Basically, the idea would be to write a version of Linux that would run
under Windows* as a regular process. Conceptually, this would be a lot
like running under a micro-kernel, except that the kernel would be Win32,
not Mach or whatever.
The obvious first question: is this possible? I'm sure something could be
done with ELKS or similar, but I don't want a dumbed down version -- I
want something that I could run say WordPerfect for Linux on. What
restrictions would something like this be subject to?
The obvious second question: why would I want this? Basically, I work in
an organization that is very MS-centric and would like to have access to
my preferred environment at work. Unfortunately, I have to run several
Microsoft packages, cannot afford to reboot from linux, and can't get a
second computer. On the other hand, if this concept could be made to work
well, I could run Linux in a Window on my NT box and switch back and forth
seemlessly.
Another good use would be to demonstrate linux for newbies. This would be
very nice -- most people, once they try Linux, don't go back. The problem
is that just trying it can be a stiff hurdle for the less technically
adept.
Finally, what would be involved in doing this? Obviously, if I'm going to
have to re-write, from scratch, the scheduler, the mm code, etc. then its
hardly worth-while. On the other hand, if I just need to implement a fake
frame buffer, use UMSDOS and give up on direct hardware, that's doable.
Opinions? (No flames, please)
Patrick
-- J. Patrick Narkinsky patrick@narkinsky.ml.org"It is so stupid of modern society to have given up believing in the devil when he is the only explanation for it." -- Ronald Knox
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