Wine: how to run windows applications on linux

There may be different circumstances by which we must install a Windows application in our Linux distribution. For example, the application is not available for Linux, the Windows version provides greater features, you must meet a labor standard or it is simply a preference. Carrying out this installation can be quite simple with the use of Wine. Next, we tell you what this is about and how to use it.

Wine: How to run Windows applications on Linux: What is Wine?

Basically, Wine is in charge of reimplementing the interface of the applications in Win16 and Win32 for Unix-based operating systems. In addition, it is Free Software, approximately half of its source code has been written by volunteers, the rest has been sponsored by commercial interests of some organizations.

We can highlight two functionalities, the fact of providing a group of development tools to convert source code of Windows applications to Linux. On the other hand, providing an application loader, which makes it easier for many Windows applications (in their various versions) to be run, without modifications, on other operating systems such as Linux.

We recommend reading Ubuntu Tips after installation.

Initially, his name, Wine, was an acronym for WIN dows E mulator. However, over time, this meaning changed, and it became, in English, " W ine I s N ot an E mulator", in Spanish, Wine is not an emulator. Consequently, it is relevant to mention that some applications can be much lighter when running on Linux through Wine.

Benefits of its use

There are many forums where it is commented that the last thing Linux needs is Wine or that this is not important. However, there are several reasons why its use is beneficial.

The first, the diversification of the offer, it is known that a high percentage of the population has Windows on their computers. But, suppose an organization wants to implement terminals on Linux to save licensing, without sacrificing the use of certain applications, point for Wine.

Second aspect, by allowing users to reuse Windows applications, it dramatically lowers the barrier that prevents users from switching to Linux, increasing their market share in this segment. In turn, it provides value for companies that produce versions of their applications for Linux and for new products.

And last but not least. Currently, it can provide advantages over Windows compared to:

Take advantage of all the strengths of Unix (stability, flexibility, remote administration) while still using Windows applications. It allows calling Windows applications from scripts, which makes it possible to take advantage of the Unix environment in its entirety. It is economical to use thin clients. Therefore, it is enough to install Wine on a Linux server, and voila, these applications can be accessed from any X terminal. Being open source, it can be expanded to suit the needs of each organization.

Installation on Linux

In Ubuntu

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 sudo add-apt-repository ppa: wine / wine-builds sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install --install-recommends winehq-devel

In Debian

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 wget https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/Release.key sudo apt-key add Release.key deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/debian / DISTRO main sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install winehq-devel

In Fedora 23

dnf config-manager --add-repo https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/fedora/23/winehq.repo dnf install winehq-devel

For other distributions, you can check the official site, download section.

Install and run applications

Once installed, you can run any file. EXE, just as if it were Windows. Additionally, it will allow you to create shortcuts, in the Wine category.

WE RECOMMEND YOU What CMOS is and what it is for

Probably, when running an installer, you will see this message:

This is not a big problem, it is because Linux works under privilege management. To solve it, you access the properties of the file, right-clicking on it and enable its execution as a program.