I'm going to hazard a guess that I'm probably the exception rather than the rule. You see, I've found that I am able to fulfill all of my business and personal computing needs without running Windows or accessing Windows applications. In fact, I'm using Sun's StarOffice running on a Linux box to write this column.

But I'll also be the first to admit that many people find it difficult to leave the comfort of familiar Windows applications. Hey, it even took me a while to wean myself away from Intuit's Quicken and QuickBooks applications for Windows. (By the way, Intuit does not plan to offer a Linux-based version of its financial software, but it is beta-testing QuickBooks for the Web as of this writing).

You may also have invested in Windows licensing for your company, or you may be leery about moving to new applications for fear you'll incur the cost and hassle of retraining users. This is certainly a valid concern.

On the other hand, you may have equally valid concerns about the stability and security of Windows. Or, you might be thinking about whether or not you should invest in Windows 2000 given the large hardware, software, and training investment required to migrate your business to Microsoft's new platform.

Enter NeTraverse Inc. and its Win4Lin. This application lets the end-user run MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows operating systems and applications in a virtual PC environment on Linux. Win4Lin can be implemented on individual desktops or on the server.

Setting up

I installed Win4Lin on one system running Caldera's eDesktop and on another box running Red Hat Linux. In the case of the former, I had no trouble setting up Win4Lin, since I had not customized the kernel. My Red Hat setup was customized, so I had to patch the kernel myself, though it took little time to do so.

After setting up Win4Lin, I installed Microsoft's Office 2000. The setup was the same as if I had installed Office 2000 on a Windows platform. I then tried using the typical applications that make Windows users feel comfortable: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, and Internet Explorer.

Application performance was wonderful, whether my usage was purely on the desktop or running across the network. I'm certainly not likely to go back to using Windows applications again, but the Win4Lin environment and performance certainly is tempting. I'd bet that users who like Windows applications would be perfectly happy with Win4Lin.

The Win4Lin environment is also a winner in a few other respects. If Windows crashes (which is a usual occurrence), your Linux desktop or server will not crash. You'll merely need to start a new Win4Lin session. And, Win4Lin's integration with Linux lets you take advantage of its file system and improved security.

There are a few limitations in the current Win4Lin product, however. For example, you cannot play Windows games that require DirectX support. And although you will be able to access TCP/IP-based applications (such as the Web), the Windows networking functions will not work.

Defining and automatically mounting network resources using Linux can easily remedy this last problem. Once you've assigned drives, Win4Lin (Windows) will find network resources just fine.

Other winning options

As you might expect, Win4Lin isn't the only game in town. Choosing the best option to support Windows application usage at your company requires knowing what you want.

For example, if you merely want to run a few Windows applications here and there and your end-users are pretty Linux-savvy, then Wine is a fine choice (and it's open-source). Wine does not require that you install Windows on Linux as Win4Lin does. And, Wine is free software available with most Linux distributions.

If your requirements are a bit broader (and you want to run Windows applications within Windows on Linux to make your users feel comfortable), then Win4Lin is probably a better choice. Win4Lin is a commercial product, though it only costs $59 for a downloaded version and $89 for a CD and a manual. You can also test-drive Win4Lin free for 75 days.

If you need to run Windows and other operating systems to make all of your end-users happy (and to keep your business running), then VMware would be a good choice. It lets your end-users access multiple operating systems, though it requires a greater amount of hardware resources than Win4Lin or WINE. It costs a bit more, too.

Win4Lin may also be another solution for those considering whether or not to upgrade to Windows 2000. If you want to extend the life of your existing hardware and software licensing and keep a handle on training costs while providing end-users with the applications they need, Win4Lin would seem a good and economical approach. Take it for a spin.

Contributing Editor Maggie Biggs maggie@biggs.com writes a weekly column, Strategically Speaking www.computeruser.com/archives/cu/stratspeak_index.html, for IS managers of small-to-midsized companies every Monday on ComputerUser.com.

Requirements for using Win4Lin
NeTraverse's Win4Lin doesn't require much of an investment.

Linux (2.2.x kernel or later) with LILO installed Intel Pentium-class machine CD-ROM drive Floppy drive (if your CD-ROM is not bootable) 32MB of RAM for a Windows session 15MB of disk space for Win4Lin, 40-130MB for Windows, and 40-200MB for user data Windows 9.x license Note: NeTraverse Linux distributions supported include: Red Hat 6.x, 7.0; Caldera OpenLinux 2.2, 2.3; Caldera eDesktop 2.4; SuSE Linux 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, and Linux-Mandrake 6.1, 7.0, 7.1.

The benefits of NeTraverse's Win4Lin

Windows and its applications can execute as a process on Linux Re-train or re-orient users to Linux gradually No need to dual boot between Linux and Windows Low resource usage Extend existing hardware and software licensing investments Peppy performance when executing Windows applications Good integration with Linux Improves the stability and security of Windows and its applications Easy to set up and maintain Server (network) and desktop versions available Inexpensive and a good alternate path to a Windows 2000 upgrade plan