Windows Vista (longhorn), To copy many OS X features...duh Options

[*mipadi*]

http://www.betanews.com/article/Longhorn_G...ista/1122002477

It looks like the official name of Windows Longhorn is going to be Windows Vista. What do you guys think of the name, and of Longhorn in general? And more importantly, what's going to be released first: Duke Nukem Forever, or Longhorn?

[*mipadi*]

I read an intriguing article (available here) about the future of Vista and Windows that made some interesting points. Apparently Microsoft is working on not one, but two operating systems: Vista, and an piece of software called "Singularity" that would be "designed from scratch with the primary goal of dependability." Hm, what does that sound like? Well, it sounds kind of like Unix!

The article has an interesting analysis of Singularity. First off, the author notes a motivation for Singularity:

Remember when Gates announced that the current build of Vista had gotten so complex and bug ridden that they were scrapping everything written in the last six months and going back to a stable build so they could start over? It was costly, it was time consuming and it was highly embarrassing. That incident, more than any other, highlights the fact that Windows might not make it to another incarnation.

Let me say that again because it is doubly important. Windows might not make it to another incarnation. By that I mean when Vista is ready to be phased out, the Windows code base that would normally make up the foundation for Vista’s successor will be so large, so complex and so unmanageable that it will take close to a decade for another version of Windows to come out. Assuming that it is even possible in the first place. Remember, Vista was first started around 2001, so assuming it ships in 2007 (which is not unrealistic) then it will have been in development for almost 7 years. So predicting that Vista’s successor will take 10 years before seeing the light of day is quite reasonable.

So, if the current code base can’t be used then Microsoft will need a replacement and that is where Singularity comes in. They should be looking at this as the foundation for a better, more stable, more easily maintainable base from which to build their next generation of operating systems.

Will it take off? The author of the article says no. The unwritten reason is that it's difficult to create a successful new operating system for the home market these days, although Apple has shown that it is quite possibly to develop a completely new and successful operating system from scratch.

Anyway, I thought the article was interesting and noted some of the problems and limitations with Windows, and what the future of Microsoft-based platforms may be.