- A new concept for a Linux distro was recently issued
- Loss32 aims to be the Windows desktop on top of the Linux kernel
- It will work through WINE, which is a runtime environment for using Windows applications natively on Linux, but there is still a long way to go.
Some Windows 10 users are already making the jump to Linux, perhaps because their PCs can’t run Windows 11, and a new project may generate more enthusiasm for the alternative operating system (as SteamOS certainly already has on the gaming front).
The Register reports that a new Linux distribution has a very bold idea, as it not only claims to be similar to Windows as some distributions do, but actually be the Windows desktop environment that runs on top of the Linux kernel.
It’s called Loss32 (a play on the ‘Win32’ API) and is the brainchild of a Japanese developer, Hikari no Yume, who presented the idea at the 39th Chaos Communication Congress (in Germany late last year).
The core concept is described by the developer as follows: “A dream of a Linux distribution where the entire desktop environment is Win32 software running under WINE. A completely free and open source operating system where you can simply download .exe files and run them, for the power user who isn’t necessarily a Unixhead, or just for someone who thinks this sounds fun.”
What you will essentially have is a Windows interface running through WINE (not the booze, but a runtime environment for running Windows applications natively on Linux) sitting on top of the Linux kernel.
This is markedly different from current Linux efforts on the Windows front, which include Linux distributions that are capable of running Windows applications; it goes much further. Ultimately, Loss32 is the entire Windows suite (File Explorer, etc.) sitting on top of Linux.
It’s also distinct from ReactOS, although it’s a similar idea in terms of being “Windows without Microsoft.” However, the developer notes: “ReactOS attempts to reimplement the Windows NT kernel, and that has always been its Achilles heel, holding it back from a hardware compatibility and stability standpoint.
“The concept of Loss32 is to achieve an end result similar to ReactOS, but built on a more usable foundation, using components that are known to work well (the Linux kernel, WINE, everything that ties them together, and a pinch of ReactOS userspace niceties).”
The developer has promised that an initial proof of concept for distribution will arrive sometime in January 2026, i.e. in the next few weeks, but there is obviously a long way to go from there to any possible realization of this project.
Analysis: lossy printing
In short, Loss32 would be like using a Windows PC, except you’d actually be running a Linux distribution (below, though you wouldn’t know it; well, hopefully, I’ll come back to that point in a moment).
In theory, that would mean Windows without any of Microsoft’s nonsense, like telemetry (your system data is sent back to the company’s servers), annoying screens, etc. And since Loss32 is still actually Linux, you can also run Linux applications on this operating system if you want.
Of course, it’s not that simple (it never is). The problem is that the actual implementation of Windows elements could be unstable when run through WINE and be buggy or slow. As the developer acknowledges, it has “a lot of unfortunate rough edges that people only tolerate because they use WINE as a last resort.”
Although, of course, some people will point out that Microsoft’s native implementation of the interface in Windows 11 is poor anyway, and in a way they have a very good point (cough, File Explorer, cough).
In any case, there would be a lot to negotiate with this project, to say the least, and as for the possible arrival time of a finished distribution, the developer’s brief comment is: “God only knows.” However, the hope is that the development of Loss32 itself, a “desktop environment where everything runs in WINE, will spur making WINE better for everyone, whether they’re going to use this project or not.”
Loss32 is more of a distant curiosity than anything else for now. But the fundamental idea, and the growing momentum behind Linux, driven lately by SteamOS, Proton, and Valve’s Steam Deck (plus other laptops) and the upcoming Steam Machine, is perhaps another seed being planted for the great Linux uprising.
However, talk about the Linux revolution has been going on seemingly forever, inevitably leading to skepticism about whether we will ever witness such an event. However, given the current hostility towards Windows 11, and the venomous attacks being taken against Microsoft due to its relentless push for more AI, including the ‘Microslop’ trend, it increasingly looks like Linux has a chance to mount a significant challenge to the dominant desktop operating system.
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