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Comments (74)

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  rahen
  Before WSL, the best ways to run unmodified Linux binaries inside Windows were CoLinux and flinux.http://www.colinux.org/https://github.com/wishstudio/flinuxflinux essentially had the architecture of WSL1, while CoLinux was more like WSL2 with a Linux kernel side-loaded.Cygwin was technically the correct approach: native POSIX binaries on Windows rather than hacking in some foreign Linux plumbing. Since it was merely a lightweight DLL to link to (or a bunch of them), it also kept the cruft low without messing with ring 0.However, it lacked the convenience of a CLI package manager back then, and I remember being hooked on CoLinux when I had to work on Windows.
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  scoopr
  So, is it like colinux[0], but for pre-NT windows? Neat!Back when I was still using windows (probably XP era), I used to run colinux, it was kind of amazing, setting up something like LAMP stack on the linux side was a lot easier and then using windows editors for editing made for quite nice local dev env, I think! Could even try some of the X11 servers on windows and use a linux desktop on top of windows.When I noticed I kept inching towards more and more unixy enviornment on the windows, I eventually switched to macOS.Apart from the obvious hack-value, I can't quite imagine even pretend use-case, with some 486 era machine, you would be limited by memory quite quickly![0] http://colinux.org/
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  ChrisRR
  By microsoft's naming scheme this should be Linux Subsystem for Windows
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  gblargg
  > Proudly written with zero AI.Unfortunately this is ambiguous, as there's an AI product called Zero AI.
• anon
  undefined
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  AshamedCaptain
  I guess easier than https://github.com/haileys/doslinux
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  pwdisswordfishq
  > "no hardware virtualisation"> looks inside> virtual 8086 mode
• fouc
  Modern linux kernel running cooperatively inside the Windows 9x kernel, sick!
• Borg3
  Hmm I wonder how stable it is.. It cannot render correctly Window control buttons (Minimize, Maximize, Close). If it fails on such basic task, I wonder where it crashes...
• foldr
  Incredible that current Linux kernels still have 486 support!
• ilkkao
  Little late but would this have actually allowed running early Linux under Windows when Windows 95 came out in the 90s? I remember only dual booting being available at that time.
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  ErroneousBosh
  If I can get this to work (haven't tried yet) it directly solves a problem I have right now this week right here in 2026, 30 years after Windows 95 was even a thing.Yes, I have weird problems. I get to look after some very weird shit.
• itvision
  Is this Win4Lin resurrected?
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  keyle
  I thought this was about running windows 9x within linux. Is there such thing without virtualisation?
• thrownaway561
  Everytime I see something like this, I'm like, how in the hell did they learn and then figure this out? Congrats on this!!!! I will definitely have to play with this for some of that sweet nostalga.
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  defrost
  I am going to run this in Windows 95 on a Sun PC card under Solaris 7. from the same commenter who effused jesus fucking christ this is an abomination of epic proportions that has no right to exist in a just universe and I love it so much
• varispeed
  This could prompt me to finally assemble the Pentium desktop I have in storage in parts.
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  aa-jv
  Oddly enough, I could kind of use this right now. I have some software which used SCSI (Adaptec WNASPI32.dll) calls to administer a device over the SCSI bus .. would this Subsystem be usable for that, or does it still require I build a WNASP32.dll shim to do translation?
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  vrganj
  Okay what is it with WSL naming, this always confuses me. Shouldn't it be Linux subsystem for Windows?
• globular-toast
  Does this mean it runs on Linux or runs on Windows. I can never tell with this MS "subsystem" naming.
• raverbashing
  That's coolI mean it's like trying to balance a cybetruck into 4 skateboards and flunging it over a hill cool