The next version of Windows, the one after Windows Vista, is code named Windows 7. It marks a staggering development in the Windows series. That’s because Windows 7 basically ressurects what was once the most hated computer operating system in history. Windows 7 is DOS.
Well, not exactly.
DOS, if you recall (or maybe not), was the PC’s first operating system. It was text-based. It could run only one program at a time. It was awkward and unfriendly. Hence, I sold millions of copies of DOS For Dummies. Would Microsoft really want to return to such an era? Don’t be silly. But at least Microsoft is thinking about how computers really work and not how to squish competition and only afterwards think about how computers work. A refreshing change.
The core of Windows 7 is something called MinWin. It’s a big step in the right direction, and a big step backwards at the same time.
MinWin is the Windows operating system boiled down to its core. It’s tiny and fast. And it’s text-based. So just like the Unix heart of Mac OS X and Linux, MinWin provides a tight, solid platform on which to build the rest of the operating system. I say, It’s About Time!
Now, MinWin is not DOS. It does, however, sport a full-screen, text-based, command line interface. I’m sure that it will be DOS-like, probably based upon the Windows Power Shell. If Microsoft documents it well, then they can get hoards of developers writing tools for it. (An argument I made about OS/2, but IBM offered up the goods far too late.)
On top of MinWin comes the graphical shell, or the part of the operating system that’s the graphical fun and goodness we currently know as Windows. Yet, because of the design, it would be easy to use other shells, say KDE or Gnome on top of MinWin. At least that’s what I’d like to see.
All of this is conjecture, of course. The timetable for release of Windows 7 talks about late 2009. If you multiply the release time by the Windows Vista Delay Factor, that translates into early 2011. Maybe. Until then, I’ll pay close attention for you.
Relevant Links. DOS. Windows Power Shell. OS/2. KDE. Gnome.
iPhone Dept. Expect Apple’s iPhone sales to blow through the roof. Yesterday (3/5) Apple released the iPhone Software Developer’s Kit (SDK). Finally and officially, third-parties can create software for the popular phone/iPod/portable-Internet device. I’m thrilled. In fact, as of noon on Thursday (3/5 again) the Apple Developer site was off-line as way too many people tried to download the SDK. Bully!
