Windows 9x Subsystem for Linux

Before WSL, the best ways to run unmodified Linux binaries inside Windows were CoLinux and flinux.

http://www.colinux.org/

https://github.com/wishstudio/flinux

flinux essentially had the architecture of WSL1, while CoLinux was more like WSL2 with a Linux kernel side-loaded.

Cygwin was technically the correct approach: native POSIX binaries on Windows rather than hacking in some foreign Linux plumbing. Since it was merely a lightweight DLL to link to (or a bunch of them), it also kept the cruft low without messing with ring 0.

However, it lacked the convenience of a CLI package manager back then, and I remember being hooked on CoLinux when I had to work on Windows.

So, is it like colinux[0], but for pre-NT windows? Neat!

Back when I was still using windows (probably XP era), I used to run colinux, it was kind of amazing, setting up something like LAMP stack on the linux side was a lot easier and then using windows editors for editing made for quite nice local dev env, I think! Could even try some of the X11 servers on windows and use a linux desktop on top of windows.

When I noticed I kept inching towards more and more unixy enviornment on the windows, I eventually switched to macOS.

Apart from the obvious hack-value, I can't quite imagine even pretend use-case, with some 486 era machine, you would be limited by memory quite quickly!

[0] http://colinux.org/

By microsoft's naming scheme this should be Linux Subsystem for Windows

Modern linux kernel running cooperatively inside the Windows 9x kernel, sick!

I guess easier than https://github.com/haileys/doslinux

I thought this was about running windows 9x within linux. Is there such thing without virtualisation?

> "no hardware virtualisation"

> looks inside

> virtual 8086 mode

Little late but would this have actually allowed running early Linux under Windows when Windows 95 came out in the 90s? I remember only dual booting being available at that time.

  I am going to run this in Windows 95 on a Sun PC card under Solaris 7.

  jesus fucking christ this is an abomination of epic proportions that has no right to exist in a just universe and I love it so much

Okay what is it with WSL naming, this always confuses me. Shouldn't it be Linux subsystem for Windows?

If I can get this to work (haven't tried yet) it directly solves a problem I have right now this week right here in 2026, 30 years after Windows 95 was even a thing.

Yes, I have weird problems. I get to look after some very weird shit.

This could prompt me to finally assemble the Pentium desktop I have in storage in parts.

Oddly enough, I could kind of use this right now. I have some software which used SCSI (Adaptec WNASPI32.dll) calls to administer a device over the SCSI bus .. would this Subsystem be usable for that, or does it still require I build a WNASP32.dll shim to do translation?

That's cool

I mean it's like trying to balance a cybetruck into 4 skateboards and flunging it over a hill cool