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Codeweavers' CrossOver Plugin Reviewed

Posted by timothy on from the win-what-was-that dept.

Grok writes: "CodeWeavers' CrossOver Plugin allows Linux users to use software and browser plugins that where once only avaliable on Windows. Version 1.0 was released in late August 2001 to much media furvor, while the release of version 1.1 arrived without much fanfare. Despite the lack of attention by the news media, the new version of CrossOver is a more exciting release than the orginal. The reason? Microsoft Media Player Support. Finally, every major plugin on the internet, along with several obscure ones, are now supported under Linux. (Full Story)"

14 of 166 comments (clear)

  1. Nice, but... by jad0 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Is there much point, I think the only files I can't play with Xine+plenty o' plugins are wma's - and do I really want to be able to?

    1. Re:Nice, but... by CProgrammer98 · · Score: 2, Insightful
      If you subscribe to the "linux for the desktop" theory, (rather than "keep it on the servers") then yes, it does matter.

      If "linux for the masses" is to take off and become a reality, an awful lot of people will look for wma support on their linux browsers.

      --
      And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour Isaiah 3:5
    2. Re:Nice, but... by digitalunity · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This is a good thing here. It allows Linux users to more fully collaberate with business users and will probably help make some headway into the desktop arena. That is what we want, isn't it?

      Once video codecs become a commodity item, the user begins to ignore them and decides which player to use based on quality. If this plugin can provide the features we all want along with the stability we're all accustomed to, the shores of Microsoft just eroded that minute bit more.

      Now, if I could just get both SolidWorks and Autocad in linux...

      --
      You can't legislate goodness. Let each to his own destiny, by will of his freely made choices.
    3. Re:Nice, but... by mgv · · Score: 3, Insightful

      WMA is of a reasonable quality and does as it says on the tin

      Yes, but doesn't microsoft have a fair bit of control over the WMA architecture - the usual problem of not being able to view it on any other player because of the control?

      Anyway, if everyone starts using it it becomes the standard. Sort of like internet explorer. Do we really want to go that way with WMA compression?

      Michael

      --
      There is no cryptographic solution to the problem where the intended receiver and the attacker are the same entity.
  2. Re:And I thought /. spelling was bad! by Psiren · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I know. It annoys the hell out of me too. Typos are one thing, but how people can go through life without understanding the differences between words like to and too, where and were, and there and their is beyond me. It's not really that hard. Are these people really as dumb as they sound?

  3. Same probelm that WINE has and OS/2 had by Colin+Smith · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If a platform runs Windows software better than Windows then developers will only ever write Windows software, leaving said platform as a vaguely interesting curiosity.

    The monopoly will only break when developers move away, and they'll only move when they have to.

    --
    Deleted
  4. Re:Crossover is great, but... by benmhall · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Actually, are there any concrete examples of a company ensuring that their app works under WINE and _then_ porting it to Linux natively? I am not aware of any. Certainly this was never Corel's long-term goal with WPOffice..

    If you were AOL and Mozilla was a Win32-only app that ran fine under Linux using WINE why would you bother with all of the (arguably excellent) underlying architecture that they have provided?

    I've heard this argument before, but I just don't think it's true. I could see a company porting to Qt (or Gtk) as a stepping-stone to full Linux support, but what is the incentive for a company to have two code-bases once their app works in both Windows and Linux?

    Ben

  5. Re:I can see the next M$ shareholder's meeting now by brodiedreamyou.ca · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Well If you notice the crossover plugin is useing windows media player 6 (i belive) and the reasion they cant run a newer version is because Microsoft added a line in the EULA of media player, saying it can only be installed on a system with MS windows.

    So how long untill windows media player 6 just wont cut it? I think the best hope for linux media is MPEG4 and quicktime 6. Even if apple dosent release Quicktime 6 for linux, MPEG4 is an open standard and it will be easier to port something.

  6. Why use plugins? by Raedwald · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It is a bad idea to make any of the content of your site only accessible via a plug-in, sure this software increases the number of systems that a plugin can use, but why bother? Why not create and encourage useful websites that don't need them?

