To further enhance the co-existing experience, andLinux lets users configure file type associations, and decide which Linux applications to add to the Windows “Open With” menu. While COFS is easy to configure, the andLinux installer advises you to use Samba if you have filenames with special characters.
For example, to access your Windows files from andLinux you have the option to either use Samba or COFS (coLinux File System). The installer asks questions to help it bridge the gap between Windows and Linux. andLinux will run only on 32-bit versions of Windows 2000, XP, 2003, and Vista, and your hard drive needs to be formatted using the NTFS filesystem.īoth versions of andLinux are distributed as Windows executable files, and launch the easy-to-use andLinux graphical installer. The developers recommend earmarking at least 192MB of RAM during installation for andLinux, but make sure you have enough memory left for Windows itself. According to Joachim Gehweiler, one of the developers of andLinux, the project also had to roll in the Xming X server and PulseAudio sound server and make sure these components work together.ĪndLinux is available in two flavours - a 665MB version that uses KDE and takes up 4.5GB of disk space, and a lightweight 143MB version with Xfce that uses 2.5GB on a hard drive. That means that, unlike virtualization software, andLinux installs on Windows like any other application.īut there’s more to andLinux than just sticking the coLinux kernel in a stock Ubuntu. The coLinux project takes a stable release of the Linux kernel and ports it to run on Windows.
The miracle ingredient in andLinux is its coLinux kernel. Now, a Ubuntu-based distro called andLinux takes cooperation with Windows to a whole new level. Alas, virtualization makes the guest OS almost useless for processor- and RAM-intensive tasks like editing videos and playing games. You can dual-boot both operating systems, or run Windows in a virtualized environment on Linux. Linux does everything that many users want it to, but some people have tasks that require Windows applications.