| Running Existing Win32 Applications on SUSE LINUX 
Posted: 2 Jun 2004
Overview
For long-time Windows users, making the switch from Windows to
Linux can be somewhat of a daunting task. But with the recent popularity of the
Linux operating system and the never-ending desire to reduce costs, the pressure
to make the switch is mounting. There are several ways in which people have
tried to migrate from Windows to Linux, everything from having a dual boot
operating system, to a Virtual Operating System, and even separate systems. The
dual boot system works well, but shutting down and re-booting to the other
operating system just to get to your applications can get old really fast, and
there is the fact that you haven't done away with the requirement for the MS
Windows license. With a virtual operating environment such as VMWare you install
one operating system, either Windows or Linux as the host operating system and
other as the virtual operating system. Although this works great as well, you
still need a Windows license and also a VMWare license. Another option
(certainly the least expensive one) is to use Wine. Wine, which stands for "Wine
is not an emulator" comes pre-installed on the SUSE line of products and can be
used to run many of your Win32 (Win 95/98, NT/2000/XP), Win16 (Win 3.1) and DOS
applications. Using Wine, you can finally remove the requirement for the Windows
license and get the most out of your Linux system. http://www.winehq.com//
Using Wine on SUSE Linux
As previously mentioned, Wine comes pre-installed on Linux and
can be found in a hidden directory (.wine) in the user's home directory. In the
.wine directory you will see a fake_windows directory which contains directories
required by the Windows operating system (Program Files, Windows, My Documents,
etc.). If you type wine regedit you will notice that wine
implements a Windows registry, which makes sense, since most Windows
applications required entries in the Windows registry. Many Windows applications
have a dependency on the Microsoft's COM product http://www.microsoft.com/com/.
Don't be surprised if you have to download DCOM98 to get
your application to install.
Installing Windows applications using Wine
When installing a Windows application you have several
options. If you are an experienced Linux user you can install the application
from a Terminal Window. Simply change directories to where the install.exe or
setup.exe is located, and precede the install.exe or setup.exe with "wine" to
install the application (i.e. wine setup.exe). If you are not an
experienced Linux user and prefer doing things in a GUI environment, you can use
the Linux File Manager (pops up automatically when a CD is inserted) to browse
and select the install.exe or setup.exe.
When Linux prompts for an application to open the file, enter
wine and click OK.
Once the application is installed, you can either run the
application from a Linux Terminal Window by changing directories to where the
applications executable file is located and execute wine <app
name>, or a better option is to create an icon on the desktop that
references the application. Remember that you must precede the application with
the wine command.
Using Crossover Office to install applications
Although it is not required, it is highly recommended that you
use a third-party product named Crossover Office produced by CodeWeavers which
uses wine and ensures Linux compatibility for many of today's popular Office
Windows applications http://www.codeweavers.com/site/products/cxoffice.
CodeWeavers is very proactive and if an application is on their supported list
and it doesn't work they want to know about it so they can supply a fix.
Crossover Office ships with the SUSE Linux Desktop product,
but must be purchased separately for other SUSE products for a very reasonable
fee.
CodeWeavers has rated many of today's Windows applications with a
Gold, Silver, Bronze, Honorable Mention, Known not to work, or Untested Medal
rating for Linux compatibility which is a huge benefit. http://www.codeweavers.com/site/products/cxoffice/supported_apps/
Once installed, Crossover Office offers a setup application
that maintains a list of installed Windows applications and also a list of
supported applications.
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