To provide the macOS binaries with a kernel, Darling uses a modified XNU kernel wrapped into a Linux kernel module. This proved to be hard, and since a 2017 'Mach-O transition' Darling has been using a lightweight loader just enough to launch the open-source Apple dyld instead.

Darling's predecessor, maloader, presented a maximalist approach to the problem by trying to replicate everything that Apple's dynamic library loader dyld does. Architecture Īt the entry of the Darling system is a loader for Mach-O binaries, the executable format for Apple's operating systems.

The project may also support iOS applications in the future. Darling does have the ability to extract an Apple Disk Image. So far, the layer has been shown to work with many console apps, but does not currently support graphical applications. The developer is testing applications, such as Midnight Commander or The Unarchiver on the layer. The project started in Summer 2012 and builds on a previous project, named maloader, which was discontinued due to a lack of time. Darling has been called the counterpart to WINE for running OS X apps.

This method of duplication differs from other methods that might also be considered emulation, where macOS programs run in a virtual machine. It duplicates functions of macOS by providing alternative implementations of the libraries and frameworks that macOS programs call. A simple 'HelloWorld' Cocoa app demonstrated on macOS (left) and Linux (right)ĭarling is a free and open-source macOS compatibility layer for Linux.

Mac emulator linux