CoLinux

See also: Linux | Linux Distribution | Debian

Cooperative Linux

Home Page: http://www.colinux.org

Free software that acts as a separate Linux Operating System on top of Microsoft Windows. It is a Linux system suitable for beginners that allows users to run Linux and thousands of programs for the OS without complicated dual-booting or format/installing. CoLinux is also suitable to run vast numbers of Linux “machines” in parallel without much overhead.

CoLinux takes users a step closer than the UNIX emulation software like Cygwin. The first release has already been shown to run a Debian system. It is the “first method for optimally running Linux on Windows (and other operating systems in the future) natively. It is a port of the Linux kernel and support code that allows it to run cooperatively without emulation along with another operating system.”

While CoLinux is not running under emulation, all hardware access is virtualized through the Hosting OS API s. CoLinux cannot yet utilize SMP and some types of hardware.

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