The Frenchman Fabrice Bellard, who is known for been the founder of FFmpeg (free software that can record, convert and stream audio and video) has created a website that emulates running Linux on your web browser. When asked why he did it, he simply answered: “I did it for fun, just because the new JavaScript engines are fast enough to make complicated things. ”
It is worth nothing that the emulation must be executed from Google Chrome 11 or Firefox 4. Because otherwise you will not be able to see it. Once you are within that page, you will see like if the operating system was starting to boot, until finally reaching the system cursor.
If you are wondering, why would someone want emulate the Linux operating system from a web browser?
I believe that this website can be used for educational purposes, since one can quickly show the students an overview of the management and operation of the system without installing the necessary infrastructure. For ordinary users of Linux: How many times has happened to us that we do not remember a command or statement and we don’t have our Linux equipment with us? Or just to satisfy the curiosity of those who have always heard of Linux but have never had any contact with the operating system.
Lastly, as a technical data I can tell you Bellard has used the version 2.6.1920 of the Linux kernel and the hard disk needed is only a small portion of an image that is taken from the RAM and is approximately 2 megabytes.
Once you finished playing with Linux online, why not try it on your own computer?