Mountains. But what I found interesting in this book was the fact that she moved from a pretty obscure lake in the Adirondack Mountains to a super-obscure lake due to the fact her fans kept on trying to find her. Now, if she doesn't have privacy (she actually fought the USAF and won on the fact they aren't allowed to fly over her place anymore), who does?

I'd be interested in the details of that case you cited. I'll bet the couple didn't have "posted property" signs on their road. Also, if they really think their road is a private road, then it should be gated. Also, it could be declared "public" if they have a deal with the state/locality for road maintenance. There are "private road" signs up in one hood in my county, but people go up them all the time to "house view." Unfortunately for them, unless they took really stern measures to safeguard the privacy of the road, they don't stand a chance in court. However, Google's take on it is pretty bad, too, and that isn't right either.
-Bruce

Posted by Doug Barney on 08/04/20080 comments

Vista Blog Backfires!

Microsoft has been fighting back against critics in other ways. For instance, after Forrester Research declared that far less than 10 percent of enterprise users were in Vista, a Microsoft exec blogged that Forrester was "schizophrenic" because some analysts were big fans of the OS.

Posted by Doug Barney on 08/04/20080 comments

DNS Finally Attacked

Someone may have taken that as a challenge, as an AT&T DNS was attacked by someone using a recently reported vulnerability. That's exactly why Microsoft was More

Posted by Doug Barney on 08/04/20080 comments

Cuil Search Can't Find Its Way Out of a Paper Bag

It's pretty easy to easy to check this out; just type in your name. In my case, the results were more scant than they should've been, and many of them were downright random. For instance, there are images from things I've written next to items that have nothing to do with the text. And when you click on the image -- say, of a white paper -- it brings you somewhere else. Bizarre.

Posted by Doug Barney on 08/04/20080 comments

A Brand-New OS?

Midori appears to either be based on or takes concepts from a Microsoft Research project, Singularity. And if you've been reading Redmond Report, you probably heard about Singularity here first. Fact is, I've already written about it twice since April (here and here).

Posted by Doug Barney on 07/31/20080 comments

The Arrogance of Google

Google's well-heeled lawyers told the court that "complete privacy does not exist." The argument is that because technology that compromises privacy exists, the right to privacy itself is diminished.

Posted by Doug Barney on 07/31/20080 comments

Mailbag: Microsoft and Apache

I am so sure that this will be good for Apache. After all, look at all the other "successful" collaborative efforts that Microsoft has had with other vendors:

IBM + Microsoft = OS/2 (IBM got the short end of that stick) Sybase + Microsoft = Does anyone still use Sybase?

And let's not forget Sun + Microsoft with the Java fun, which led to Microsoft coming out with .NET.
-Raymond

Microsoft's mantra has always been: Embrace, extend, exterminate. The $100K is the embrace part. A set of open source extensions that make existing Apache-based code easier to run on IIS7 and vice versa will come next under the guise of interoperability. The ensuing migration to Windows Server 2008 w/IIS7 will trigger self-extermination over time.
-Anonymous

I personally love the way Microsoft is handling itself now. Minus the Linux threat to maybe 3 percent of its server share, MS has been stepping it up for the developer side. I had no idea it provided the MySQL connectors for dotNet, and was happy to hear about the Silverlight "help" it is giving Novell -- not that I use *nix. Projects such as SubSonic, Ajax Toolkit and log4net have made me start building more Microsoft projects. I'm still treading lightly, though, because of the threats they put out there when the open source culture shock hit.

MS made its money being the integration vendor and standards-compliant. Now that it is getting back to its roots, it should get stronger.
-Phil

Posted by Doug Barney on 07/31/20080 comments

Microsoft Fights Back on Vista

Microsoft also announced the results of some research it did. Of course, everything at Microsoft has to have a code name, so in this case the research is called "Mojave."

Posted by Doug Barney on 07/31/20080 comments

Slow Road to Vista

Forrester Research and Kace Research explain that my experience is the rule, not the exception. According to Forrester, Vista's enterprise penetration is less than 9 percent. With the amount of PC turnover, IT actually has to go out of its way to not use Vista. This means downgrading machines or making special provisions with Microsoft or OEMs to get units with XP -- not the new OS.

Posted by Doug Barney on 07/30/20080 comments

The Top 3 Virtualization Vendors Are Who and What?!

Having this little bit of knowledge gives me big opinions. So when Saugatuck Research released a report claiming that Citrix, VMware and Cisco are the three most powerful forces in virtualization, I almost choked on my Cheerios.

Posted by Doug Barney on 07/30/20080 comments

OneCare Gets Obscure Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Support

But before you get all excited, these are trial versions of the security software and the OEMs aren't exactly top-tier. Instead of the likes of Dell, HP and Leveno, how about MDG Computers, or LEO Gesellschaft, Wortmann, Olidata, Hyrican, Sotec and TICNOVA?

Posted by Doug Barney on 07/30/20080 comments