post by jim vines
from http://www.linux.com/feature/131753
Dual booting is not a good thing, has virtualization has its on set of problems.
But it looks like ubuntu has rode to the rescue by letting window folks run linux on demand.
Linux does everything that many users want it to, but some people have tasks that require Windows applications. You can dual-boot both operating systems, or run Windows in a virtualized environment on Linux. Alas, virtualization makes the guest OS almost useless for processor- and RAM-intensive tasks like editing videos and playing games. Now, a Ubuntu-based distro called andLinux takes cooperation with Windows to a whole new level.The miracle ingredient in andLinux is its coLinux kernel. The coLinux project takes a stable release of the Linux kernel and ports it to run on Windows. That means that, unlike virtualization software, andLinux installs on Windows like any other application.
In short Linux runs just like another windows app.
But you are not only running a Linux distro in Windows; you’re running one alongside the other. To experience the cooperative nature of andLinux and Windows, you can right-click on a .txt document and open and edit it in Kate, read a .pdf in KPDF, and copy and paste text between a Windows app and a Linux one.
Of course there is no free lunch.
What you won’t be able to do is play 3-D games, such as Alien Arena or Torcs. Nor will you be able to use your TV tuner card to watch videos on Linux with MythTV, or use your Bluetooth devices, even though some TV tuners and many USB bluetooth dongles work on all major natively-installed Linux distros.
On the plus side, you can share your printer between Windows and andLinux, thanks to recently acquired printing support. Printing support is expected to be included in the next release so you’ll be saved the effort of setting it up manually.
Running atop Windows has one final disadvantage. andLinux lacks security support for multi-user environments and can be run by all Windows users that have access to the computer.
I will have to install and play with this and then report back on how it works for me.
For a desktop user, andLinux is a productive method of running Linux and Windows together. It doesn’t focus on segregating Windows and Linux as host and guest OS. Instead of merely coexisting it allows the two OSes to cooperate, resulting in the welcome ability to share files between the two OSes and open files using apps on either OS. It’s still slower than a pure Linux installation, but it runs smoothly as compared to Linux running on an emulated PC, especially on older and slower hardware.
All said and done, andLinux’s limitations aren’t any greater than those of a virtualized environment, and in its current form, neither are its advantages. But I’d still recommend it to desktop users, due to its non-existent learning curve and for taking Linux-Windows interoperability to a whole new level.