In a recent revelation, leaked videos from a confidential Microsoft meeting have shed light on the now-defunct Midori project, which ran from 2008 until its cancellation in 2015. Shared by the user WalkingCat, these videos unveil the ambitious goals and innovative strategies that characterized Midori’s development. The project aimed to revolutionize Microsoft’s software ecosystem, encompassing everything from programming languages to operating systems and applications.
What was Midori?
During the discussions, Joe Duffy, a key team member and current CEO of Pulumi, elaborated on the project’s foundational pillars: cloud technology, concurrency, safety, and seamless interoperability with Windows. The vision was clear: harnessing the cloud for optimal performance and scalability, enhancing efficiency through concurrency, and implementing robust safety protocols to isolate and manage system failures effectively. Notably, the Midori team was composed entirely of engineers, ensuring that even those in managerial roles remained hands-on with coding.
One particularly striking concept discussed was the device driver model. Duffy explained a system where third-party code would not operate within the kernel; instead, each driver would function as a separate process. This design would allow the operating system to isolate failures, enabling it to boot successfully even if a driver malfunctioned. Currently, Windows allows third-party software to run in kernel mode, which can lead to system-wide crashes, as evidenced by the CrowdStrike IT outage in July. Had Midori been in operation, such an incident might have been averted.
Despite its cancellation, Microsoft maintains that insights gained from Midori are being integrated into future initiatives, including Windows 11. With the recent emergence of these details, there is potential for Microsoft to engage with its user base regarding which features from Midori could be beneficial to implement. However, the challenge remains significant due to Windows’ existing complex architecture, which was a primary reason for Midori’s inception as a “no legacy” project.