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Patent filed for "modular OS" by Microsoft
Microsoft will introduce modular OS updates with Windows Vista's Anytime Upgrade—a new service which will allow users to upgrade Vista on the fly and unlock additional functionality. Anytime Upgrade is a big part of Microsoft's plans for Vista. The company hopes that modular updates will help to create more sales opportunities as the company rethinks its approach to developing new operating systems. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has even hinted that the future of Windows may rely more on modular updates and less on gigantic milestone releases.
Thus it's no surprise that Microsoft has sought a patent for their approach. Titled "System and method for delivery of a modular operating system," the business method patent describes an OS where add-on modules can be used to provide additional capabilities at the discretion of the vendor, just like Anytime Upgrade will.
Microsoft uses the term "module" throughout the application to describe how it works. The "core function" module (aka, the kernel) comes with a "license validation module" that can authorize the use of additional add-on modules. Each add-on module can provide extended functionality including hardware and peripheral support along with additional applications. The license validation module determines whether individual add-on modules can be activated and used, with DRM utilized to enforce the licensing agreements.
The modular approach has the advantage of allowing Microsoft to add functionality a little at a time. It would also allow the company to make that functionality available on a time-limited basis, potentially allowing users to "rent" a feature if it's needed on a one-off basis.
The patent application additionally describes how Microsoft could use DRM to limit access to hardware or software. "It may also be possible to allow only certified or authorized add-on modules to be installed, enabling digital rights management to allow selective purchase by users, fraud control for providers and also to restrict unauthorized operating system extensions from being installed that may support unauthorized hardware and/or software."
It's a marked difference from how both Windows and Mac OS X work now, where what you installed from the disc is what you're stuck with until you buy a new version of the OS. Linux, on the other hand, works more like what is described in Microsoft's patent application in some cases. Some distributions use apt to install new kernel modules or other code to enhance or extend the operating system's functionality, with the biggest difference being that lack of licensing validation.
The existence of package management systems on Unix and Linux may be enough to demonstrate to the US Patent and Trademark Office that there is prior art and that Microsoft's patent should be denied. What is clear, however, is that Microsoft's plans are more than an afterthought; the modular approach to selling operating system features will play an important role in how Microsoft milks revenue from its most popular product.
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