Microsoft May Scrap Windows for Midori

Microsoftis long in the tooth Windows operating system may finally have a successor in the works code named Midori. The Redmond-based company isnit publicly saying what Midori entails, but information that has managed to find its way out indicates it could be a componentized OS built from a completely new code base, according to SD Times.

Apparently Midori is based on the Singularity OS developed by Microsoft Research and could let users move from device to device without reinstalling applications or moving documents.

While breaking free from the chains of the Windows legacy could help Microsoft develop less confusing and complex applications, there is a chance that this new OS will still rely on Windows in some way. It could, for example, be hosted on the Windows Hyper-V hypervisor, or run as a hosted Windows process.

There isnit any word from Microsoft yet on if -- or when -- Windows will be retired in favor of something newer. Since developing and transitioning to a new operating system, like Apple did when it moved from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X, takes years, donit expect to see a Windows Vista successor any time soon.