Tavis Ormandy, a security researcher at Google, ported the spreadsheet software Lotus 1-2-3, released in 1988, for use on Linux out of curiosity, three years before Linux itself was introduced. The port was created by repurposing executable files for UNIX, found in a warez archive on one of the BBS. The work is notable because the porting was done at the machine code level without using emulators or virtual machines. As a result, an executable file that can be run on Linux without additional layers has been obtained.
During the porting, adjustments were made to adapt to the Linux system call interface, redirection of calls to glibc was provided, incompatible functions were replaced, and an alternative driver for terminal output was integrated. The code also includes bypassing the license check; however, 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 is not Tavis's first experiment with running Lotus 1-2-3 on Linux; he previously accompanied a special driver for DOSEMU that enables the DOS version of Lotus 1-2-3 to run on modern terminals. The task of launching Lotus 1-2-3 on Linux without using an emulator has now been accomplished.
Forrás: opennet.ru
