Emulation

Linux is source compatible with Unix. This means that all of the Unix programs should work on Linux when compiled correctly, with little or no change to the source. Unix does provide a wide variaty of software programs, but some programs are only available on non-Unix systems.

A number of emulators are available on Linux. We'll see 4 of them:

· One of them is called WINE and stands for WINE Is Not an Emulator. It used to stand for Windows Emulator. WINE will run various Windows 16bits and 32bits applications. The home page for WINE is at http://www.winehq.com.

· To emulate DOS programs, a program called DOSemu exists. That program comes with an X Window interface and a console interface. It will run most DOS programs. You may want to run graphic-intensive programs like DOS games in the console interface of DOSemu. Like WINE, DOSemu is a free product.

· To emulate MacOS programs, a commercial program called Executor exists. It will run a MacOS-like shell in X Window and will run various MacOS programs.

· A new commercial program is now available for every OS. It is called VMware and will create a virtual PC, allowing you to run nearly any operating system, including DOS, Windows NT and FreeBSD. It is very stable and comes with a 30 day free license.