wonderful. who is it, exactly, that's *not* capable of writing a streamlined, small-footprint kernel?

and who is it, exactly, that expects to generate consumer interest in a gui-less os?

MSFT's kernel is crud, but that's hardly the problem: they can't sell an os not littered with abstraction layers because they can't write a *usuable* os without millions of redundant entry points to a cesspool's worth of dreck glommed on top of their lovely kernel.

the article is irrelevant because it doesn't consider MSFT's real problem: what will they do on top of the kernel? their track record is abysmal.

Excuse me but!!, "A lot of people think of Windows as this large, bloated operating system",

Correction Mr. Traut People do not think a something! Microsoft Windows "is a bloated operating system".

Thank you very much,

Miss Alice Addertongue

http://missaliceaddertongue.blogspot.com

Is this possible?

Thanks for the comments. Harlaan, I must respectfully disagree with your view that the article is irrelevant. Your question as to what Microsoft plans to do with the new kernel is certainly a good one. Given that the next version of Windows is years away, I expect we'll have to wait a while and see.

But I think it's notable that Microsoft seems to appreciate the fact that companies aren't interested in a bloated OS and is working on it. We'll see, of course. My hope is that the next version of Windows doesn't require companies to upgrade their desktops if they want to migrate.

Windows without the GUI isn't really windows... it wont be able to run standard Windows software, all of which expects a GUI, or at the very least has a GUI configuration program for its service. This really nothing but Microsoft attempting to re-enter the embedded OS market, a segment in which its various offerings (Windows XP, PocketPC, XP embedded edition) have had at best modest success.