Whither Operating Systems?

The article assesses the strategic direction of operating systems (OS) released in the market. After the release of the Windows Vista from Microsoft Corp., Gartner Research forecasts that it would be the last version of Microsoft Windows. The forecast is based on the assertion that the Windows architecture is unsustainably complex. According to Gartner, OS development will be characterized by virtualization, Software-As-a-Service and modularization. Meanwhile, Windows Vista faces competition in the desktop market with Linux and the Macintosh OS X.