What's preventing Wine from performing 100%?

[MR.UNOWEN]

So I was just wondering what's preventing Wine from running applications with 100% performance? Is it....

a) It's just physically impossible for a Linux machine to run win apps at 100%.

b) The wine developers are still figuring things out how to work all the bugs out.

c) Microsoft is making it impossible for wine developers to create a perfect emulation of Windows?

[Nano Geek]

It's pretty much all three. The WINE devs are all basically guessing about the MS code, and Microsoft certainly won't tell them what they're doing wrong.

[Frak]

All three, plus the constant closed updates from MS is definately holding them back.

[MR.UNOWEN]

Will Wine ever be perfect?

[Nano Geek]

Will Wine ever be perfect?I doubt it will ever be able to run every Windows program ever created. It's good, just not great.

[Frak]

Nope

[misfitpierce]

Probably not perfect but they try their hardest to get as close as possible period. :)

[BWF89]

Even if the Wine developers managed to get 100% compatibility with the current version of Windows in a couple years they'd release a new version they'd have to start working on and the process never ends.

Does anyone know when Wine is going reach the 1.0 version milestone?

[-grubby]

They have to recreate all of the windows APIs and it doesn't help that Microsoft keeps making more and more releasing

[hardyn]

why would we want wine to be perfect... its a great opportunity for YOU to tell software vendors that you want native linux releases, and you do this with your wallet... do not support non native linux software, open or closed source.

[MR.UNOWEN]

why would we want wine to be perfect... its a great opportunity for YOU to tell software vendors that you want native linux releases, and you do this with your wallet... do not support non native linux software, open or closed source.

Well let's look at the bigger picture. We're a minority. Big businesses are going to look at the majority. From a financial point of view, Businesses won't spend their resources just to meet the demand of a small group. In the other had if an organization like the developers of Ubuntu strike up a deal with those businesses who knows. Also other systems are successful in doing what wine is trying to accomplish. For example Macs now are able to run both windows and mac programs.

[LaRoza]

Well let's look at the bigger picture. We're a minority. Big businesses are going to look at the majority. From a financial point of view, Businesses won't spend their resources just to meet the demand of a small group. In the other had if an organization like the developers of Ubuntu strike up a deal with those businesses who knows. Also other systems are successful in doing what wine is trying to accomplish. For example Macs now are able to run both windows and mac programs.

* Windows Virus's don't run in Linux
* Linux can run Windows in a VM
* Windows can run Linux in a VM
* Business spend a large amount of money on Licenses, Software, Hardware, and people devoted to Windows

It is not the goal of Linux to be Windows. In fact, Windows isn't a good OS, just one that is well supported.

Linux != Windows

[stinger30au]

In fact, Windows isn't a good OS, just one that is well supported.


very well said.
best post i have read in ages

[popch]

I doubt (Wine) will ever be able to run every Windows program ever created. It's good, just not great.

Neither can Windows. I have bought Windows applications which worked rather intermittently in Windows. If they are not broken from the beginning, they can break with the next Windows update or the next update of the application.

[daverich]

Personally I think wine should concentrate on just getting xp emulation up to speed and forget about vista.


Kind regards

Dave Rich

[Bagster]

* Windows Virus's don't run in Linux


That is not actually true...
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=72598
looks like windows viruses can run under linux using wine!
also
http://www.linux.com/articles/42031

[k99goran]

Linux is kind of trapped in a "chicken and the egg" situation, very much like OS-X or any other platform that would challenge Windows.

P1: Software and hardware developers won't support Linux due to its small user base.
P2: The majority of users will not use Linux due to its lacking software/hardware support.
C: Linux will have a small user base.
(This is a simplification obviously)

There are of course several ways in which Linux can break out of this situation:

1. Original software being developed for Linux to replace Windows applications (Open Source).
2. Non-platform-dependent applications (Web-apps).
3. A sizable portion of computer users that does not require Windows specific applications and that benefits from the lower cost of Linux ($200 PC, Asus EEE).
4. Support for Windows applications (Wine).
5. Software/hardware developers supporting Linux in spite of small user base.
6. Simplified virtual machine. A Linux machine running a game under VM still counts as a Linux machine.
7. Halo effect from Linux-based devices (Android).

In reality all of these are happening to some degree.

