13

Since Linux has a lot of useful tools, while Windows has a lot of apps (like Chrome), instead of buying another machine to run Linux, is there a way to run it as a Virtual Machine on the PC? The Ubuntu installation CD-ROM doesn't seem to have such an option.

1
  • Just for information: Chrome is now available on Linux
    – Kedare
    Feb 27, 2010 at 22:00

11 Answers 11

36

Lots of options here:

Tools Only

If you just want the GNU/Linux tools, there are a few choices.

  • cygwin gives you a bash shell with lots of tools, including an X11 server. This has been around awhile and is mature.
  • msys is a smaller, lightweight alternative to cygwin.
  • GNU utilities for Win32 is another lightweight alternative. These are native versions of the tools, as opposed to cygwin which requires a cygwin DLL to fake out its tools into thinking they are running on Linux.
  • UWIN is a set of Unix tools/libraries from ATT Research that run on Windows.
  • SUA is Microsoft's Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications, offering a tools and an environment for building/running Unix programs under Windows.

Linux in a Windows Process

There are several packages that will run Linux as a Windows process, without simulating an entire PC as virtualization does. They use Cooperative Linux, a.k.a. coLinux, which is limited to 32-bit systems. These don't have the overhead of virtualizing, and they start up faster since you're not booting a virtual PC. This is a little more on the experimental side and may not be as stable as some of the virtualization options.

Virtualization

Virtualization software lets you boot up another OS in a virtual PC, one that shares hardware with the host OS. This is pretty tried-and-true. There are nice options here for taking snapshots of your Virtual PC in a particular state, suspend/resume a virtual PC, etc. It's nice to be able to experiment with a virtual PC, add a few packages, then revert to a previous snapshot and "start clean".

Dual Booting

  • wubi allows you to install Ubuntu right from Windows, then dual-boot. Not as convenient as the above, since you can't run both OS's at once.
1
  • 2
    Virtual Box is a wonderful program, use it for Development servers all of the time. Jun 25, 2009 at 19:37
6

It looks like VirtualBox runs on Windows, which should have decent Linux support. Virtual PC, as far as I know, does not offer very good Linux integration.

If you're just looking for the regular set of command line tools, you might look at cygwin. A lot of the goodness without the overhead of maintaining a separate system.

1
  • 1
    I use Virtual Box to run Linux Development servers because Virtual PC doesn't play so well CentOS in my experience. Jun 25, 2009 at 19:39
5

An alternative to a virtual machine (meaning it can share RAM with Windows) is Portable Ubuntu, which runs Ubuntu as a Windows app. It's one of the niftiest ways to get the best of both. I can't post a link because I'm a new user here. The domain is: portableubuntu.demonccc.cloudius.com.ar

3

Maybe andLinux would be interesting?

From andlinux.org:

andLinux is a complete Ubuntu Linux system running seamlessly in Windows 2000 based systems (2000, XP, 2003, Vista, 7; 32-bit versions only).

2

You can use cygwin if you just want the tools.

You can use VirtualPC software to mount any Linux.

There are a few distros that install on top of Windows like phat linux

Many useful linux utils (including bash) have been ported to native win32 (unix utils).

2
  • If the question is "How do I get all the tools of Linux in Windows?", the answer is "CygWin". +1.
    – Pax
    May 23, 2009 at 5:07
  • Cygwin is definitely the way to go if you want Linux tools on a PC. The virtual machines won't have as easy access to the Windows data - it is possible, but painful. Cygwin is just there in the same context as your PC data. May 23, 2009 at 5:14
2

It's not the job of the Ubuntu CD-ROM to provide virtualised installation.

Just install VirtualBox, and then create a new virtual machine booted from the Ubuntu disc.

Alternatively get VMWare Player and download a pre-made image.

2

You can run Linux in Virtual PC, though your performance may suffer some. I've got a trixBox PBX running in Virtual PC, for testing purposes, and it works fine.

I notice some performance problems when calling from one softphone to another in my network and getting the extension's voicemail. The sound is slow and stuttering, I presume due to how Virtual PC allocates CPU cycles, because the PC it's running on is fairly robust. (Dual core 1.4 MHz with 4GB RAM - 3.6 recognized, of course, because it's 32-bit hardware.)

I'd say try it out and see how it works for you. It won't take too long to get it up and running, so it's probably worth experimenting.

1

You can run it in a virtual machine ala VMWare, but there's also Wubi, which you might find suitable.

1
  • +1 to VMWare. We use it all the time. Just make sure you have scads and scads of RAM.
    – jdt141
    May 23, 2009 at 4:31
1

VMWare gave me Ubuntu for a while, but then I used VMWare to create a virtual machine of Windows, then I installed Ubuntu and Windows in Ubuntu.

1

In terms of UNIX tools there is of course the Microsoft Unix for Windows.

ATT Research also provides UWIN.

1

"Cooperative Linux (short-named coLinux) is a port of the Linux kernel that allows it to run cooperatively alongside another operating system on a single machine."

http://www.colinux.org/

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .