Ballmer says "Windows Cloud" OS will debut this month

While a good chunk of this month's Professional Developers Conference will be focused on Windows 7, it looks like Microsoft has another little surprise up its sleeve, with CEO Steve Ballmer himself dropping word that the company also plans to introduce its new, tentatively-titled "Windows Cloud" OS at the conference. Of course, Ballmer isn't about to get very specific about the OS just yet, though he does seem to be dampening expectations a bit by saying, "just like Windows Server looked a lot like Windows but with new properties, new characteristics and new features, so will Windows Cloud look a lot like Windows Server." He also apparently confirmed that geo-replication and other features "designed for the cloud" would be built into the OS, and he confirmed the existence of Midori, but said it was still in the incubation phase, adding that, "the guy in the office next door to somebody working on Midori is not supposed to know about Midori." We assume that also means that Windows Cloud is not Midori, but we'll know for sure once PDC gets underway on October 27th.

[ArcticFox @ Oct 1st 2008 4:04PM]

Windows 95 Clouds wallpaper, thats a blast from the past.

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Oct 1st 2008 4:30PM]

The past...? What do you mean?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v28/Chebwa/95.jpg

[ZaxCG2 @ Oct 1st 2008 4:53PM]

Gooooood tiiiiiiimes.

...
Not really.

[GaryZ @ Oct 1st 2008 5:00PM]

@Serial 8-Ball Mouse

Why do u have a link to "Welcome Center" on your desktop?

[jas0nuk @ Oct 1st 2008 5:14PM]

:D I thought that the second I saw it. I'll never forget the shape of that weird long Italy-shaped cloud in the middle. xD

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Oct 1st 2008 5:44PM]

@GaryZ

Just because.

: ]

But it's also relatively quick access to a couple of areas I hit up in Windows Vista pretty often. Sure I could right click "My Computer" and then go to properties on the menu and click that, but I can also just click on the welcome center and click "show more" to get to the same area. Little crap like that is all.

[Uchiha Sasuke @ Oct 1st 2008 6:25PM]

@ Serial 8-Ball Mouse

Whateve... Jason.

[Lowest Ranked @ Oct 1st 2008 6:43PM]

Serial 8-Ball Mouse = Jason = Chebwa, holy shit. I thought you were just gone forever!

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Oct 1st 2008 7:10PM]

haha... my darkest secret is out

i am, in reality, not an ugly mouse

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Oct 1st 2008 7:10PM]

@Lowest Ranked

I was also Dan Halen for a little while. I GET AROUND.

[Valicore @ Oct 2nd 2008 12:11AM]

Jesus, that caused Flashbacks of trying to set up a dial-up connection in Windows 95 and having MSN popping up. God I remember being 8 and begging "go away msn, go awayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy...."

[Brandon @ Oct 1st 2008 4:08PM]

Clouds. Great, another interface that I have to learn and give support on. What happened to the good old days when it guys only needed to relearn windows every few years

[Curtis Joslin @ Oct 1st 2008 4:25PM]

sounds to me like you shouldn't be in the field that your in...

[Aguiluz @ Oct 1st 2008 4:39PM]

Seriously, what changed? Only the graphics and the parts of the software. The "gist" of Windows is still there. I have used PCs from Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows ME, XP and now, Vista.

They have the same old buttons that minimize/maximize restore and close, the same START button, the same taskbar, the same My Computer, the same My Documents, the same Internet Explorer (though with a little difference, and Firefox PWNS), the same Run, The same accessories (save for a few), the same way to shutdown, the same background and more.

(There's more similarities, but what the hell, I have to do my homework.)

[giuliop @ Oct 1st 2008 6:36PM]

@Aguiluz

And that's all we need to know... open a window here, close that window there, even minimise all... then open the Start menu if you want to go wild. Oh, how easy life is.

[jaalin @ Oct 1st 2008 4:08PM]

the biggest innovation being the new blue screen of death, now with fluffy clouds to soften the blow

[MioTheGreat @ Oct 1st 2008 4:27PM]

That sounds risky.

What if the graphics bits responsible for displaying the bitmap crash? Do we fall back to a regular non-cloudy BSOD?

[DefPo3t @ Oct 1st 2008 4:27PM]

I think 'll take a a informative screen that tells me what went wrong any day over an annoying spinning beachball that does not tell me anything







P

[chansthename @ Oct 1st 2008 7:45PM]

if its anything like vista then you'll have UAC asking if it can run BSOD

[Krush @ Oct 1st 2008 4:12PM]

Bet it's Win XP with a new desktop theme .... not that it would be a bad idea though.

[Phil Perman @ Oct 1st 2008 4:13PM]

Sounds like this will be a server OS designed for running cloud services, rather than specific OS for running off the cloud. Guess we will find out tomorrow

[MMaster23 @ Oct 1st 2008 4:16PM]

Hint hint .. Skydrive ... Windows profi.... oops I said too much :)

[Nick @ Oct 1st 2008 4:16PM]

Oh noes the Windows 95 clouds are back!

[Josh Warner @ Oct 1st 2008 4:17PM]

Buzzwords translated with anti-BS filter:

We got caught with our pants down selling a bloated OS with this nifty new market of small PCs opening up that have no prayer of running it. So we put a small team together to modify Windows XP just enough to make it look different from stock XP, and we'll call it something new (heaven forbid we actually have to code something from scratch or do real work!). Hopefully nobody catches on.

