OS

From the kernel to the shell, Windows Vista is a very different OS than XPSP2. How so? Here, Charles interviews Architect Narayanan Ganapathy whose team of highly skilled engineers write the Windows IO system, driver frameworks and related technologies. So, what, exactly, is new in Windows…

Ever wonder how threads and processes are managed in Windows? What's new in Windows Vista in terms of Process Management? Vista introduces a new type of process called a protected process. What are "protected processes"? How do they work? What's a Process, anyway? A thread? Here, Arun…

Here is the long-awaited demo of the latest incarnation of Singularity, a research operating system written primarily in safe C#. See Singularity III: Return of the SIP, here.

It's been a while since we checked in with the Singularity folks over in MSR Redmond. You know, the usual suspects like Jim Larus and Galen Hunt. So, Charles went and visited them recently to see where they are with Singularity, see what they're up to, what's new... As you may expect, they…

Bringing a wealth of experience from having worked in a variety of roles including architect, project manager, developer and technical writer, Mike Benkovich is a published author with WROX Press and APress Books, writing primarily about getting the most from your SQL Server database. Since…

We recently interviewed Adrian Marinescu, lead developer on the Windows Kernel team focusing on the Heap Manager and associated technologies. The Heap Manager plays a big role in shaping system performance and security. (Heap mechanisms have been targets of several security attacks in the past…

Ever wonder how virtualization works? Where is it used? What role could virtualization play in the future of Windows, for example? How will it evolve over time?We recently met with some of the Microsoft Virtualization people to find some answers to these questions and learn a whole lot about…

Ever wonder what's really going on when you attach a peripheral device to your computer (running Windows XP or Vista)? Well, we wanted to find out the low level truths about Plug and Play in Windows. Who else better to talk to than Eugene Lin and Jason Cobb, the Plug and Play Guys ( Eugene is a…

Transactions have long been the domain of the database but what if you could transact virtually any resource in your application?  How would that change the architecture and design of the systems you are building?  Well get ready because Windows Vista includes a powerful new…

Charles recently caught up with seasoned Niner, Larry Osterman, an SDE and 20 year Microsoft veteran, and Elliot H Omiya, a Software Architect and audio guru, to dig into the innerworkings of Vista's updated Audio Stack and new user mode API. Much of the guts of Windows audio have…