Linux DeepinThis forum is for the discussion of Linux Deepin.
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Although WINE allows quite a lot of Windows programs to run in Linux, it seems to me that a lot more effort is put into the gaming end of things, and less into running Windows programs.
Perhaps there are proprietary problems, I don't know. From what I've seen, however, there are so many Windows programs which it would be nice to run under linux, but you can't. Others, like Microsoft Word, you can, after you google around and find the right "jury rig".
I'm thinking that if the Deepin team worked on an application version of WINE, and leave the WINEHQ team to spend most time on gaming, perhaps we'd get the best of both worlds. Perhaps if the Deepin version incorporated Play On Linux as an installer, then things like Turbotax could be run on Deepin Linux. And, perhaps in time, other versions of linux. Without having to do some elaborate jury rigs, as one must to run MS Word on Linux.
This just might bring more PC users to linux.
I've used WINE when i started using linux, nowadays i hardly use it, because it seems slow, windows programs are crappy compared to linux alternatives. But it is tru that my client would use linux if i can bring serius architecture software to it (autocad/archicad newer version)
I work with Linux most of the time these days, have for about a decade, and don't necessarily run much "serious architecture software". However, there are times when Windows programs do it better.
A prime example for me right now is CD rippers. Asunder and Sound Juicer are serviceable, and do the job well enough. However, right now I have a strange problem with both: They work during one session, then fail in the next (i.e., if I shut down and return tomorrow). That is, they won't detect the cd or cd drive, suddenly. This problem has gone on for a while; I think I may have reported it at least once.
However, FairStars CD Ripper works under WINE, and simply doesn't have this problem. AND, I can more easily configure this program for something I've just discovered: setting the sampling rate and frequency lower to make the MP3's take up even less space, so I can get almost a month of audio onto a 2 GB digital player.
Yes, I've done this under Linux, both Mint Debian and Deepin, as well as Sabayan. However, it would be nice if you could do it as easy in Linux as in Windows.
Another example is the Overdrive Media Console, for downloading digital audio from one's U.S. public library (don't know whether it's available outside the U.S.). Linux doesn't have an equivalent, and there's no easy way to do it with WINE.
I think I'm not the only one with these yearnings.
Last edited by starrfleat; 02-07-2013 at 03:20 PM.
Reason: forgot something
While I can understand your intention I am not in favor of this suggestion. I see problems with your approach. For one, Wine is a project to write an application layer that translates Windows API calls to Linux system calls. If it is a game or a different type of application that makes the system call is for Wine not really relevant (it doesn't matter if a game, a media player or a CD ripping application does a call to DirectX, it matters that Wine is able to translate that call correctly to Linux system calls). Having separate versions for games and other applications would be multiplying the necessary effort. It is better to concentrate the effort into one version.
Also, Wine is an open source project. Which parts are worked on is not controlled by some authority, but by the contributors that do the work. Even if the changelogs report a large number of bugfixes for games, if you look at the actual work (http://source.winehq.org/git/wine.gi...gs/wine-1.5.23) the number of contributions for APIs primarily used by games is rather small.
So if you want to have better support for specific applications start with reporting bugs, if you can program maybe you can commit a few bugfixes yourself.
I agree that Wine will benefit from more developers (as would almost any open source project), but I really doubt that a split will be benefiting for the project.
May I ask if you have specific reasons why you think that the Deepin developers would be the best for the task?
re:May I ask if you have specific reasons why you think that the Deepin developers would be the best
Just guessing. I thought that the Deepin team seems to want to start with UBUNTU, but in time branch off with their own linux. With this spirit of inquiry and adventure, maybe they could bring new energy to the WINE project.
Being programmers, they may agree more with your analysis. But, if they could work on WINE, there may be developments that I'd like to see.
Perhaps this is against the spirit of Linux, and can't happen even with Windows. BUT, I'm feeling like I'd like to spend less time reporting bugs, or googling for solutions, and more just having the software work. At least until I am totally retired, and have more time for that.
This is indeed a problem: Without reporting bugs to the Wine developers they don't know what to fix to enable you to run your software. It is not very likely that they will run the same software as you, so they have to rely on your feedback to improve Wine. Of course this will be cumbersome in the beginning, but will improve the experience in the long run for everyone.
But of course there are alternatives : Report bugs for the Linux equivalents of the software you need to improve it. Or pay a developer to either improve Wine support for your software or improve the Linux equivalent.
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