Vista, Microsoft Mesh, Windows 7, Application Virtualization and Kevin Bacon
What do the title topics and the actor Kevin Bacon have in common? I dunno – it just sounded funny after listing all of the topics in this posting. Who knows – Windows 7 could be his love child. I mean, really – where did Windows 7 come from? No one wants to talk about it, right? Kevin has worked with every actor in Hollywood – he could have made his way up to Redmond. Could have.
A few of the bloggers here at InfraOps were on “the” project that Microsoft saw firsthand how application virtualization could assist as one piece of an overall strategy in securing the desktop. It was a complete infrastructure change out from a Novell to a Microsoft shop. Desktops were standardized down to the OS including image reduction – one for desktops, laptops/tablets and one for thin terms. This was essentially an MDOP engagement before there was MDOP – the lynch pin was Application Virtualization. Once the image sets were created the only way to keep them pristine was to apply GPO’s to lock them down and deliver applications via SoftGrid.
When I saw my first SoftGrid POC it was an epiphany – I instantly saw the writing on the wall. I said to myself, “Microsoft is going to buy this company.” What choice did they have? Application development is a wild card – there are standards that make applications play nice in Windows but who follows them? The only way to level the playing field is to sand box applications so they don’t take the O/S down.
Parts of Application Virtualization (SoftGrid) are making their way into SMS/SCCM – other parts we’ve been surmising will undoubtedly make their way into the OS. At some point there won’t be a need for an installed SoftGrid client – it will be in the OS to natively interpret packaged applications like the MSIEXEC knows how to install MSI’s – just my guess.
All this to say – read Mitchell Ashley’s excellent blog on where he thinks Application Virtualization, Microsoft Mesh, Vista and what’s being thrown around as the next name for the next O/S – Windows 7 – which just might be Vista SPx and not Windows 7.
Mitchell may be able to say “I told you so” but we at InfraOps can all say, “duh” we knew it first.
I’m not that immature so I won’t say it . . . oh what the heck – neener neener.
