Template:Short description {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__|$B= Template:Ambox }} {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters | check | showblankpositional=1 | unknown = Template:Main other | preview = Page using Template:Infobox software with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y | AsOf | author | background | bodystyle | caption | collapsetext | collapsible | developer | discontinued | engine | engines | genre | included with | language | language count | language footnote | latest preview date | latest preview version | latest release date | latest release version | latest_preview_date | latest_preview_version | latest_release_date | latest_release_version | licence | license | logo | logo alt | logo caption | logo upright | logo size | logo title | logo_alt | logo_caption | logo_upright | logo_size | logo_title | middleware | module | name | operating system | operating_system | other_names | platform | programming language | programming_language | released | replaced_by | replaces | repo | screenshot | screenshot alt | screenshot upright | screenshot size | screenshot title | screenshot_alt | screenshot_upright | screenshot_size | screenshot_title | service_name | size | standard | title | ver layout | website | qid }}Template:Main other Win4Lin is a discontinued proprietary software application for Linux which allowed users to run a copy of Windows 9x, Windows 2000 or Windows XP applications on their Linux desktop.<ref name="sams"/> Win4Lin was based on Merge software, a product which changed owners several times until it was bought by TreLOS Inc.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Citing changes in the desktop virtualization industry, the software's publisher, Virtual Bridges, has discontinued Win4Lin Pro.Template:Citation needed
Products and technologyEdit
Template:Expand section In 2006, Win4Lin came in three different versions, depending on the virtualization requirements of the user.<ref name="suse"/>
- Win4Lin 9x allowed the user to run a full copy of Windows 98 or Windows Me inside a virtual machine.<ref name="suse"/>
- Win4Lin Home allowed users to only emulate applications.<ref name="suse"/>
- Win4Lin Pro offered users the ability to install a fully virtualized Windows 2000 or Windows XP.<ref name="suse"/>
The Win4Lin 9x/Pro (henceforth the only technology discussed in this section) operates by running Windows applications in a virtual machine.<ref name="sams"/> Unlike Wine or CrossOver which are compatibility layers, virtualization-based software such as VMware or Win4Lin require users to have a Windows license in order to run applications since they must install a full copy of Windows within the virtual machine.<ref name="bushong"/>
Unlike VMware, however, Win4Lin provides the virtual guest operating system with access to the native Linux filesystem, and allows the Linux host to access the guest's files even when the virtual machine is not running.<ref name="sams"/><ref name="bushong"/> In addition to the convenience this offers, Computerworld found in their 2002 review that Win4Lin gained significant performance over VMware by using the native Linux filesystem, but also noted that this approach (unlike VMware's) limited the installation of only one version of Windows on a Win4Lin machine.<ref name="bushong"/>
When the Win4Lin application starts it displays a window on the Linux desktop which contains the Windows desktop environment. Users can then install or run applications as they normally would from within Windows. Win4Lin supports Linux printers, internet connections, and Windows networking, but Template:As of, does not support DirectX and by extension most Windows games.<ref name="infoworld"/>
They also offered Win4BSD for FreeBSD.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
HistoryEdit
Win4Lin was initially based on Merge software originally developed at Locus Computing Corporation, and which changed hands several times until it ended in the assets of NeTraverse, which were purchased in 2005 by Win4Lin, Inc.<ref name="home"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Later that year, they introduced Win4Lin Pro, which was based on a “tuned” version of QEMU and KQEMU, and it hosted Windows NT-versions of Windows.<ref name="pro1.0"/>
In June 2006, Win4Lin released Win4Lin Virtual Desktop Server,<ref name="VDS"/> later named Win4VDI based on the same code base. Win4VDI for Linux served Microsoft Windows desktops to thin clients from a Linux server.<ref name="VDI"/> It was integrated into VERDE on March 9, 2009.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Win4Lin, Inc. discontinued Win4Lin 9x on May 30, 2006.<ref name="pro3.0"/> The Win4Lin Pro Desktop product ceased to be supported in March 2010.Template:Citation needed
| Version | Product line | Release date | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win4Lin 1.0 | Win4Lin 9x | March/April 2000 | Initial version. Support for Windows 95 and 98 installed directly to the Linux partition, file and printer sharing.<ref name="lawrence"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
