Linux users often want to run Windows software
on Linux, but Windows users may want to run Linux software, too.
Whether you’re looking for a better development environment or powerful
command-line tools, you can run Linux software without leaving Windows.
There are many different options for running Linux software
on Windows. It’s easier than running Windows software on Linux, as anyone can
set up a virtual machine with a free Linux distribution — no need for software
licenses.
Virtual machines allow you to run any operating system in a
window on your desktop. You can install the free VirtualBox or VMware
Player, download an ISO file for a Linux distribution such as Ubuntu,
and install that Linux distribution inside the virtual machine like you would
install it on a standard computer.
When you need to boot up your Linux system, you can do it in
a window on your desktop — no need for rebooting and leaving all your Windows
programs behind. Everything but demanding games and advanced 3D effects should
work just fine, but you likely won’t want to use those, anyway.
If you’re installing Ubuntu in a virtual machine, you may
want to try installing an Ubuntu derivative like Xubuntu instead. Ubuntu’s default Unity desktop uses
3D effects and the desktop interface doesn’t perform as smoothly in a virtual
machine as past desktops did. Xubuntu uses Xfce, which is much more
lightweight.
You could even try using VirtualBox’s seamless mode or
VMware’s unity mode to run Linux applications directly on your desktop —
they’ll be running in the virtual machine, but their windows will be present on
your Windows desktop instead of trapped in a single virtual machine window.
Cygwin
Cygwin is a collection of tools that offer a Linux-like
environment on Windows. It’s not a way to run existing Linux software on
Windows — the software will have to be recompiled. However, much software has
already been recompiled. Cygwin will give you a Linux-like terminal and
command-line environment with many of the command-line programs you may already
be used to.
Install
Ubuntu via Wubi
This
method is technically installing Linux,
not running Linux software on Windows. You’ll have to reboot each time you want
to use your Linux system just as if you had installed it in a standard
dual-boot configuration.
However, Wubi doesn’t install Ubuntu
in the normal way. Instead, it creates a special file on your Windows partition
and uses that file as your Ubuntu drive. This means that you can install Ubuntu
and use it without any partitioning and you can uninstall Ubuntu from the
Windows Control Panel when you’re done.
If
the partitioning aspects are what’s holding you back, give Wubi a try.
Performance won’t be quite as good as a normally installed Linux system when it
comes to disk read and write times, but it should be faster than a virtual
machine.
Ported and Compiled
Programs
Many common Linux programs have already been ported to Windows
and compiled versions have been made available online. If you really miss
Emacs, you’ll find versions of Emacs for Windows. If you want to run a specific program on Windows,
perform a Google search for the name of that program and “Windows” — there’s a
good chance you’ll find a version of the program that ‘s been ported to
Windows.
coLinux-based
Distributions
coLinux
stands for Cooperative Linux. It’s a way to natively run Linux alongside the
Windows kernel in a way that offers much faster performance than simply running
Linux in a virtual machine.
This
is a great idea, but there’s a problem. coLinux doesn’t yet support 64-bit
versions of Windows, so you’ll need to be running a 32-bit version of Windows
on your machine to do this — that’s increasingly rare. coLinux hasn’t released
a new version in over two years, so development seems to be either stalled or
moving very slowly.
There’s no one right option
here. People who want a full Linux experience will probably want a virtual
machine, while users of a few crucial shell utilities may prefer Cygwin. Others
who just want to run a single program may find better luck with a version of
that program ported to Windows.
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