Although I did enjoy the fanfare to some extent, there was clearly a problem, the problem was the consensus. I felt that there was such a strong consensus as to make people not actually look at the real issues and answer these concerns appropriately. As yet I have not heard many voices talk about the pros as well as the cons; hence I use the word FUD. But the LUK (Linux Unified Kernel) project is one of the most important projects that I have seen in recent years. So let’s examine peoples concerns and see if and where there is merit to them, I am sure that they have some points but there is definitely another side to all of this!
Most common complaints:
- “We should be making vendors support native Linux applications!” But that’s the point, if Win32 API compatibility is added to the Kernel, then Win32 applications will run natively on Linux. It’s a win-win scenario for many developers who can support emerging platforms like desktop Linux and Windows in one binary – plus, and this is the big one. Most of the applications for the past 20 YEARS! Have been written for the Win32 API, obtaining a closer compatibility, including and especially the proposed driver support will revolutionize the desktop market, which is the stated number one objective of Ubuntu to start with. This is why I say that this is an important project; I didn’t say that it was a ‘fun’ project. Get this one sorted and you could find yourself going to work and using a Linux based computer. It’s that important.
- “Oh no the security issues!” Well, we need to ask ourselves what makes Linux secure? Is it just the fact that that we use a different API than Windows? Because if that’s the case, I could probably imagine that the Viri writers could just as easily switch to writing for Linux instead of Windows and we would have the same problems. We can’t expect that security through obscurity will last forever, especially if the Linux desktop continues to progress. We have an advantage that users generally don’t operate with administrator privileges as they often do with Windows. Although there are a bunch of things that have been instituted in the Kernel to ensure things like overflows don’t happen. With the inclusion of Win32 API compatibility it doesn’t mean importing insecure Windows code directly into the Kernel, that’s not how it works, it means that the calls to the Kernel that a Windows program makes will be picked up and answered by the Kernel on a different interrupt than current Linux programs, but ‘give me a window’ can still mean ‘give me a window’. The great programmers that work on the Kernel currently will still be working on it, because it will be Kernel code. But at the end of the day, if the platform ever had any looming security issues, then the best way to find out is to do this to open it up to the largest possible audience.
- ”Microsoft will get all suey over this!” The legal issues, well I am defiantly not a lawyer, and I really can’t make a claim on this one. I know that Wine code is not copied, so it doesn’t affect copy write law and of course as yet Microsoft has not brought any cases against the Wine project and that has been going now for over a decade. On this one I would like to hear from someone who does know the law regarding these things. So please go into the forum and let us know. I’ll be reading. Any really good submissions will get added to this article for the sake of completeness.
I wrote this article in response to some of the statements that I saw on the Ubuntu Brainstorm web site regarding just looking into the possibility of the inclusion of LUK once it has reached a sufficient stage of development. I just thought that it was not being given the justice it deserved and that many people were reacting emotionally to something that is no more than zero’s and one’s.
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External Links: Linux Unified Kernel web site Ubuntu Brainstorm"Investigate L.U.K"
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