Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by teach 3437 days ago
VMWare is an emulator. Wine is not an emulator.
2 comments

Isn't vmware virtualization ? despite it's tongue in cheek retro-acronymic name, wine is indeed an emulator.

https://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ#Is_Wine_an_emulator.3F_There_see...

Also before it changed its name for the current retro acronym WINE used to mean WINdows Emulator: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/windows-emulation/wine-faq/

You're right that VMWare is more properly virtualization.

However, Wine is not an emulator in any way like the way that word is used in technology.

To be pedantic, VMWare is a virtual machine. It sure as hell doesn't emulate your x86 CPU.
VMWare has historically used emulation for kernel/privileged code when the host CPU doesn't allow for direct virtualization. VMWare also emulates peripheral hardware. Wine doesn't emulate any hardware.