WINE vs PlayOnLinux

[flyfishingphil]

Hope I can get answers this time. I seem to ask questions that there are no answers to, or nobody knows.

Looked at WINE and PlayOnLinux. Get the impression that POL is maybe a different/easier to use version of WINE.

Previous questions, unanswered:

1. Do you have to install a Windough$ version (XP, Vista, 7) before you can install programs in WINE?

2. Is WINE good for anything other than games and a couple of other programs?

Regarding POL:

1. Do you have to have any Windough$ installed to use POL?

2. Is it more versatile than WINE? (I.E. Can I use it to install/work my magellan gps & map send programs?)

Does anybody know where I can find user instructions, other than the quick glance style I've found on the site, for POL and WINE?

Are there any suggestions on other possible ways to "adapt" some of the programs I use in Vista to use them in 10.04 without having to do the VBox?

[aloprot]

Hello, I'm not an advanced gnu/linux user but I will try to help you as much as I can.
"Do you have to install a Windough$ version (XP, Vista, 7) before you can install programs in WINE?"

No! You only need a linux distro and a wine version in oder to install your programs. Wine is not really a full emulator but a compatibility layer providing alternative implementations of the dll that Windows programs call, and a process to substitute for the Windows NT KERNEL.

"Is WINE good for anything other than games and a couple of other programs?"
That was why Wine was created, to allow computer programs written for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix Like operating systems. You can check http://appdb.winehq.org/ to see which applications are supported. What else do you want to do with Wine? This is its function. You can read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_%28software%29

Regarding POL:
"Do you have to have any Windough$ installed to use POL?"
No, pol is an application to ease the installation of Windows applications (primarily games) using Wine. That's all.

" Is it more versatile than WINE? (I.E. Can I use it to install/work my magellan gps & map send programs?)"

Pol is more helpful and I think was created to ease the users effort when installing applications using wine. I don't know if you can install your magellan gps and map send programs. Maybe this link can help you : http://tuxmobil.org/linux_gps_naviga...lications.html


Good luck !

[Jerry N]

I don't know what a Windough$ is - did you mean Windows? If so, no you don't have to install Windows because Wine contains the necessary components to make some Windows programs work. I don't know about POL. The last few versions of Wine that I have tried (Ubuntu 9.04, 9.10, 10.04) installed Office 97 but Excel 97 did not work. I have found that Codeweavers Crossover (costs a few dollars) worksmuch better than Wine and that Office 97 running under Crossover performs a lot better than Openoffice.org.

Jerry

[lykwydchykyn]

Play On Linux is what we call a "front end" for Wine. "front end" programs are just interfaces that make it simpler to control and use other programs.

In other words, POL doesn't do anything WINE can't do, it just simplifies the process for mere mortals.

Games make up a huge portion of the WINE development effort, probably because unlike utilities or productivity applications, games are not really "replaceable". But even so, many popular productivity applications get attention from wine developers, and sometimes the collateral effect of development makes other programs work even if they aren't the focus of development.

[jfreak_]

POL CANNOT run anything that WINE can't. It only simplifies the procedure of installing some games by autofetching libraries , etc, etc( I think). It has the added advantage of letting us choose which version of Wine we want to use a particular software with. This is because sometimes some softwares work better in an older version of Wine that a newer one.

[flyfishingphil]

Hello, I'm not an advanced gnu/linux user but I will try to help you as much as I can.
"Do you have to install a Windough$ version (XP, Vista, 7) before you can install programs in WINE?"

No! You only need a linux distro and a wine version in oder to install your programs. Wine is not really a full emulator but a compatibility layer providing alternative implementations of the dll that Windows programs call, and a process to substitute for the Windows NT KERNEL.

"Is WINE good for anything other than games and a couple of other programs?"
That was why Wine was created, to allow computer programs written for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix Like operating systems. You can check http://appdb.winehq.org/ to see which applications are supported. What else do you want to do with Wine? This is its function. You can read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_%28software%29

Regarding POL:
"Do you have to have any Windough$ installed to use POL?"
No, pol is an application to ease the installation of Windows applications (primarily games) using Wine. That's all.

" Is it more versatile than WINE? (I.E. Can I use it to install/work my magellan gps & map send programs?)"

Pol is more helpful and I think was created to ease the users effort when installing applications using wine. I don't know if you can install your magellan gps and map send programs. Maybe this link can help you : http://tuxmobil.org/linux_gps_naviga...lications.html


Good luck !

Thanks all first. Aloprot, went back in and checked the WINE site and finally found the listing for other than the Gold, Platinum and Silver rated. Looks like that will take some time to go voer and see what all is offered and if anything is close to what I'm looking for.

Now, more questions:

When I click Applications > Wine > a "programs" box pops up, (somehow I got Serif Photo plus in there??? It may have happened when I was checking out VBox.) but I see nothing about installing programs to WINE. Is there something missing? Are there other installs needed to bring it up to full operation? How do you install anything using WINE? I may have missed them somewhere but I can't find a "users manual" on the how to's. Anybody know where that is?

There will probably be lots more questions. Hope nobody gets bored or gives up.

Thanks again

Edit note: Stopped by the Tuxmobile site and clicked on the Magellan part and I think I got an Error 404 notification. I'm not real sure because what I saw was all in Russian. Very interstink!

I went back in and did a reinstall on WINE. Now, when I click Applications > Wine> it offers Programs, Browse C Drive, Configure Wine and uninstall Wine software. What else do I need?

[3rdalbum]

Open a terminal and type 'wine' followed by a space, and then drag in the installer for the program you want to install:

wine <drag file into terminal>

[Paqman]

Even easier than that, just double-click on the .exe installer and Wine will do the rest. Your system is smart enough to know that it has to use Wine to open a .exe.

For PlayonLinux you can launch the app and browse a list of software to install. It'll either download the app for you, or ask for the install disks.

[sxmaxchine]

POL uses wine
1. you dont need to install windows
2. Wine is perfect for some programs but as other programs were not made for linux systems there is only so much wine can do without making your computer windows.
regarding POL
1. You dont need windows installed but you need to have wine installed
2. I dont know what you mean by versatile, because POL is basically a GUI for wine you select the program from a list of supported programs and POL will install it and required winetricks (fonts and stuff)

dont know were you can find good tutorials

wine and POL are probably the best you will be able to get windows programs to wok on linux without virtualizing windows.

hope this answers your questions

and i assumed Windough$ meant windows

[Dayofswords]

1. Do you have to have any Windough$ installed to use POL?

thats it,
i'm making a list of everyway i see microsft and windows is spelt on here