Microsoft’s Midori: Straight up or on the rocks?

Microsoft is planning for the retirement of Windows by working on a new operating-system—Midori.

Maybe.

Well, more than likely considering all the Internet-buzz about it (one of many projects in ‘incubation,’ according to Microsoft).

But, Microsoft is staying tight-lipped and has not officially released any details about the code-named Midori project. According to the BBC, Software Development Times published Midori details after gaining access to some of Microsoft’s internal documents.

Midori is believed to be an Internet-based operating-system as opposed to its hard-drive-installed older brother, Windows. Rather than being installed onto individual machines, the Midori operating system would be similar to a “software-plus-services” approach or “cloud computing.” As the SDTimes put it, the Midori documents show “applications running across a multitude of topologies, ranging from client-server and multi-tier deployments to peer-to-peer at the edge, and in the cloud data center.”

Microsoft may be spot-on with this. Windows was initially popularized pre-Internet — a time when people relied solely on their very large and very stationary PCs. Times have changed. Computers are smaller and easily portable, connecting to anyone, anywhere. If Microsoft can make Midori a (properly functioning) reality, then we may be seeing a much-needed change.

Virtualization is becoming more and more popular and Microsoft will have to do something to keep up and stay on top (every PC purchased may not be pre-installed with Windows some day).

They may have started by building some hype…

It appears someone spilled the Midori, Mr. Gates.