We
agree that popularity of Linux based OSes are spreading like
wildfire, and many others are opting for Mac OS as well. But let’s
face it, Windows is still the most used operating system for desktops
and laptops. And if you are also a Windows user who is willing to
switch to another platform but is held back by your favourite Windows
applications, here’s a good news. There are certain different
methods available to bring your Windows applications to your current
OS.
One option is to go for dual booting on Linux or you can simply
install the following apps. These applications will allow you to
install and run your favourite Windows applications on Linux
operating systems line GNU/Linux, Ubuntu, BSD and even on platforms
like Mac OS X.
1.
Wine
Started in 1993, Wine is an open source project. The project is
developed and maintained by the community under the coordination of
Alexandre Julliard.
The already popular app is compatibility layer between Windows
programs and the operating system. It converts Windows API calls to
POSIX calls, thus allowing integration of Windows applications to
POSIX-compliant OS (Mac OS X, GNU/Linux, and BSD). Rather than an
emulator or virtual machine, it is a reimplementation of Win32 API.
The app basically supports Windows XP, but support for newer
versions of Windows is actively included in its new releases. Wine
supports 32-bit architecture; support for 64-bit architecture is
still under development. It allows you to run programs like MS
Office, Windows Media Player, Adobe Photoshop, Max Payne, and several
other games and applications.
2. CrossOver
CrossOver is the commercialized and supported version of Wine for
Linux and Mac OS X. The proprietary software comes with
out-of-the-box support for many commercial Windows applications like
MS Office, MS Outlook, MS .NET Framework, Adobe Lightroom, DirectX,
etc.
You can also play games like Counter Strike, Diablo, StartCraft,
Half Life, World of Warcraft via this. Though Wine is a free
alternative, CrossOver, provided by CodeWeavers, is a better choice
for professionals and organizations who want to run particular
software on Linux or Mac OS X.
3. PlayOnLinux
While Wine and CrossOver both provide support for a lot of
applications with Wine, you are required to customize settings for
the particular app, and for CrossOver you have to fork out money for
it. PlayOnLinux is a nice alternative for both.
PlayOnLinux is a graphical front-end for Wine compatibility layer.
It simplifies the installation of Windows apps and especially games
on GNU/Linux by auto-configuring Wine. It provides wrapper shell
scripts to specify the configuration of Wine for any particular
software. It also uses an online database of scripts to apply for
different programs, and a manual installation can be performed if the
script is not available.
4. WineBottler
WineBottler is an app packager, which means it packages
Windows-based applications into Mac app-bundles. The name suggests
that it is connected to Wine, which is basically how you can run
Windows programs with it on your Mac. To use it, install it. That’s
it.
Click the Install button in WineBottler and it will take care of
the rest. It comes with handy scripts that take care of downloading,
installing, and configuring an application for you. WineBottler can
pack your Windows .exe software into Mac .app package and convert
.exe or .msi into an app. It even provides options to install special
dependencies.
5. PlayOnMac
Like PlayOnLinux, PlayOnMac is a graphical software built on top
of Wine. It aims to ease the installation of Windows programs and
games on Mac OS.
You can use PlayOnMac to easily install many apps and games on Mac
OS, without the need of making changes to Wine’s configuration for
that particular program. PlayOnMac takes care of Wine’s settings so
that you don’t have to configure them manually, and you can enjoy
using the software or game.
6. Q4Wine
Q4Wine is a QT4 graphical user interface for the Wine
compatibility layer. It’s available for GNU/Linux and FreeBSD. It
helps you to manage Wine prefixes and installed applications in an
easy-to-use graphical interface.
Q4Wine lets you easily handle tasks for creating and managing Wine
prefixes, controlling Wine processes, making backup of prefixes, and
many more tasks that would otherwise not be as easy to handle.
7. Wineskin
Wineskin, which also uses Wine to run Windows applications, is a
porting tool. It allows you to port Windows applications in Mac
application bundle wrappers, which can then run on Mac OS X and even
shared with other Mac users. It works with Snow Leopard, Lion and
Mountain Lion.
Wineskin uses a customized version of X Window System, known as
WineskinX11, to provide the graphical user interface for Windows
programs on the Mac OS X. Once you have created a Mac application
bundle of any Windows program, you can easily run it on your Mac OS X
just like any other native software. For more info, check out the
documentation.
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