Windows Azure
Microsoft today unveiled Windows Azure – a new could-based Operating System and part of the new Azure cloud computing platform.
A previous quote from Microsoft Chairman Steve Ballmer made Azure sound unattractive, even before it had been officially announced:
“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.”
The Operating System is apparently just one component of the platform, which will eventually be fully rolled out alongside Windows 7. This will include geo replication, a network management model,an SOA model, and will also encompass Microsoft’s existing Live services, SQL services, and .NET services.
In one US university, an Xbox games console had been loaded with Linux and used as a web server for Philosophy students. A couple of years later, the Unix Administrator received a support ticket to say the students’ websites weren’t accessible. On visiting the server room, he discovered the Xbox server had disappeared without a trace.