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To:	linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
From:	torvalds@transmeta.com (Linus Torvalds)
Subject: Re: [RFC] Wine speedup through kernel module
Date:	7 Sep 2000 16:02:10 -0700

In article <20000907082427Z129046-384+774@vger.kernel.org>,
David Howells  <David.Howells@nexor.co.uk> wrote:
>
>I've done an implementation of some of the Win32 "system calls" in a kernel
>module in an attempt to speed up Wine.

Hmm.. I have this feeling that it would be much nicer to just implement
the NT system calls directly.

We used to have the iBCS2 project, and I was actually considering making
it part of the standard kernel when it started becoming a non-issue
simply because there started to be more native Linux programs than iBCS2
programs. 

And we've already had the vm86 mode and the BIOS trap stuff speedups for
DOSEMU for a long time.

It looks like if you want to do this, it would be better to just try to
do it outright, and have the same kind of "emulate the ones we know
about and care about performance" in the kernel that we already have
with the vm86 mode emulation.

I wouldn't be adverse to supporting Wine better - as long as it's fairly
cleanly separated. This doesn't look too bad.

		Linus
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