Has anyone tried running the WASM version of Linux inside a canister on ICP?
Will it actually run at an acceptable speed and not run into instruction limitations like WASP ran into with WordPress?
What other blockchain can actually host Linux directly on it? Linux nerds please reply…
The Linux kernel is a WASM module inside a browser. There wouldn’t be any issues with instruction limitations, as it would be deployed on a front-end canister (instead of a back-end).
Calling this project a WASM version of Linux is going way overboard on what it is.
** This is a proof-of-concept to get a discussion started, not a stable nor a secure system. Many workarounds (hacks) are needed to pull this thing off. Maybe this tech demo can steer development of Wasm, Linux, LLVM and the other components needed onto a path where a Wasm-powered Linux system can be supported in a production setting, but there is a long road ahead and all platforms need to change in fundamental ways for that to happen in a convincing way. Not to mention the human aspect - do all stakeholders even want to support such an odd platform as Wasm, or the niche use cases it currently caters?**
It is a minimal kernel which has been compiled to a webassembly module. It can make syscalls, but doesn’t have interrupts; and has a huge overhead in that it uses web workers for multithreading.
This is a fascinating project, but it REALLY stretches what is currently possible to do in a browser environment. But, looks like it could be laying the groundwork for a web4.0 browser.
Why would you want to run Linux on the Internet Computer? The point of an operating system is to add an abstraction layer on top of hardware. Despite it’s name, the Internet Computer is not hardware. It’s already much higher in the stack, so I don’t see what you would gain from this.
Good answer. Yeah no interrupts… so much for my 56k modem…and 40M hard disk. 
and my 3.5” floppy drive!
Yeah I could only imagine it wouldn’t run very well first of all in a browser and secondly on top of the IC host os at the bottom but if it were small enough like a puppy linux and you had a particular use case, it could be an interesting experiment…
I wonder what Muggzie is doing with it or just playing around…??
His VPN project is a great use case for the IC however and if it works well enough and is priced right could bring a lot of users…
Here’s what Linux could look like in the browser ….
As to why to do it:
https://joelseverin.github.io/linux-wasm/
Meh, just because some things can be done doesn’t mean they should.
Cool project though but not for canisters.
True however there may be some reason to do it and the fact that you can is truly amazing. I don’t think they modularized linux to run in the browser for no reason.
Jason a.k.a. Muggzie’s “Living and self-updating applications” with AI agents and MCP is another interesting topic.
You have to admit that Jason has some great ideas and is quite the thinker about how to best utilize the unique value prop here with ICP. Also his VPN idea is great.
He’s like a little kid in a candy store when he talks about all the possibilities. Very infectious enthusiasm. This is what we need more of instead of all the bickering and complaining and depressing attitudes on this forum that to be honest are getting old.
We have the most powerful blockchain in the world here and yet we’re sitting around posting “everything is falling apart” instead of coming up with solutions to make it successful.
Pathetic.
BTW this runs using around 800 MB of RAM for browser tab. There is a reason that IC-OS has a different memory management. Anyways still a great project but again not everything that is a buzz is a must. FYI regarding VPN feel free to ask the Boundary node team why there are so many problems with that VPN idea. Not my intention to disappoint but let’s be real and don’t sell hype.