Chairs (err, cheers),

S. Ballmer

[Nathan @ Oct 1st 2008 4:22PM]

anti-BS translated with truth filter:

we want to embrace software+services by offering our own solutions, as well as a platform for other companies to build their services off of. windows server 2k8 is a very popular enterprise solution and windows cloud will take this quality os and tailor to do service hosting related tasks easily.

[Shinigami @ Oct 1st 2008 4:39PM]

Why do people use Windows if they hate it so much?...

[Reader @ Oct 1st 2008 5:22PM]

Everyone hates the police until they need them.

[Andir3.0 @ Oct 1st 2008 5:29PM]

grr... your comment systems sucks Engadget. (But like my following post, I use it cause I have to?)

Because my work requires me to?

Because Microsoft tied all the hardware and software vendors into it so tightly that it's difficult for them to code on other platforms limiting the amount of applications available? Win32/.NET/Winforms (spawned WINE/Mono)

Microsoft DirectX is not cross platform?

Windows Media Video (WMV) license restricts popular media format to Windows only PCs (legally)?

MP3 Codec is not free, and thus not licensed to OSs other than OSX(?) and Windows?

Up until recently Closed Exchange protocol for Corporate Email solution was really only stable in Outlook (a Windows only product)?

I could probably tie that all up into the idea of mass adoption. If you choose to take on another OS, Microsoft (in their non-open standards... not necessarily open source ways) has ensured through sneaky deals with OEMs and Corporations to make it really difficult/near impossible to do so. It would be kind of like trying to drive on the other side of the road. Yes, you can do it, but everyone else on the road is going to get in the way. So get back in your "lack of choice" lane.

[Jon Doe. @ Oct 1st 2008 8:20PM]

Josh you are full of shit. Why? Because even your shit isn't accurate. the OS that XP is based on is DEAD. Completely and totally dead. They are not going to based ANY future OS on a system as insecure as XP. The reality is that even though Vista has some continuing concerns the balance between security and compatibility is a good one. One which MS is not going to back track on.

[Decoy @ Oct 1st 2008 10:15PM]

Josh, please cite evidence that this is based on XP. Show your sources. If you can't, your point is conjecture, BS, and FUD.

[Eric @ Oct 1st 2008 4:24PM]

Funny how Microsoft seems like they actually understand what is going on in the cloud cpmputing world. It seems evident that they must now that Bill does not have his hand in Microsoft like he used to.


http://zollotech.com/content/new-windows-cloud-os-coming-pdc-says-ballmer

[David Talmage @ Oct 1st 2008 4:35PM]

How many times do I have to tell that man it's "Baltimore".

[Shinigami @ Oct 1st 2008 4:36PM]

BSOD has never looked so beautiful before...

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Oct 1st 2008 4:37PM]

I need an entirely new computing experience to look at. OSX, Linux, Windows... they all share the same basic layout. SOMEBODY BLOW MY MIND!

[Pete @ Oct 1st 2008 4:45PM]

It's Sharepoint for the masses. All hail Redmond!

[Ed T @ Oct 1st 2008 5:10PM]

"Why do people use Windows if they hate it so much?..."

Because sometimes total retards (aka government contractors) create software that only runs on Winblows or requires IE. I XPerienced the joy today trying to fill out some forms on a putrid POS app created by Grumman Corporation at huge expense to taxpayers. The user interface is straight from the 1980s and they even have a 150 page manual and offer training classes for the damned thing. The sad part is Amazon, Dell, Apple, and dozens of other companies run web stores that are far more sophisticated than this sh*t software running under Winblows.

[Tom Reinke @ Oct 1st 2008 5:17PM]

Couldn't this be considered "vapor" ware? ;)

[Badger_badger_badger @ Oct 1st 2008 9:23PM]

i c wut u did thar

[Vapourstream @ Dec 1st 2008 2:52PM]

haha whaat ?

[naz @ Oct 1st 2008 5:18PM]

Windows Cloud OS next month?

sounds like a lot of hot air

lol

[knowbot @ Oct 1st 2008 5:29PM]

people start use Ubuntu Linux, its fast, never seen a BSOD and very flexible.
and not only understandable for geeks.
and if you can't life without windows software use a windows emulator or a virtual machine

grate solution for people who dislike ms. or windows

[check @ Oct 1st 2008 7:37PM]

anyone who states that any OS does not crash is either selling something or smoking something.

So, what are you smoking and where can i get it?

[Shinigami @ Oct 1st 2008 8:51PM]

check
there are better ways to stop your OS from crashing... I hope.

[bocardo @ Oct 1st 2008 10:21PM]

actually, he wrote "never seen a BSOD" which, unless you use a screensaver or another piece of software which simulates them, is 100% true.
granted, he probably meant it's never crashed for him, but it still isn't the same as saying it never crashes.

[Thomas @ Oct 1st 2008 11:46PM]

"grate" solution

I should trust you why???

[bjsguess @ Oct 2nd 2008 2:53AM]

Apparently Ubuntu Linux doesn't support spell checker.

[knowbot @ Oct 1st 2008 5:34PM]

?

[olsonick @ Oct 1st 2008 5:34PM]

brix were shat

[iEye @ Oct 1st 2008 6:08PM]

Just give up allready Microsoft and just lock down Windows like Apple inc... Just tell us what to run on our computers... if you want freedom use linux...

[dave @ Oct 1st 2008 7:33PM]

... Up in the sky.... it's a bird?!... it's a plane?!.... no...

it's a BSOD