Alternatives for Running Linux Applications in Windows

The Linux operating system is often used alongside Windows in computer labs in universities for research, laboratories and general purpose use. It is therefore important to investigate the characteristics of some of the possibilities available for students to run Windows and Linux applications, if possible at the same time, on the same computer. This paper compares the use of Windows Subsystem Linux, Docker, Cygwin and Oracle VM VirtualBox as solutions for running Linux guest applications in a Windows 10 host environment. The tests use simple C code that targets process creation, application performance and inter-process communication performance. The conclusions show the advantages and disadvantages of using each solution for running Linux applications in a Windows host.