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A Linux Version of Windows 11
(lemy.nl)
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this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2026
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No Stupid Questions
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Wine? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_(software)
Yeah something like Wine, but running natively in the Linux OS.
I mean, if you have wine installed, exes execute. What exactly are you missing?
Windows is still considered the standard in the world. Most of us know that Linux is the better operating system. What will it take to get people to switch from Windows to Linux?
Windows comes pre-installed.
If every manufactured PC came with Linux, it would take over eventually. Its just a default OS issue, not a usability issue.
@9tr6gyp3 @stat_rosa it's a predatory marketing issue and consumer capture issue. Notice also you no longer own your windows. It's just a license. But your Linux, like free speech free like free beer. Since there's no money in that, no shareholder return to protect, no politicians to be bought, it will always be a back burner reality in the corporate consumerist world.
Windows just keeps getting worse and worse. Give it time.
Yup. Even Marques Brownlee, the consumer tech youtuber, did a video on a Linux laptop recently
๐
I think here's where you are a bit off in understanding...
Linux is not an OS. It's a kernel. Long story short, technically "Linux" has no graphic interface, cannot even run commands without a shell attached etc...
Obviously when most people say "linux", they mean a linux distribution, which is the linux kernel, with a bunch of software bundled and installed on top of it when you install. WINE is no different than "x" or "wayland". which are by definition, software running on a linux kernel, that is necessary to run a program designed to be graphical.
The point is everything run on "linux" is actually run on top of layers built on top of linux. So say we're talking running the text editor feather pad.
so linux "native" looks like Linux Kernel -> display server (x/wayland) -> libraries -> featherpad,
while running something with wine looks like Linux Kernel -> Display server -> Libraries for wine -> Wine - Notepad.
Apologies, yes I sounded a bit simple, but your explanation is very helpful.
Well that's what Wine is, it's native Linux software, so if you're running something on Wine you're (technically) running it natively on Linux, it's a compatibility layer for Windows applications to run on Linux without breaking patents or having need to use Windows code. Of course clearly, as you know, there are shortcomings to Wine but that answers your question of where we are with this.
Yes you are right, I can live with this. But now I wonder if Microsoft would ever consider releasing a Wine competitor of their own, probably of course against a fee.
I mean, they kind of did. It's called Windows Subsystem for Linux, and it can run Linux programs on Windows, for anyone willing to coax it into working.
It's not awful, but it cannot even do graphical programs yet. Wine is a decade or two ahead of it.
Edit: I would have bet it was proprietary, but it is MIT License. https://github.com/microsoft/WSL
They also did the opposite, they have their own "thing" to run Windows software on Linux. It's a quite thin "kernel-like" layer offering most of the important Windows kernel calls on Linux. This is what they used to port their ~~DB2~~ Sql Server database to Linux. Sql Server on Linux uses a few calls directly on the Linux kernel for performance (File IO for the DB), but other stuff lives in a Windows emulator (Like DLLs it loads).
Read a white paper about it a few years ago.
If they wanted, they could easily port all their applications to Linux, but (understandibly) they don't want to for end user stuff.
Edit: It was SQL Server of course, DB2 is IBM: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/12/how-an-old-drawbridge-helped-microsoft-bring-sql-server-to-linux/
I had not heard of that. Fascinating! Thanks!
I edited the post you replied to and added a link to an article
Yes this is indeed a great step into the right direction. it seems that when I look at all the comments Wine is is indeed the best the option.
I suppose they could, but it would almost definitely be proprietary software and almost definitely include all the anti-features you see in Windows 11 which would defeat the point. If they released it as free software (FOSS) that would be an unqualified win but that's very unlikely.
Yeah seems unlikely