Today, many people are switching to Linux. When moving to this new platform, users often have to find alternatives to the popular Windows pr...
Today, many people are switching to Linux. When moving to this new platform, users often have to find alternatives to the popular Windows programs they've used before. When it comes to alternative programs, most of them are already on Linux platforms.
Some programs have been replaced. For example, Photoshop was replaced with GIMP and Microsoft Office replaced with Libre Office. Lots of mainstream Windows programs have open source alternatives.
However, not every program has a suitable alternative. There are a few applications from Windows that are essential but there are no alternatives on Linux. Fortunately, there is a software project that allows you to run Windows applications on Linux. This software is called Wine. It creates compatibility layers for Windows programs to interact with the Linux operating system.
Instructions to install Wine on Linux
All mainstream Linux versions integrate Wine in one way or another, under different names. Open a Terminal window and use the following Linux command to install it on your operating system. Alternatively, open the GNOME Software (which usually installs on a Linux computer), search for Wine and click the install button to continue.
Ubuntu
sudo apt install wine-stable
Debian
sudo apt-get install wine
Fedora
sudo dnf wine
Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S wine
OpenSUSE
sudo zypper install wine
Run Windows apps on Linux with Wine
Wine can be used in two ways. Users can launch Windows programs through the Terminal app or with a file manager on the system.
Via the Terminal app
For those who prefer to use a Terminal app, here's how to run a Windows app. First, go to the folder containing the program on your PC using the CD command.
Note: if the EXE file is not in the Downloads folder but is saved somewhere else, change your command.
~ / = / home / username.
cd ~ / Downloads
Then use the Wine command to start the program.
wine windowsprogram.exe
Via File ManagerWindows applications can be launched (and installed) directly from the file manager. To do this, open the file management tool that came with your Linux operating system. Please note that the computers will not be completely identical. Settings and options will vary, depending on the operating system you are using. Even so, the main content is still quite similar.
Even if the Wine software is installed, that does not mean that the EXE file will run immediately. Instead, you will need to set Wine as the default program for the “exe” file.
To launch the application, find the folder containing the application and right-click on it. Select "properties" in the menu and look for "open with", "file type options" or something similar. In this section, select Wine. If you can't find Wine in the program list, find an option to write an alternative command, and type: Wine.
Go back to the file manager and double-click the .exe file. Wine will open the Windows app and run it.
Wine Helpers
Basically everything on Wine went well, and most users have no trouble running Windows apps on Linux. However, for some people, how Wine works a bit complicated and they need help. That is why in this article, we will briefly introduce some "help" in Wine, these are resources that people can use to make using Wine more conveniently.
PlayOnLinux
For those who want to use Wine to install Windows games, PlayOnLinux is the obvious choice. It comes with some help making it easier to install multiple Windows games at the same time. Just use the search bar, find a game you like and click the install button. PlayOnLinux installs everything the game needs to run (even things like the Windows game runtime requires). PlayOnLinux is available on most mainstream Linux distributions. To install it, open the terminal application and enter the following command. Alternatively, open the software tool that came with your Linux and search for "PlayOnLinux".
Ubuntu
sudo apt install playonlinux
Debian
sudo apt-get install playonlinux
Fedora
sudo dnf install playonlinux
Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S playonlinux
OpenSUSE
sudo zypper install playonlinux
Mr. Nerd
