Microsoft almost ditched Windows' spaghetti architecture for a cloud-based OS but mysteriously sent it to an early grave

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Microsoft had developed a new 'Midori' OS that would potentially replace Windows.. it doesn't exactly have the same ring to it.

Windows Copilot key
Windows Copilot key (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • In 2008, Microsoft started working on Midori, a project that could potentially replace its Windows operating system.
  • Midori was a cloud-based operating system packed with new features and a web browser with a modernized interface and supported backward compatibility with Windows.
  • Microsoft jumped ship and abandoned the project in 2015 but promised to integrate elements of Midori in future projects. 

Microsoft is arguably widely known for its Windows operating system. For context, the tech giant's Windows dominates the desktop operating system market share, according to Statcounter's latest report.

While it remains debatable, the emergence of the internet heavily contributed to the broad adoption of the Windows operating system. Windows 95 was the first internet-ready operating system, bringing Microsoft founder Bill Gates' dream of having a PC in every household alive. But did you know the Redmond giant almost scrapped the development of its Windows operating system in 2008?

Is Windows just Midori under a different name?

Windows 10 dark wallpaper

Windows 10 dark wallpaper

At the time, the emergence of the internet presented Microsoft with new avenues and unexplored opportunities forcing it to go back to the drawing board. Consequently, the company started developing a new operating system codenamed 'Midori' that could potentially replace Windows (via LaptopMag). 

Microsoft hoped to leverage the broad availability of the internet to separate software from hardware, leaving Windows' legacy spaghetti-like architecture to a cloud-based operating system with Midori. While cloud-based operations and systems boast a ton of benefits, they also face their share of challenges (the faulty CrowdStrike update that impacted Microsoft services).

Aside from being fully cloud-based, Midori showed great promise, including flagship features and a new web browser that boasted a consistent modernized interface and backward compatibility with Windows.

Undeniably, the project was quite ambitious, so much so that it prompted the development of a new language dubbed M# ("M sharp") as an extension of C# and Sing# — to foster better performance and security.

In 2013, the operating system showed tremendous promise and was eventually transitioned from a research concept to Microsoft's Unified Operating System group. Unfortunately, Microsoft decided to pull the plug on Midori in 2015. Interestingly, the company promised to incorporate the proposed improvements and new features envisioned for Midori into future projects.

While these plans predominantly remained internal, some proposals may have manifested through the Windows operating system. WalkingCat on X (formerly Twitter) shared some nostalgic videos and clips of  Joe Duffy (who has since left Microsoft and is the CEO of Pulumi) discussing more intricate details about the Midori project.

If anything, Microsoft has continuously shipped quality-of-life improvements and flagship features to Windows, as is the case with Windows 11, version 24H2, which features supercharged AI tools like Live Captions, Windows Studio Effects, and more. However, these features will be available exclusively to Windows 11 users with  Copilot+ PCs.

Elsewhere, Microsoft's campaign to get users to transition from Windows 10 to Windows 11 seems like an uphill task. However, we've seen an upward trajectory in Windows 11's market share this month. This could indicate users are giving in to the pressure with Windows 10's end-of-support date fast approaching. 

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Kevin Okemwa
Kevin Okemwa
Contributor

Kevin Okemwa is a seasoned tech journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya with lots of experience covering the latest trends and developments in the industry at Windows Central. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for detail, he has written for leading publications such as OnMSFT, MakeUseOf, and Windows Report, providing insightful analysis and breaking news on everything revolving around the Microsoft ecosystem. You'll also catch him occasionally contributing at iMore about Apple and AI. While AFK and not busy following the ever-emerging trends in tech, you can find him exploring the world or listening to music.

3 Comments Comment from the forums
  • ShinyProton
    AFAIK, Midori was never meant to be a cloud-based OS. It was sure to be almost exclusively managed and verifiable. At one point, they did have their cloud-based speech recognition engine running off it and SQL Server - as a proof of concept.
    Considering the incredibly severe fracture this OS would have brought to the existing ecosystem (although the existing Windows could have been virtualized in it), I still believe management got cold feet and shelved it forever. Which is another terrible mistake IMHO.
    Reply
  • HmmNoThatWasNotMe
    Ha ha Midori. I was working on the Windows divison when Midori was a thing. It was yet another Microsoft Research dead end project. It wasn't cloud-based, it was supposed to be "provably correct" code. So we'll futz around with a new language, new OS concepts, etc. It'll be cool, we'll write some academic papers about it.

    Oh, this is costing a lot of money to pay the salaries of the people working on it? Oh, you want to "productize" MSR research, so it's not just a money sink?

    Well then, instead of saying Midori is - charitably - a test bed for new OS concepts and languages - we shall say it's the "future of operating systems at Microsoft". You want backwards compat with Windows? Oh, sure. You want a new browser that's "provably correct"? Sure we can do that too, with a couple dozen people while the Windows division has 5000.

    Nobody was scrapping the Windows OS in 2008. The Windows division was in the middle of Windows 7 development in 2008, and Win7 RTM'd on July 22 2009.

    Midori fooled around with demos and the like for a while, then went away. It never got past proof-of-concepts and academic papers.
    Reply
  • TheFerrango
    HmmNoThatWasNotMe said:
    Ha ha Midori. I was working on the Windows divison when Midori was a thing. It was yet another Microsoft Research dead end project. It wasn't cloud-based, it was supposed to be "provably correct" code. So we'll futz around with a new language, new OS concepts, etc. It'll be cool, we'll write some academic papers about it.

    Oh, this is costing a lot of money to pay the salaries of the people working on it? Oh, you want to "productize" MSR research, so it's not just a money sink?

    Well then, instead of saying Midori is - charitably - a test bed for new OS concepts and languages - we shall say it's the "future of operating systems at Microsoft". You want backwards compat with Windows? Oh, sure. You want a new browser that's "provably correct"? Sure we can do that too, with a couple dozen people while the Windows division has 5000.

    Nobody was scrapping the Windows OS in 2008. The Windows division was in the middle of Windows 7 development in 2008, and Win7 RTM'd on July 22 2009.

    Midori fooled around with demos and the like for a while, then went away. It never got past proof-of-concepts and academic papers.
    Wasn't there a downloadable demo of the OS at some point? it was little more than a command prompt, but I recall something like that.

    And yeah, cloud-based was definitely not in the MSR buzzword list
    Reply