Windows vs Linux — platform differences

SubnetSlinger is one app across platforms, but a handful of things are handled the way each operating system does them best. This is the quick reference; the details are in the other "Running on Linux" articles.

At a glance:

• Saved-secret encryption — Windows: DPAPI (tied to your Windows account). Linux: AES-256-GCM under a 0600 key file in ~/.config/SubnetSlinger. (macOS is a separate native app and uses the Keychain.)
• Where data lives — Windows: %APPDATA%\SubnetSlinger. Linux: ~/.config/SubnetSlinger (XDG).
• ARP cache — Windows: the arp table. Linux: read directly from /proc/net/arp (no external command needed).
• Ping / raw sockets — Windows: works without special setup. Linux: uses a file capability (cap_net_raw) or falls back to the system ping. See "Ping without root."
• Local interface & socket detail — richest on Linux (/proc + /sys); on Windows it uses the standard network APIs. Same tools, slightly deeper data on Linux.
• Packet capture — the Capture tool runs on both: one cross-platform engine (SharpPcap) that uses Npcap on Windows and libpcap on Linux. On Linux you need libpcap present (Ubuntu ships it) and capture privileges (cap_net_raw + cap_net_admin, or run elevated) — the same capability story as ping.

Good to know: this list is about plumbing, not features — no tool is missing on any platform. Where a difference could surprise you (a saved secret that won't move between machines, a ping that needs a capability), the relevant article calls it out. And because Linux setups vary so widely, treat these as the defaults, not a guarantee for every distro and kernel.