Cooperative Linux, a system for running a linux kernel completely natively within an NT environment has now been released at version 0.60. New features to this release include an easy to use NullSoft windows installer, no restrictions on the amount of physical ram available for the guest Linux system, support for running i686 and higher linux binaries, several new console interfaces, a bridged network adapter, and support for block devices larger than 2gb. View all the details here.
Cooperative Linux 0.60 Released
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Eugenia Loli
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Does any one know what are the requirements for RAM? Any suggestions?
runs in 256mb just dandy.
Can’t wait till they get it to a point where you can install it to boot your existing linux install without any configuration. Rebooting the computer to retrieve a file or to use a program for 5min really sucks sometimes.
Dan Aloni, The israeli who coded Cooperative Linux is such a cool guy. He got my vote for the most interesting project of 2004.
i’m waiting for a alsa support in colinux, then i will install it. i wonder, if it’s usable for media applications with low-latency requirements.
great project!
Does it use User Mode Linux or is it an independant port of the Linux kernel to a host OS (in this case Windows)? I assume it doesn’t use virtual machine technology like VMWare since it doesn’t offer the possibility of running other OSes.
From the FAQ
Q3. I have a dual boot system. Is it possible to run coLinux from the Linux partition when I’m in Windows?
A3.
Yes. Under Windows it is possible to read and write partitions like regular files when accessing them using this patchname DeviceHarddiskVolumeX, where ‘X’ needs to be replaced with a number. Basically, you can change coLinux’s XML configuration to use DeviceHarddiskVolumeX as block device instead of a regular file
How is this related to Cygwin? In the screenshots, I see Cygwin icons.
Probably the guy is using Cygwin’s X server and utilities like ssh client to communicate with linux.
I think it would be great if anyone make a way to run NT within linux…
From the FAQ:
Q4. Why doesn’t my X server work under coLinux?
A4.
coLinux currently doesn’t support running an X server that requires a graphic adapter, because such virtual adapter doesn’t exist at the moment. If you want to use X, you can run a Windows X server such as Cygwin/X, and launch an X session across the virtual network.
This is all nice and great, but it seems that only a Japanese version is available now. Hope an English version comes out soon.
It’s not a Japanese version, it’s an english version.
In the screenshot, he’s running a Japanese version of Knoppix inside his running windows by using the (English) coLinux software.
Right, but the Linux version that’s running is Japanese….correct? I don’t want to run Japanese Linux…I need an English Linux.
But I guess we’ve been spoiled up until now. It’s quite common for the English version to come out first. Now I’m getting a taste of our own medicine.
> Right, but the Linux version that’s running is
> Japanese….correct?
Yes that is correct, but it is not limited to running Japanese Linux. There are disk images for Debian and Gentoo on the website. There’s also a screen shot of an English version of Debian running KDE on the Wiki. They were just using Japanese Knoppix to show that it can run just about any distribution.
Hey…that’s great. They should rephrase that first paragraph on their homepage where it says:
“In its current condition, it allows us to run the KNOPPIX Japanese Edition on Windows”
That’s part of what led me to believe that it was Japanese only.
Thanks for the clarifications!
Does anybody perchance recognize the font used in the screenshots on the Japanese KNOPPIX for Mozilla (menu font specifically). I’ve seen it on various OSS screenshots, and was wondering where it’s available.
Hmm my first opinion for this “kind”
of linux is that it is quiet good, but the coder of this tiny powerful Linux has to work harder. The coLinux Daemon is the most interessting (for me) part of this Distribution, but it needs a lot of work. If it gets better i could image to replace it with my workingway now, where i port via cygwin the whole fvwm of the Linux Application Server in my Firm. It is a little slow, but fast enough to geht the Linuxpower inside Windows.
Cooperative Linux website says that it is a way to run linux from another operating system. My question is : if Windows is widely recognized as being bloated and buggy, why do so many talented people waste their precious time trying to retrofit linux into Windows ? We all know that Windows is present on 90 % of desktop computers but why is it so hard for people to see that with open source, they have the opportunity to work on another paradigm ? Why cater to Microsoft products ?
Because they can
There are some people, my self included, who just plain enjoy a technical challenge, and if it comes along with a degree of usefulness, then all the better.
Hey, I am no pro and I got it to work with a swap image and gentoo image I downloaded from his site. Pretty cool. I would be happy to use this full time when it is perfected. No more rebooting.
“if Windows is widely recognized as being bloated and buggy, why do so many talented people waste their precious time trying to retrofit linux into Windows ?”
simple – because THEIR precious time doesn’t belong to YOU. they are FREE to develop on Windows if they choose to. are you going to FORBID people to develop on Windows because YOU think it’s some kind of blaspheme ? oh, give them $$$ and they may listen to you.
using coLinux can be very useful for Windows people wanting to get familiar with Linux – or a specific Linux distribution – without having to leave Windows behind all at once.
most recent Linux distros install very fine. sometimes they just dont. Knoppix is really nice but still can be too big a step for linux newbies.
keeping Windows for a while means you still can access your network, you can use your graphic card with full resolution and use Linux with X applications and terminals like xterm and konsole (or just putty).
you can read fine documentations, HOW-TOs, tutorials and FAQs dealing with the magic of apt-get or emerge while entering commands in a small DOS-like box. same as using VMware or another physical box.
also, you can play with several distro (they are just big image files on Windows), and you don’t have to repartition your disk in any way. nice way to “try before you buy” and reformat your Windows partition.
heck, you can even install and use Linux at work this way, without getting stomped to death by your manager who insist you use Word and Outlook even if you are a developper !
how do i run it?
i clicked on daemon thingy but nothing happens?
i have dual boot i read the faqs and didnt help me much on how to boot linux on XP.
how do i make it work?
“most recent Linux distros install very fine. sometimes they just dont. Knoppix is really nice but still can be too big a step for linux newbies. ”
If a joe user doesn’t have skills to open the CD drive, put a Knoppix CDROM on it and press the reset button to boot linux, he should not use ANY computer…
Give a Playstation for him, ops, its is also need to put a CDROM on it… Better, give him a ball to play football…
> Cooperative Linux website says that it is a way to run
> linux from another operating system. My question is : if
> Windows is widely recognized as being bloated and buggy,
> why do so many talented people waste their precious time
> trying to retrofit linux into Windows ?
If the “widely” means Linux funboys than you’re question is formulated correctly, but there are also people that think that the Windows NT (not Win 9x!) architecture is nice and relatively stable. I still haven’t heard any reason for believing that Windows NT design (not implemention) is worse than Linux…
> We all know that Windows is present on 90 % of desktop
> computers but why is it so hard for people to see that
> with open source, they have the opportunity to work on
> another paradigm ?
ReactOS is open source and Cooperative Linux will be “ported” to it (as the page states).