Microsoft is reportedly hard at work on a new version of Windows that will focus on security and faster updates, similar to the doomed Windows Core OS concept.

Windows Core OS was an attempt to make Windows more modern, stripping out all of the cruft and making as lightweight a version of the operating system as possible. That turned into Windows 10X which itself never shipped. The project was ultimately canned in 2021. Now Microsoft is ready to have another try, according to a report.

The new old hotness

Now Windows Central reports that unnamed sources familiar with Microsoft's plans believe that the company "is once again hard at work on a new project internally that’s designed to modernize the Windows platform with many of the same innovations it was working on for Windows Core OS, but with a focus on native compatibility for legacy Win32 applications on devices where it makes sense."

That project is called, and stop us if you've heard this before, CorePC. Sounds familiar, right?

The idea behind CorePC is to build a customizable and somewhat modular version of Windows that can then be used across different form factors. The example given by Windows Central notes that not all Windows PCs need to be able to run legacy Win32 apps, so Microsoft will be able to offer "editions" that simply don't support it. The same would presumably also go for other features, too.

What's more, the report says that Core PC is "state separated," meaning that it will be able to install updates faster and be more secure thanks to read-only partitions that can be offered up to third-party apps. That's the way Apple and Android do things, for example.

By contrast, Windows today is far from state separated with the whole thing installed on one partition that can be accessed by any other app, making it less secure.

Further, the report says that a version of CorePC could be optimized for use on specific silicon, removing overheads associated with building compatibility with other chips. The Apple silicon transition has already proven how important that can be, making the best Macs ever since it ditched Intel.

Of course, it's important to remember that this is a rumour at this point and anything can change even if it's right on the money. Microsoft wasn't able to make something similar to CorePC work before.

Will it be able to do it this time around?