● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportLow impact1 neutral
Darling Project Enables Running macOS Software on Linux Through Translation Layer
Key points
- Darling is a translation layer for macOS software on Linux.
- It runs macOS software directly, no hardware emulation.
- Provides experimental support for GUI applications.
- Free and open-source, based on Darwin source code.
What is Darling?
Darling is an open-source translation layer designed to allow users to run macOS software directly on Linux operating systems. It functions by implementing a complete Darwin environment, including components like Mach, dyld, and launchd, without requiring hardware emulation.
Functionality and Features
The project aims to integrate macOS applications into the Linux desktop experience, making them behave like native Linux apps. Darling currently offers basic experimental support for running simple graphical applications. It is developed openly on GitHub under the GNU GPL license version 3.
Comparison to Wine and Technical Basis
Darling operates similarly to Wine, which enables Windows software on Linux, but focuses on macOS applications. The project is largely based on original Darwin source code published by Apple and utilizes components from other projects like The Cocotron for Cocoa implementation, Apportable Foundation, and GNUstep. It does not violate Apple's EULA as it only uses freely released parts of Darwin.
Future Plans and Compatibility
Long-term plans for Darling include supporting iOS apps on ARM devices, which would require developing an implementation of UIKit. Darling can also run on Windows using WSL 2.
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Reporting from
The Darling project provides a translation layer allowing macOS software to run directly on Linux without hardware emulation. It implements a complete Darwin environment and offers experimental support for graphical applications, similar to how Wine functions for Windows applications on Linux.