[Wine] Crazy (and just maybe awesome) idea: Winux

[James McKenzie]

oiaohm wrote:
> Besides your idea is really poor compared to the likes of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_Unified_Kernel
>
>   
Actually, I like the alternate idea.  Integrating Windows code at that
kernel level leads to bloat.  Bloat leads to serious problems....
> Since you also state not newbie friendly you might as well forget getting windows users.   If its not newbie friendly they will not put up with it.
>
> Now if you want Linux users they will want native applications as well.  So you idea is screwed.
>
>   
Great.  Now make it worthwhile to get the MS folks to build for Linux. 
Good luck.  I used to run an Operating System called OS/2.  You would
find and probably will still find it in most banks and other financial
institutions.  Have you seen a release for it in a long, long time (BTW,
WordPerfect 5.2 was released for it and WordPerfect for Windoww 6.0
would run on it).  I don't expect, anytime soon, to see MS Office for Linux.

> I am sorry to say Gullible from a secuirty point of view lots of windows applications are junk.
>
>   
I agree. However, when you program on a junk OS, you get junk software. 
However, it IS software for the masses. 
> Also bad of bad windows malware does infect wine.   So keeping windows applications around and using wine really does weaken your secuirty.
>
>   
Yes, and if you go to any major corporation and state that they should
get rid of Windows and you will be immediately shown the door. 
Companies have a major investment in their Windows software, not so the
OS.  That is why projects like Wine exist.  This allows the company to
move to a more secure OS (all OSs have security problems, Linux, MacOSX,
Solaris, Free/OpenBSD, all of them).

> Goal should be to provide feed up to applications that could possiable make the application you want native so getting you away from the windows problem.   Ie wine should be nothing more than a way to escape windows in my eyes.
>
>   
Good goal.  However, this will NEVER happen until and when Microsoft is
found in anti-trust violation like IBM was in 1972.  Yes, IBM beat the
government, but Hitachi beat the crap out of IBM.  They have never
recovered from this (The US case ended in 1981 when the US government
quit the case.)  Microsoft is now adopting very restrictive EULAs and
getting more governments to sign on with them.  This means that areas
that were 'free' are becoming restricted.  And try to duplicate the
'look and feel' of something like Outlook and you will be quickly
slapped with a series of lawsuits.  The folks at Mozilla.org and
OpenOffice.org are treading a very fine line.  Microsoft sued Sun and
the suit was immediately dismissed by the 9th Circuit Court (US) because
Microsoft could not prove code duplication nor violation of patent. 
This will become harder and harder as more patents are applied for and
approved.

> If the system is going to run pure windows apps in linux to save ass you will need fanotify to add real-time anti-virus scanning all the time and take the speed hit.
>
>   
Like this is not happening in the Windows world and has for years?  The
problem is that Windows is very popular and has an inheritly unsecure
system.  It was built in the period of 'trust'.  Linux was not built in
the period of trust and has all of the security features from the
current period. 

> How most viruses get into windows is windows users get use to installing from everywhere.   Secuirty systems cannot protect you from dumb users.  On the other hand Linux's work by the repository model were all applications there are audited.   This is one of the major difference in virus spreed between the two OS's.  Your idea will remove the difference.
>
>   
No it will not.  The problem is with user education.  However, there are
more and more users joining daily.  It is only a matter of time until a
Linux worm is introduced that will replicate what has infected Windows
for years.  Then the 'security' of Linux will become moot.  Remember,
UNIX systems were infected in a major way just because a test worm got
out of its controlled environment.  This can still happen today.  Just
take a look at the CVE listings for the BIND program and that will give
you the creeps.  DNS, something that the Internet relies on, is still
infectable and still can be 'persuaded' to accept false inputs.  As the
folks at Facebook what happened a few weeks ago.  They will not discuss
it, but the story on black-hats is that the DNS entries were changed,
world-wide, and a phishing site was installed at the wrong address and
the pharming was very productive.

So, see, I appreciate Wine for what it is.  A layer on top of UNIX that
interfaces Windows API calls to the Linux/UNIX system.  Much better, but
not the ideal solution.

As to what the OP is doing, keep on going.  I would like to see Wine
integrated more with the Linux desktop, possibly eliminating the need to
use the X processes altogether.

James McKenzie

>
>
>
>
>