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Midori Is Definitely Something To Keep an Eye On

Tech news sites, including our own, are abuzz with details of a new Microsoft operating system, codenamed "Midori." There's no official confirmation from Microsoft, other than that Midori exists as one of many incubation projects.

But some sources describe the OS as being componentized, Internet-centric and designed for cloud computing. The project is separate from the Windows 7 effort, which is based on the Vista code-base.

There was a time before Windows at Microsoft and, theoretically, there could be a time after Windows. After all, who would have thought the enforcers of Microsoft's "strategy tax" would ever have allowed the half-step of Server Core, with its command line rather than Windows GUI, to get off the drawing board?

Windows uber-enforcer Jim Allchin has retired, and Bill Gates is down to one-day a week. One reason to take this seriously: It's reportedly under the supervision of Eric Rudder, a heavy hitter within Microsoft.

Still, Windows is the franchise, and the details are all pretty fuzzy at this point. What do you think? Could Microsoft ever move beyond Windows? Let me know at [email protected].

Posted by Scott Bekker on July 31, 2008


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