[Incense]

When you really think about it, it's a wonder that WINE works at all. The WINE dev team is already doing an amazing job, and I don't think they get enough credit. Most people just complain that they can not run x software, on linux when it's really amazing that you can run ANY windows software on linux.

[JAPrufrock]

You know, I use to think it was the hardware too, but it's really the software. If I want to I can buy the right hardware, or buy a machine preinstalled with Linux. It's the apps that we need. I use Wine to run an early version of Quickbooks, which is a quantum leap ahead of any comparable open-source software that I can find. I can't print with it though (maybe because I'm running 64bits). It there were a native Quickbooks app, Acrobat writer and Autocad made for Linux, I would be in 7th heaven. I would remove my VirtualBox XP tomorrow and never look back. Meanwhile I use VirtualBox and Wine, and I must admit, the last few releases of Wine have been great. Kudos to the Wine team!!

[Nonno Bassotto]

For example Macs now are able to run both windows and mac programs.

I doubt it very much... On a Mac you can dual boot Windows or run Windows in a VM (and you can do both on Linux too), but I never heard you can run Windows programs (in Linux you often can thanks to Wine).

[boast]

I doubt it very much... On a Mac you can dual boot Windows or run Windows in a VM (and you can do both on Linux too), but I never heard you can run Windows programs (in Linux you often can thanks to Wine).

CrossOver Mac (thanks to wine)


I just can't find a guide to compiling wine on mac :(

[Acglaphotis]

Even if the Wine developers managed to get 100% compatibility with the current version of Windows in a couple years they'd release a new version they'd have to start working on and the process never ends.

Does anyone know when Wine is going reach the 1.0 version milestone?

They aren't trying to get compatibility with a specific version of Windows, but the whole Win32 api.

[ssam]

Does anyone know when Wine is going reach the 1.0 version milestone?

http://wiki.winehq.org/WineReleaseCriteria

only 77 bugs to go.

[Naralas]

I doubt it will ever be able to run every Windows program ever created. It's good, just not great.

Correction: It's great. Not perfect.

[undine]

Who cares?

[Frak]

Use DarWine instead of compiling Wine.

[LaRoza]

That is not actually true...
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=72598
looks like windows viruses can run under linux using wine!
also
http://www.linux.com/articles/42031

I said Linux can't run them, Wine can (sometimes).

[Frak]

I said Linux can't run them, Wine can (sometimes).
Wine can't run any virus to actually do what it was supposed to.

[LaRoza]

Wine can't run any virus to actually do what it was supposed to.

I never tried. I never got a virus in Windows, so I don't have any experience in them. I don't use AV in Windows, just my brains.

[Bruce M.]

I doubt it will ever be able to run every Windows program ever created. It's good, just not great.

Even Windows can't run every Windows program ever created. :lolflag:

[loudnlownoma]

When you really think about it, it's a wonder that WINE works at all. The WINE dev team is already doing an amazing job, and I don't think they get enough credit. Most people just complain that they can not run x software, on linux when it's really amazing that you can run ANY windows software on linux.

x100!

I definitely agree that being able to run anything MS related is a miracle in and of itself really. The first I started messing with Linux (a little late in the game I will admit, Linspire....I know, I know. Got it from a friend - the same that turned me onto Ubuntu actually later on) I was expecting to jump in and re-learn anything I know about an OS, and figured I would be using all new apps and everything, with no hope of familiarity. While much of this is true even today, I can't say enough how much I enjoy not having to keep a Windows partition around for some of the classics that work surprisingly easily in Wine.

And it's a great way to wean yourself away from MS too. It can be hard for a MS user of 10+ years to just drop everything and re-learn computing. Switching the OS is a giant leap for some, and the ability to have stepping stones helps immensely. First switch to Linux and get comfortable with the new environment, and thanks to Wine, you can still have some familiarity, with some of the programs that you are used to. I set mine up with Diablo 2, Starcraft, and some other Windows apps I thought I couldn't live without. Now that I am getting more used to the OS itself and all, I have started moving on to more of the native Linux apps that do the same thing, but look a little different.

So I say thanks again to the WINE team for all they have done so far!


Even Windows can't run every Windows program ever created. :lolflag:

Another statement I think I couldn't agree with more!