Windows Application Binary Interface
Encyclopedia
Wabi was a commercial product from Sun Microsystems
that implemented the Microsoft Windows
Win16 API specification on Solaris
; a version for Linux was also released by Caldera Systems. Wabi supported running applications developed for Windows 3.1, Windows 3.11, and Windows for Workgroups.
The technology was originally developed by Praxsys Technologies as the result of discussions in 1990 with INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation
. The assets of Praxsys were acquired by Sun in the fall of 1992. The name "Wabi" was chosen for two reasons: its meaning in Japanese of balance or harmony, which conjured the notion of a more peaceful coexistence between Windows and Unix
software; and, the more obvious implication of it standing for "Windows Application Binary Interface", although before its release Sun declared that the name was not an acronym.
Wabi required a Windows 3.x installation in order to work, meaning that it would also require a Windows license, unlike similar software that endeavored to implement the entire Windows API, such as Wine
. The basic premise of the product was to provide an emulation of the lowest layers of the Windows environment in the form of the user.dll, kernel.dll and gdi.dll libraries. As all other Windows dll
s depended on these three modules, cloning this functionality allowed Windows applications and their associated support dlls to execute correctly. This approach, as opposed to a full replacement, was thought by the engineering team to be the only rational methodology for success given both the size of Microsoft's ever-expanding efforts and the difficulties of the emulation being precise enough to run commercial grades of software.
Wabi was supported on both x86 and SPARC
systems. In order to run an x86 Windows environment on SPARC systems, a code translation layer was also provided, which dynamically converted x86 instructions on first use to SPARC instructions.
In conjunction with its development of the Wabi software, Sun initiated an effort to create an ISO standard, non-proprietary definition of the Windows API. The Public Windows Initiative (PWI) was intended to define a publicly available standard that would help Sun and other companies that wished to clone the Microsoft Windows programming interface (such as Willows' TWIN, another LGPL'd implementation of the API), but despite Sun's contention that there was no intellectual property
breach, this effort was lobbyed against at ISO by Microsoft, being rejected in 1996.
Wabi 2.2B was licensed by Caldera
to allow its users to run Windows applications under Linux
, together with the also licensed DOS Merge
.
Wabi development was discontinued in December 1997.
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
that implemented the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
Win16 API specification on Solaris
Solaris Operating System
Solaris is a Unix operating system originally developed by Sun Microsystems. It superseded their earlier SunOS in 1993. Oracle Solaris, as it is now known, has been owned by Oracle Corporation since Oracle's acquisition of Sun in January 2010....
; a version for Linux was also released by Caldera Systems. Wabi supported running applications developed for Windows 3.1, Windows 3.11, and Windows for Workgroups.
The technology was originally developed by Praxsys Technologies as the result of discussions in 1990 with INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation
INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation
INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation was a US-based software company and the first vendor of the Unix operating system outside AT&T, operating from Santa Monica, CA....
. The assets of Praxsys were acquired by Sun in the fall of 1992. The name "Wabi" was chosen for two reasons: its meaning in Japanese of balance or harmony, which conjured the notion of a more peaceful coexistence between Windows and Unix
Unix
Unix is a multitasking, multi-user computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Brian Kernighan, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna...
software; and, the more obvious implication of it standing for "Windows Application Binary Interface", although before its release Sun declared that the name was not an acronym.
Wabi required a Windows 3.x installation in order to work, meaning that it would also require a Windows license, unlike similar software that endeavored to implement the entire Windows API, such as Wine
Wine (software)
Wine is a free software application that aims to allow computer programs written for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like operating systems. Wine also provides a software library, known as Winelib, against which developers can compile Windows applications to help port them to Unix-like...
. The basic premise of the product was to provide an emulation of the lowest layers of the Windows environment in the form of the user.dll, kernel.dll and gdi.dll libraries. As all other Windows dll
Dynamic-link library
Dynamic-link library , or DLL, is Microsoft's implementation of the shared library concept in the Microsoft Windows and OS/2 operating systems...
s depended on these three modules, cloning this functionality allowed Windows applications and their associated support dlls to execute correctly. This approach, as opposed to a full replacement, was thought by the engineering team to be the only rational methodology for success given both the size of Microsoft's ever-expanding efforts and the difficulties of the emulation being precise enough to run commercial grades of software.
Wabi was supported on both x86 and SPARC
SPARC
SPARC is a RISC instruction set architecture developed by Sun Microsystems and introduced in mid-1987....
systems. In order to run an x86 Windows environment on SPARC systems, a code translation layer was also provided, which dynamically converted x86 instructions on first use to SPARC instructions.
In conjunction with its development of the Wabi software, Sun initiated an effort to create an ISO standard, non-proprietary definition of the Windows API. The Public Windows Initiative (PWI) was intended to define a publicly available standard that would help Sun and other companies that wished to clone the Microsoft Windows programming interface (such as Willows' TWIN, another LGPL'd implementation of the API), but despite Sun's contention that there was no intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
breach, this effort was lobbyed against at ISO by Microsoft, being rejected in 1996.
Wabi 2.2B was licensed by Caldera
Caldera (company)
Caldera was a US-based software company founded in 1994 to develop Linux- and DOS-based operating system products.- Caldera :Caldera, Inc...
to allow its users to run Windows applications under Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, together with the also licensed DOS Merge
Merge (software)
Merge is a software system which allows a user to run DOS/Windows 3.1 on SCO UNIX, in an 8086 virtual machine.Merge was originally developed to run DOS under UNIX System V Release 2 on an AT&T 6300+ personal computer...
.
Wabi development was discontinued in December 1997.
External links
- Wabi 2.2 User's Guide
- Review of Wabi 2.2 for Linux by Caldera
- Wabi for Linux User's Guide
- A 1998 comparison between Caldera's Wabi 2.2B, Wine and Willows Twin Libraries