Re: [coLinux-users] suggestion: linux runtime environment

[Christopher D. C. <ccl...@ac...>]

Michael Reichenbach <mic...@fr...> wrote:
> Oscar Usifer wrote:
>> Not sure there is a good bridge for this, or what exactly the
>> function of it would be. You might be able to share file systems,
>> but running Linux apps on Windows seamlessly is sort of a VM thing.
>
> A virtual machine isn`t best choice. It`s good to have a virtual
> computer where you can do testings and so on or if you want to sell
> virtual servers or you have a old mailserver or whatever and want all
> apps in it`s own virtual computer.
>
> But virtual machines are not that good for guis and so on. Them are a
> bit to slow and integration with other devices such as printers is not
> so good yet. Them are also slow. I guess if the developers of this
> project would have been happy with vmware/virtualbox them wouldn`t
> have started this project which goes another way then virtualisation
> (them chose porting).

Running coLinux is certinaly not as safe and easy as running a piece of 
Java code in a VM.

Also be aware of security implications of doing such things.  Java is 
somewhat sandboxed, coLinux is not.  CoLinux can crash your computer.

>> Can you explain better what kind of integration your shooting for?
>
> I think colinux is great software and vision is to have it in a useful
> and more easy state also for normal users. Currently it`s hard to set
> up and the integration is not so good.
>
> Features I am thinking of you are downloading 'linux runtime
> environment', install it... Then go to some website and download some
> .deb or .rpm package, save it on desktop, double click it and it will
> be installed, then you can start it directly from windows. Or open a
> terminal and type apt-get install whatever.

Why would one just not use a Windows version of apt to install native 
Windows software?

For instance: http://www.acm.uiuc.edu/projects/Wipt/

> Colinux provides this functions already "nearly".
>
> If I think right this would also simplify other developers live.
> Example, you program some office suite using C++ and Qt or GTK,
> compile it for linux and create a .deb package, you`re done. No more
> need to compile it under windows because windows gets the function to
> run also linux apps because the kernel (and some more goodies) got
> ported.

Again, why not just port these things to run on Windows?  Use 
http://www.bloodshed.net/dev/devcpp.html to compile software for Windows 
natively.  And there are Windows ports of many things available on 
Linux.

And windows has a packaging technology that uses MSI files.  Just 
download an MSI and install.  Why mess with a non-native system for 
software installs?  It is complicated and will certainly always be more 
dificult than just using native software.

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