| Win4Lin Desktop 2.0 | Win4Lin 9x | December 5, 2000 | SMP and audio support, European editions of Windows 95 and 98 installable.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| NeTraverse Server Standard Edition 1.0 | Win4Lin 9x Terminal Server | April 17, 2001 | Client-server version of Win4Lin Desktop 2.0, allowing computers to use Windows applications running on a server.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| Win4Lin 3.0 | Win4Lin 9x | May 28, 2001 | Linux 2.4 and networking support, new graphical installer, built-in updater.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| NeTraverse Server Standard Edition 1.1 | Win4Lin 9x Terminal Server | July 11, 2001 | Update of NeTraverse Server to Win4Lin 3.0.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| Win4Lin Workstation 4.0 | Win4Lin 9x | May 20, 2002 | Support for English Windows Me, Asian versions of Windows 98 SE and mouse scroll wheel.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| Win4Lin Terminal Server 2.0 | Win4Lin 9x Terminal Server | July 23, 2002 | Update of NeTraverse Server to Win4Lin Workstation 4.0.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| Win4Lin Workstation Edition 5.0 | Win4Lin 9x | May 20, 2003 | Support for French, Italian, German and Spanish versions of Windows Me, basic 2D DirectX applications, Winsock 2, aRts multimedia system, as well as for being a NetWare client.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| Win4Lin Terminal Server 2.5 | Win4Lin 9x Terminal Server | July 29, 2003 | Upgrade of Terminal Server to Win4Lin Workstation Edition 5.0, with improved VNC support.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| Win4Lin Workstation Edition 5.1 | Win4Lin 9x | December 11, 2003 | Linux 2.6 support.<ref>E-mail sent to NeTraverse Community Members on December 11, 2003</ref> | ||
| Win4Lin Terminal Server 3.0 | Win4Lin 9x Terminal Server | January 13, 2004 | Upgrade of Terminal Server to Win4Lin Workstation Edition 5.1.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| Win4Lin Home | Win4Lin 9x | January 29, 2005 | Cut-down version of Win4Lin 9x 5.1.<ref name="home"/> Discontinued on January 26, 2006.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| Win4Lin Pro 1.0 | Win4Lin Pro | February 23, 2005 | QEMU-based solution. Supports Windows 2000 and experimentally XP. No kernel module required.<ref name="pro1.0"/> | ||
| Win4Lin Pro 1.1 | Win4Lin Pro | May 2, 2005 | Full support for Windows XP, full integration between Linux and Windows filesystems.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| Win4Lin Pro 2.0 | Win4Lin Pro | September 1, 2005 | Performance improvements, including 16-bit code, support for AMD64 CPUs.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| Win4Lin Pro Desktop 2.6 | Win4Lin Pro | February 28, 2006 | Sound support, execution and networking performance improvements.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| Win4Lin Pro Desktop 3.0 | Win4Lin Pro | May 30, 2006 | Unattended installation dubbed One-Click-2-Windows, copy-on-write snapshots.<ref name="pro3.0"/> | ||
| Win4Lin Virtual Desktop Server | WinVDI | June 13, 2006 | Successor to Win4Lin Terminal Server, supporting Windows 2000 and XP. Server can be accessed using multiple protocols, including Win4Lin's client, VNC or NoMachine. Clients can access either individual applications or desktops and print to printers connected to the client's computer. Windows installation can be reset while keeping the Documents and Settings directory.<ref name="VDS"/> | ||
| Win4Lin Pro Desktop 3.5 | Win4Lin Pro | November 30, 2006 | Support for variable-speed CPUs, pop-up menu for special key combinations, improved documentation.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| Win4Lin Pro Desktop 4.0 | Win4Lin Pro | March 19, 2007 | Shared clipboard between host and guest, enhanced graphics options for Windows XP guests, headless start, bridged networking support, better handling of non-English characters in filenames. A single license allows two concurrent user sessions at the same time.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| Win4Lin Virtual Desktop Server 4.5 | WinVDI | October 25, 2007 | Update of VDS to Win4Lin Pro Desktop 4.5.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| Win4Lin Pro Desktop 4.5 | Win4Lin Pro | November 8, 2007 | Better audio support with ALSA and EsounD, remote audio playback. Seamless color printing, improved mouse handling. Support for Linux 2.6.22 and newer.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | ||
| Win4Lin Pro Desktop 5 | Win4Lin Pro | May 15, 2008 | New user interface, KVM support, seamless guest windows.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> | |
| WinVDI 5.0 | WinVDI | August 8, 2008 | Update of VDS to Win4Lin Pro Desktop 5.0. Remote printing support.<ref name="VDI"/> | ||
| Win4Lin Desktop 5.5 | Win4Lin Pro | October/November 2008 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
ReceptionEdit
Template:Expand section Many users reported that the 9x version ran windows software at near-native speed, even on quite low-powered machines, such as Pentium-IIs.Template:Citation needed
Nicholas Petereley praised Win4Lin in two of his columns in the year 2000, for its significantly faster performance than its competitor VMware.<ref name="infoworld"/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Win4Lin 5.0 makes big improvements, Linux.com, 2008
- Win4Lin Pro Desktop 4.0 lags behind free alternatives, Linux.com, 2007
- Break the Hardware Upgrade Cycle with Win4Lin Windows Virtual Desktop Server, Linux Journal, 2007
- Run Windows On Linux: Win4Lin Revisited [Win4Lin Pro 3.0 review], Tom's Hardware, 2006
- INQUIRER helps debug Win4Lin Pro [2.7], The Inquirer, 2006
- Product Review — Running Windows on Linux, Win4Lin 2.7 vs. VMware Workstation 5.5.1., Open Source Magazine, 2006
- Review: Win4Lin Pro [2.0], Linux.com, 2005
- A Look at Win4Lin 5.1, OSNews, 2004
- Review of Win4Lin 4.0, OSNews, 2002
- VMware Express 2.0 and Win4Lin 2.0: A Comparison Review, Linux Journal, 2001