Microsoft’s TechFest internal science fair wasn’t just about social networking and telescopes.
The company also discussed new technology closer to its roots: an operating system kernel concept called “Singularity” intended as a showcase for some cutting-edge computer science.
The software isn’t the next version of Windows or a reheated DOS. It’s a prototype of an operating system intended for computer science research that Microsoft said demonstrates the possibilities for software that is more dependable and secure than contemporary OSes (yes, that includes Windows).
“Singularity is not the next Windows,” Rick Rashid, senior vice president of Microsoft Research, said in a statement. “Think of it like a concept car. It is a prototype operating system designed from the ground up to test-drive a new paradigm for how operating systems and applications interact with one another. We are making it available to the community in the hope that it will enable researchers to try out new ideas quickly.”
