Mary Jo Foley, the veteran Microsoft watcher, has yet again ferreted out a possible future direction for the Windows platform. In a blog post this morning, Foley writes, "Microsoft is beginning work on the first of what it plans to make a family of customized Windows platforms designed for specific rooms around the home."

She cites unnamed sources close to the company and could get no direct comment out of Shanen Boettcher, general manager, Windows Product Management.

Foley's sources said possible features of a "kitchen computing environment" could include a family calendar, recipe center and a shared bulletin board. (No word on whether this is the technology Microsoft shows off in its Home of the Future, which suggests recipes as various ingredients are placed on the kitchen counter.)

As Boettcher suggested to Foley, hardware makers are experimenting with PCs designed for specific functions in the home. Foremost among these is Hewlett-Packard's TouchSmart PC, which our own Brier Dudley tried out in his home earlier this year.