The development environment included support for C, C++ and Fortran. Threading was supported using the Pthreads model.
Additional languages could be obtained (Python, Ruby, Tcl, etc.). Unix-based software packaging and build tools were available for installing or creating pre-build software packages.
Starting with release 5.2 (Server 2003/R2) the following capabilities were added:[6]
"Mixed mode" for linking Unix programs with Windows DLLs
Traditional support was provided by Microsoft for a fee or service contract, though released hotfixes can usually be obtained free of charge from Microsoft. Previously, free support could be found via the forums at the SUA Community site[7] and with the FAQ,[8] however this appears to have been withdrawn.
Additionsedit
Additional pre-built applications and development libraries could be obtained for free from the SUA Community site, the Gentoo-prefix site and the Debian-Interix site. These included commonly used applications not part of the Microsoft installation such as OpenSSH, Git, Python and bash.
The SUA Community site included for developers of Interix and the site has been contracted by Microsoft for several Interix and SUA updates of utilities and documentation.
Historyedit
This product began to be developed in 1996 under the product name OpenNT by Softway Systems, Inc. before the name was changed to Interix in 1998. The last release by Softway Systems was release 2.2. Softway Systems had virtually completed the next release code-named Firebrand in 1999 which became the basis of Interix 3.0.
The Interix interoperability suite developed by Softway Systems Inc., included substantial code from OpenBSD,.[9][10] Microsoft acquired Interix in 1999.[11][12]
Microsoft continued to distribute Interix 2.2 as a standalone product until 2002.
Interix release 3.0 was released as component of Windows Services for Unix (SFU) 3.0 in 2002. Interix release 3.5 was released as component of SFU 3.5 in January, 2004.
Microsoft announced in 2011 that Interix would not be included in Windows versions after Windows 8 and customers should start migrating their applications to an alternative solution.[13]
^Dohnert, Roberto J. (2004-01-21), "Review of Windows Services for UNIX 3.5", OSNews, David Adams, archived from the original on 2008-02-11, retrieved 2020-07-19
^Reiter, Brian (2010-01-26). "WONTFIX: select(2) in SUA 5.2 ignores timeout". brianreiter.org.
^"Microsoft Acquires Softway Systems To Strengthen Future Customer Interoperability Solutions", Microsoft News Center, Microsoft, 1999-09-17
^"Milltech Consulting Inc". 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-09-18. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
^Walli, Stephen R. (August 12, 1997). OPENNT: UNIX Application Portability to Windows NT via an Alternative Environment Subsystem. We're Not in Kansas Anymore. USENIX Windows NT Workshop, 1997. Retrieved 2022-05-20.
^Walli, Stephen R. (August 12, 1997). OPENNT: UNIX Application Portability to Windows NT. We're Not in Kansas Anymore. USENIX Windows NT Workshop, 1997. Retrieved 2022-05-20.
^Walli, Stephen R. (June 30, 2001). Strangely Enough, It All Turns Out Well(PDF). USENIX Technical Conference, 2001. Retrieved 2022-05-20.
Further readingedit
Walli, Stephen R. (August 1997). "OPENNT: UNIX application portability to Windows NT via an alternative environment subsystem". In Lazowska, Ed; Jones, Michael B. (eds.). Proceedings of the USENIX Windows NT Symposium. 1997. Berkeley, CA: USENIX Association.
Walli, Stephen R. (2016-04-13). "Running Linux Apps on Windows (and other stupid human tricks) Part I". medium.com.
Walli, Stephen R. (2016-04-13). "Running Linux Apps on Windows (and other stupid human tricks) Part II". medium.com.
External linksedit
Services for UNIX - Interoperability: A blog on Services for UNIX and UNIX Interoperability components in Windows by Ashish (official blog, MSDN)
INTERIX: UNIX Application Portability to Windows NT via an Alternative Environment Subsystem PDF historical
HOW TO: Install Interix (KB 324081 for Windows NT4/5 up to XP)
Description from the Tcl-Wiki
Debian-Interix Port; Debian based applications for Interix/SUA
Gentoo Prefix Port Gentoo based port of many applications
LBW: Linux Binaries on Windows, an Interix-based Linux system call translator for Windows