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LINA |
Technology
With LINA, applications written for Linux run
with native look and feel on Windows, Mac OS X and UNIX operating
systems. LINA is a thin virtual layer that enables developers to write
and compile code using ordinary Linux tools, then run that code on a
variety of operating systems. For users, LINA runs invisibly in the
background, enabling them to install and run these Linux applications
as if they were native to that users' operating system.
Native look and feel
LINA enables Linux applications to run on Windows, Mac OS X, and
UNIX operating systems with native look and feel. GUI applications
running on LINA are indistinguishable from the other applications on
the user's
machine because they utilize the native libraries of the underlying
operating system. LINA integrates native Linux command line
applications directly into the DOS, Mac OS X, or UNIX console. The
configuration files of Web
applications that run on LINA are fully accessible and editable.
Native application installers
We are currently working to close the last usability gap between Open
Source applications and proprietary alternatives -- the lack of native
applications installers for different platforms.
When the work on the installer is finished, a developer who has
packaged a application for Debian can instantly convert it to a
univeral LINA binary with a single command. From this binary an icon
file and an XML configuration file, LINA can automatically genertate
native installers for Windows, Mac OS X, and all of the different
Linux/Unix variants. This allows a single developer to accomplish work
in a day that normally requires a team of developers several weeks or
months.
Uniform Environment
As platforms have evolved, the uniformity of programming resources
across various operating systems has steadily increased. Cross-platform
APIs enabled APIs to be uniform on different operating systems leading
to standarized solutions like the C library. Cross-platform virtual
machines enabled uniform bytecode to be run in different environments
leading to widely used platforms like JAVA. As the first cross-platform
virtual operating system, LINA provides a complete uniform environment
for all of its applications. This has many benefits, including the
ability to program using higher abstractions.
High-level Abstractions
LINA's uniform operating system environment allows developers to
programmatically create, modify and deploy entire operating systems and
networks including all of their components. This enables filesystems,
kernel modules, and other system resources to be portable across
operating systems and modifiable through APIs. This enables programming
to occur from a network and operating system perspective rather than
just a process perspective.
A Multitude of Programming Languages
LINA is capable of running applications written in any language native
to Linux including C, C++, Python, Ruby, Java, C#, etc. The LINA
library currently supports C++ development and more bindings are
planned in the future. In addition, we will soon be including ports of
the GTK and QT libraries to enable the numerous applications written to
these libraries to run on LINA.
Complex Binaries
LINA enables multiple programs, files, and resources to be packaged
together into a single binary. This allows developers to create complex
virtual appliances consisting of a number of applications configured to
interact with each other. For instance, a web application can be
packaged to include a properly set-up
datatbase, all the necesary Perl modules and a fully-configured
instance of Apache.
Community Driven
Development of LINA is community driven. In addition to
being open source, source control accounts are given to frequent
contributors to the project. The future of the project is planned
publicly through mailing lists, forums, and IRC. See the LINA community page for more information
about how to get involved.
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