November 3, 2025
Repost cops vs Linux magic
Linux running in a browser tab via WASM
Yes, Linux runs in a tab—half the crowd screams “wow,” the rest yell “why”
TLDR: A developer booted Linux inside a browser using WebAssembly, but it’s a crash-prone demo with no networking. Comments quickly turned into repost drama, splitting the crowd between “this is the future” and “why bother,” with jokes about Ctrl+C and vi-in-Chrome highlighting the buzz.
Linux booting inside your browser is now a real thing, thanks to WebAssembly (Wasm)—a way to run fast code on the web. This demo boots the Linux kernel, drops you into a terminal with BusyBox commands like "ls" and "vi," and even hijacks your keyboard shortcuts. The creator warns it’s a fragile tech demo: it can freeze after five minutes, crash randomly, and there’s no real networking. Curious? Peek at the source code.
But the community drama kicked off fast. The first replies weren’t “mind blown,” they were repost police—"This has been already posted," followed by a link to yesterday’s HN thread. That set the mood: a split between dazzled dreamers who love the idea of an entire computer inside a browser tab, and skeptics asking the eternal question—why? The hype squad joked about running “vi in Chrome” and using Ctrl+C like it’s a spell, while the cautious crowd waved the "not secure" warning and pointed to the crash list like a receipt. It’s equal parts magic trick and glitchy curiosity, with commenters treating it as either a glimpse of the browser-everything future or just another flashy demo destined to freeze and reload. Either way, everyone clicked.
Key Points
- •A proof-of-concept runs the Linux kernel in a web browser using WebAssembly (Wasm).
- •BusyBox with musl libc provides userland commands; Xterm.js serves as the terminal emulator.
- •The demo is not stable or secure and relies on multiple hacks; true networking is forbidden in Wasm.
- •Interaction and debugging tips are provided, with Chromium-based browsers recommended over Firefox.
- •Known issues include intermittent lockups, console input freezes after ~5 minutes, and lack of longjmp/vfork support.