Microsoft Research – the technology research division of the software giant – has successfully developed the first prototype of a microkernel-based operating system code-named “Singularity.” This operating system is entirely independent from Windows.
This is a significant departure from what we previously understood: Windows is not the only operating system that Microsoft has invested in developing. Microsoft has another strategic asset at its disposal.
Microsoft Research embarked on building this new operating system from scratch, creating a system based on a small microkernel architecture comprising over 300,000 lines of code, without any connection to Windows.
In reality, the development pace of Microsoft’s new operating system – codenamed “Singularity” – has been relatively slow. However, this operating system is gradually taking shape. Microsoft Research recently published a comprehensive 44-page technical research report on Singularity on the project’s website. Additionally, Microsoft officials have publicly discussed the new operating system at the USENIX conference last June. Earlier this week, Singularity also made an appearance and garnered significant attention on Slashdot.
“What would an operating system developed from scratch with the ultimate goal of reliability look like?” This is the question the Singularity development team has been seeking to answer for over two years.
“Singularity is not Windows. We had to build every line of this operating system from the ground up.” Galen Hunt, a senior researcher at Microsoft Research on the Singularity project, stated.
Hunt noted that Singularity is currently the largest project at Microsoft Research, involving around 35 experts from various fields such as systems, networking, programming, testing, and several other research teams.
Like many other Microsoft projects, there are currently no definitive plans for commercializing Singularity. Microsoft may commercialize this operating system, embed components of Singularity into other products, or simply leverage the knowledge gained from this project to enhance Microsoft’s other efforts.
However, the research and development work on the Singularity operating system is contributing valuable insights for the architecture team at the Core Operating System Division (COSD) and Microsoft’s security research team, Hunt explained. COSD is currently focused on reducing dependencies among the component operating systems that make up Windows, while the security research team is tackling issues related to federated identity requirements and system challenges.
“We have ideas on how to minimize dependencies when developing an operating system from the ground up.” Hunt commented. “This represents a technology transfer idea.”
Theoretically, Singularity may not function as a server operating system similar to Microsoft BigTop, which is the code name for an internal distributed systems infrastructure project at Microsoft that has yet to be publicly announced.
In summary, we can say that every component of Singularity will eventually find its place either in an embedded operating system or in the server operating system market, or possibly in both environments.
Singularity serves as a testament to the existence of managed code, even though this operating system is not the first to be entirely built and developed on managed code.
Currently, this operating system is being developed using a combination of Microsoft’s C# programming language and several other languages derived from C#, referred to as Sing#. (Sing# primarily originated from Spec#, which also traces its roots back to C#).
Because it is entirely developed based on the C# programming language, Singularity does not utilize any of Microsoft’s Common Language Runtime (CLR) or Java Virtual Machine. Instead, Singularity relies on “Bartok,” a programming and execution environment developed by Microsoft Research.
Readers interested can download and view Microsoft’s research report here. (The document is written in English.)
