• Lesson 1. Installing Linux in LiveCD mode
• Lesson 2. Installation options for Linux and Windows
• Lesson 3. The GNOME desktop environment
• Lesson 4. Customising GNOME
• Lesson 5. Installing and deleting packages
• Lesson 6. Configuring the network
• Lesson 7. Partitioning and mounting HDD partitions
• Lesson 8. File Manager
• Lesson 9. Archiving files
• Lesson 10. Launching Windows applications
• Test

Lesson 10. Launching Windows applications

:: 1. What is Wine? :: 2. Configuring Wine :: Summary of the main points ::

You will learn how to:

• Run Windows applications in Linux using Wine.

In this lesson Wine will be discussed, which allows Windows applications to be run on Linux.

The official Wine site is: http://www.winehq.org/

1. What is Wine?

• Wine is an alternative free implementation of the Windows API (Windows system library) for the Unix family of operating systems. It allows the user to run many Windows applications in the Linux environment.
• Wine provides a virtually complete imitation of the Windows operating system, including the registry, standard directories and files. It also implements the functions of practically all the dynamic link libraries (DLLs), included in Windows, from 16-bit mode up to support for the emerging 64-bit mode.
• Wine is not a stable product because of the lack of complete documentation on Microsoft technologies. Also missing is driver support for equipment and devices with the USB interface.
• The Cedega project is available, distributed under a restricted license (it is impossible to publish binary codes). Cedega simply successfully implements DirectX support, thanks to which many contemporary games will work on it.
• The executable file for the Windows application is run in the normal way.
• The application is installed using the standard method.

:: Returne to the top ::

2. Configuring Wine

• The program has several important settings. To load the configuration window, from the Menu Bar run the following commands: Applications → Wine → Configure Wine.
• The window contains several tabs:

• • Applications contains a dropdown list of Windows Version. The chosen version is used by default for all applications being launched;
  • Drives is a list of Windows drives and standard directories, and their location in the Linux file structure:

• • Here you can add additional drives, as well as deleting those available (the C: drive is of course required);
  • Audio configures sound (quality and hardware support);
  • Desktop Integration configures the external appearance of Windows programs;
  • Graphics configures the graphics mode.

:: Returne to the top ::

Summary of the main points

• Wine is an alternative free implementation of the Windows API (Windows system library) for the Unix family of operating systems. It allows the user to run many Windows applications in the Linux environment.
• The executable file for the Windows application is run in the normal way. The application is also installed using the standard method.
• The program has several important settings. To load the configuration window, from the Menu Bar run the following commands: Applications → Wine → Configure Wine.

:: Returne to the top ::