Summary

Windows provides all the features that make it the right choice for organizations that want to run all their applications on a single desktop. On the Windows platform, line-of-business and office productivity applications can run side by side and exchange data seamlessly. Earlier UNIX applications can be ported to run under Windows, or they can use Interix or other migration environments to run the applications with minimum modification. In either case, users do not need to switch environments and can focus on using a single environment, which results in less frustration and greater productivity.

For example, Windows-based applications use the Win32 API, which is implemented by the Win32 subsystem. Programs written for MS-DOS, OS/2, Microsoft Windows version 3.x, and POSIX run in their own environmental subsystems, all of which interact extensively with the Win32 subsystem to implement their functionality.

The Interix subsystem implements POSIX APIs. Even with this independence, you can still run Win32 programs, such as Notepad (Notepad.exe) and Calculator (Calc.exe), from the Interix shell prompt.