AIX emulating other platforms

[Chapter11]

Well, I just got a seriously strange request.

Our developers want to run a windows binary on AIX.

No, it can't be recompiled.

There's a higher-up who says it can be done and he's heard that HPUX and Solaris can do it.

Is it possible? I'm turning up dry on google.

 

[AIXSPadmin]

Linux applications can run on AIX if they are recompiled. The reason is that the ABI (Application Binary Interface) is different.

Linux can run Windows applications (some) under emulators such as VMware and WINE, but as far as taking a Windows application and running it on AIX unmodified, it would be impossible. Even under Solaris or others you could not run them unmodified.

You can checkout the AIX Toolbox for Linux Applications and see how you can run Gnome and KDE on AIX as well as other Linux applications.

 

[Chapter11]

Actually I found something called "Visual MainWin" from

http://www.mainsoft.com/

Trying to get an eval copy now.

 

[nwardez]

Hi,

Good God, does it mean I can finally get rid of those Windoze servers I must deal with, just because of some #$x~!'&z@@ "exe" files that don't want to run anywhere else ?
))))

 

[Chapter11]

hehe. our app is written in smalltalk with proprietary-to-the-compiler extensions.

said compiler is 5 years old, unsupported, is expensive to upgrade, and only runs on windows (and no I have no idea what the compiler's name is, I'm just parroting back what I was told).

the idea of running a windows app in a secured unix environment (chroot, chuser) appeals to me.

 

[AIXSPadmin]

I would be highly surprised if "ALL" Windows applications will run on any Unix variant even using MSs WinMain or MainWin or whatever their marketing department decided to call it. Even under WINE not all Windows applications will work; I have run WINE under FreeBSD and their are some 16 bit Windows applications that won't run at all.