Does any Window apps run with linux. What are the compatability issues with windows?
Does any Window apps run with linux. What are the compatability issues with windows?
The answer to this is both yes and no...
There are several windows compatibility packages available. If you are looking for just office productivity software then use the "Code Weaver" package. (The code weaver package cost money though.) If you want gaming compatibility then go with "Cedega". (Also cost money to get)
Most people use a free package called "Wine" It has excellent overall compatibility. Because windows software is not written for Linux, you probably wont get any support from them. However, there is a huge support base for wine in general and many people are working to get various windows software working. Check out http://www.winehq.org for more information.
Generally speaking unless you are doing something that requires the bleeding edge technology, you will be able to get it to work in wine. This will take you to the database of what works with wine: http://appdb.winehq.org
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Some days I get the sinking feeling that Orwell was an optimist!
Another option is to use a virtual machine emulator such as VirtualBox OSE. This will mimic a computer and allow you to boot any operating system from inside Linux, effectively in a jail cell, if you like.
I use it to run Windows XP when I want to test something.
Russ.
LOL i hate you guys, i'm gathering info and getting ready to install linux now lol
How about security, do you still need programs? Will my modems and all that stuff work on my windows pc if i switch to Linux?
Snopes is garbage, truthorfiction.com is a lot better! That em is a hoax!
I'm wondering the same thing as well.. will all my USB ports, DVD burner, etc. all still work as well?? I'm very intrigued as well..
Although triple... it wouldnt hurt to just try it out and see... you could always partition a piece of your hard drive off and boot from the linux one and when you wanted to play with windows, boot from that one. (that's what I might do.)
Individually our voices are but a whisper, only together will we be heard.
ENERGY SHOULD BE AND WILL BE FREE
I would recommend that you head over to ubuntu.com and download their live cd. You can boot from the cd and try out linux and its compatibility with your hardware before you commit to actually installing it.
I have the 8.04 LTS (long term support) version of ubuntu on my familys PC's. Mine utilises software disk mirroring using LVM so I don't need to worry about using a disk.
As for the occasional windows app, I have virtualbox ose installed (also free) which allows me to run a virtual windows xp pc inside linux.
Thanks Russ, I'm gonna try that out.
Edit: Russ, i found this page http://releases.ubuntu.com/hardy/ they're wanting to know which PC I'm using... from what I read, Since I have an Intel Centrino Core 2 Duo processor in my laptop, should I get the 64 bit version?
thanks
mike
Individually our voices are but a whisper, only together will we be heard.
ENERGY SHOULD BE AND WILL BE FREE
You can install either x86_64 or i386 versions on your machine. The nice thing about 64 bit computers is they are backwards compatible. Yes, go ahead and install the 64 bit version, just be sure to answer 'yes' to any questions that come up during installation like: "Do you want to install 32 bit librarys?" This will give you that backwards capability.
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Some days I get the sinking feeling that Orwell was an optimist!