Win4Lin

Win4Lin was a proprietary software application for Linux which allowed users to run a copy of Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000 or XP applications on their Linux desktop.

Win4Lin

Developer(s)	Virtual Bridges, Inc (since September 2006)
Operating system	Linux
Type	Full virtualization
License	Proprietary

Overview

The system worked by acting in a similar way to a virtual machine, in that it provides an environment for the Windows operating system to run, and as such one must have a copy of Windows to use with it.

The Win4Lin application in essence displayed a window on a Linux desktop which contained the Windows desktop environment. As an alternative, the Windows environment could be run full screen, outside of the desktop environment to save on desktop real estate.

Win4Lin was designed with business users in mind, and as such, did not support features such as MIDI, in favor of support for Microsoft Office-style application compatibility.

History

Win4Lin was based on Merge software developed by engineers at Locus Computing Corporation, founded by Gerald J. Popek and others in 1982, which was later taken over by a company called Platinum Technology. 'Merge' was originally developed to run DOS/Windows 3.1 under UNIX System V Release 2 on an AT&T 6300+ personal computer that contained an Intel 80286 processor. AT&T announced availability on October 9, 1985, referring to the bundled Merge software as SimulTask. Later Merge was enhanced to make use of the VM86 mode provided by the Intel 80386 processor; that version was offered with Microport SVR3 starting in 1987, and subsequently with SCO Unix.

The Merge technology was then bought by a company called DASCOM which was in turn bought by IBM. A company called TreLOS was then spun off that continued the development of the virtual machine software and created Win4Lin. TreLOS and LastFoot.com merged in 2000 to form NeTraverse, Inc.

In early 2005 the assets of NeTraverse were purchased to form Win4Lin Inc. which introduced Win4Lin Pro Desktop - this was based on a 'tuned' version of QEMU, and KQEMU and it hosted [Windows NT]-versions of Windows. In June 2006, Win4Lin released Win4VDI for Linux based on the same code base. Win4VDI for Linux served Microsoft Windows desktops to thin clients from a Linux server.

Win4Lin Pro used "full" virtualization, whereas Win4Lin 9x was an example of paravirtualization. Many users reported that the 9x version ran windows software at near-native speed, even on quite low-powered machines, such as Pentium-IIs.

Virtual Bridges discontinued support for Win4Lin 9x in 2007. The product Win4Lin Pro Desktop, itself, ceased to be supported in March 2010. Virtual Bridges now sells a VDI product, VERDE with antecedents in Win4VDI for Linux.

See also

• Comparison of platform virtual machines for a list of related virtualization software products
• Popek and Goldberg virtualization requirements
• x86 virtualization

External links

• Win4Lin
• Virtual Bridges and VERDE web site