Software created to run Windows in other operating systems is making a resurgence as developers work to port it to Android. The software is called Wine and has been around for years, but now it is making its way to the world’s leading smartphone operating system.
‘Wine on ARM’ sounds like someone got sloppy at a dinner party but it actually refers to the process of running the software on mobile devices powered by ARM-based chipsets. ARM’s architecture is used in most mobile processors because it uses power more efficiently than does Intel’s x86 architecture, the chip design inside Windows-based personal computers.
One of Wine’s lead developers demonstrated his software running on an ARM-based device this week, and according to Phoronix the performance was “horrendously slow.” This may have been at least partly due to the fact that the developer was simulating Android on a MacBook, for reasons which were not explained.
The prospect of running Wine on x86-based Android devices seems much more promising. This would make sense because x86-based computers have been running Windows for decades. CodeWeavers, a company that sells Wine-based software, is expected to be a leader in creating solutions that enable Windows apps to run on Android devices.
The ability to run Windows apps could provide a huge boost to the Android tablet market. Already among the most inexpensive tablets on the market, Android slates could become much more compelling for enterprise buyers under this scenario. The missing piece would be security, a key concern which many businesses think is not adequately addressed in Android’s open architecture.
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