For the last few years, I've been avoiding Wine. Sure, I'm missing out on the huge library of wonderful Windows programs (sarcasm intended), but there were several reasons why I didn't want -- or need -- Wine:
First, the versions of Wine I had tried were very buggy. It might have had something to do with the fact that for over ten years, Wine never really hit version 1.0; and only recently did it do so. In any case, the performance was so bad that I eventually found substitutes for those Windows programs, or just stopped using them altogether.
Second, because I had a shift in mindset, I found that Linux met the needs for all the programs I really needed from day-to-day. If I did need a Windows application, it was so infrequent I could just head over to the nearest unenlightened cybercafe to get the work done.
However, as I read through the Ubuntu forums, I found that more and more people actually were using Wine. So I decided to give it another shot, especially now that it had hit version 1.0.
Now, really, what would you use Windows for? The top answer is: games. So I went on a nostalgic detour and downloaded the latest version of Bejeweled. I also picked up a word game, Bookworm. I had also recently received Starfleet Deluxe which simply cried for a test drive.
And so I ran these three programs against Wine, and boy! was I pleasantly surprised.
Bejeweled and Bookworm perfectly, and Starfleet Deluxe only needed a minor tweak in its setting (in the game, not in Wine). Bejeweled and Bookworm both went to full screen, and wonder of wonders! it even had sound. Possibly the most amazing thing here is I was running Wine under my minimalist installation!
I hadn't had to do any configuration with Wine at all. I simply installed them from the Hardy repositories:
and once done:
and I was going.
Of course, the old problem with non-free software immediately cropped up. Bookworm and Bejeweled only let me have one hour of playtime, after which I would have to buy the games. No thanks.
All in all, I still wouldn't trust Wine to run any mission-critical Windows software. But maybe for the occasional game...maybe.
First, the versions of Wine I had tried were very buggy. It might have had something to do with the fact that for over ten years, Wine never really hit version 1.0; and only recently did it do so. In any case, the performance was so bad that I eventually found substitutes for those Windows programs, or just stopped using them altogether.
Second, because I had a shift in mindset, I found that Linux met the needs for all the programs I really needed from day-to-day. If I did need a Windows application, it was so infrequent I could just head over to the nearest unenlightened cybercafe to get the work done.
However, as I read through the Ubuntu forums, I found that more and more people actually were using Wine. So I decided to give it another shot, especially now that it had hit version 1.0.
Now, really, what would you use Windows for? The top answer is: games. So I went on a nostalgic detour and downloaded the latest version of Bejeweled. I also picked up a word game, Bookworm. I had also recently received Starfleet Deluxe which simply cried for a test drive.
And so I ran these three programs against Wine, and boy! was I pleasantly surprised.
Bejeweled and Bookworm perfectly, and Starfleet Deluxe only needed a minor tweak in its setting (in the game, not in Wine). Bejeweled and Bookworm both went to full screen, and wonder of wonders! it even had sound. Possibly the most amazing thing here is I was running Wine under my minimalist installation!
I hadn't had to do any configuration with Wine at all. I simply installed them from the Hardy repositories:
sudo apt-get install wineand once done:
wine myprogram.exeand I was going.
Of course, the old problem with non-free software immediately cropped up. Bookworm and Bejeweled only let me have one hour of playtime, after which I would have to buy the games. No thanks.
All in all, I still wouldn't trust Wine to run any mission-critical Windows software. But maybe for the occasional game...maybe.
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