Tavis Ormandy, a security researcher at Google, has ported the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet, released in 1988, for use on Linux out of curiosity, three years before Linux itself was introduced. The port was based on repurposing executable files for UNIX found in a warez archive on a BBS. What's interesting about this work is that the porting was done at the machine code level without the use of emulators or virtual machines. As a result, an executable file capable of running on Linux without unnecessary layers has been created.
During the porting process, adaptation to the Linux system call interface was performed, redirection of calls to glibc was ensured, incompatible functions were replaced, and an alternative driver for terminal output was integrated. The code also includes a bypass for license verification, but Tavis owns a boxed copy of Lotus 1-2-3 for MS-DOS and has the legal right to use the product. Creating the port isn't Tavis's first attempt to run Lotus 1-2-3 on Linux; he previously accompanied a special driver for DOSEMU, facilitating the operation of the DOS version of Lotus 1-2-3 on modern terminals. The task of launching Lotus 1-2-3 on Linux without using an emulator has now been accomplished.
Source: opennet.ru