    --
    Ne mæg werig mod wyrde wiðstondan, ne se hreo hyge helpe gefremman.
    1. Re:Why use plugins? by SimplyCosmic · · Score: 3, Insightful

      While the core argument of sticking with pure text content for a website is a good one for many "overdone" websites, there are a number of cases in which these plugins do make perfect sense.

      For example, as a gamer, I like being able to see video previews of works in progress, or catch a short film from any of those online film sites, or see a televised news report streamed to me about important events when I'm nowhere near a television.

      It's a fine balance that needs to be struck between content and usability, sure, but going luddite on any site that dares use an animated gif is no better than those sites that have a non-skippable fifteen minute flash intro's.

    2. Re:Why use plugins? by edremy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I have a bunch of sites devoted to molecular visualization. Students can load 3-d models of atomic orbitals, proteins, crystals and the like, then rotate/zoom to look at them from different angles. Simple buttons allow them to modify the views: for example, They can show alpha helix areas in a protein while also highlighting an inhibitor. Others let you quickly switch between spacefilled and wireframe views to show the differences between graphite and carbon or color code the layers in FCC vs. HCP crystals to show how the stacking changes. Sure, I can show a bunch of JPGs, but it's not the same.

      Now, how do I do that without a plugin? Java? Don't make me laugh: Chime has features that would take me years to code in Java- no remotely close equivalent exists.

      I try to make plugin free sites whenever possible, but limiting yourself to never using plugins gives up so much capability that you'd be silly to do that.

      Eric

      --
      "Seven Deadly Sins? I thought it was a to-do list!"
  7. How did you get WMP working in other browsers? by Nailer · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I own Crossover 1.1, and reading the documentation that comes with the product, in browser WMP is only supported under Netscape 4.7x, because the Windows WMP plugin relies on Javascript quirks not available in Netscape 6, or Galeon, or Konq, or Opera, or (euw) Moz. My own experiements seem to confirm this.

    Has this situation changed?

  8. Don't support Windows Media! by IGnatius+T+Foobar · · Score: 5, Insightful

    While it's great that Codeweavers has managed to get enough of WINE working to support Windows Media Player, it's still a very bad idea for us to use it. Here's why.

    Every time you click on a Windows Media file, you are sending a message to the site operator which basically says "I support Microsoft's efforts to monopolize digital media." You're voting with your mouse.

    Right now, in most places we still have a choice of formats: Windows Media, Real, streaming MP3, whatever. If everyone just mindlessly chooses the Windows Media formats without a second thought, site operators are going to look at their logs and say "well, nobody is using the Real/MP3/whatever formats, so let's just start webcasting exclusively in Windows Media format." Do you want that to happen? I sure don't. We cannot afford to let Microsoft monopolize this market. Think of the ramifications of Microsoft having a 100 percent lock on digital content. Digital Rights Management? Easy... just put it in Windows Media. Region lockouts? Put it in Windows Media. Want to work around those problems? Sorry, you can't, because digital media is Windows Media and you don't have any other choice!

    Let's not forget that even though Windows Media Player may now run on Linux, you'll never see a Linux distribution that includes it, because the Crossover Plugin is not free, and Microsoft's licenses prevent WMP from appearing on Linux CD's.

    Great technology, bad way to use it. As Linux users we must keep on clicking on those non-Microsoft formats, and politely asking site operators to maintain or add media in non-Microsoft formats. Let's not succumb to the urge to satisfy short-term viewing/listening needs at the expense of sacrificing long-term interoperability.

    --
    Tired of FB/Google censorship? Visit UNCENSORED!
  9. CodeWeavers and the Wine project are great, but... by Lethyos · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If as much time spent developing great software for running Win32 binaries and strengthening Microsoft's position, was spent towards building a plethora of open-source multimedia applications, we'd be a lot better off. Linux needs more native software that it can run well, instead of software that gives it access to a library of programs that it can run poorly. Plus, the more we support Microsoft's platform, the stronger they get. It keeps us dependent on Microsoft and other proprietary platforms, and gives less incentive to move completely over to Linux. (Think: "if Linux can run Windows software, but not as good, why should I use Linux?")

    Again, they are great projects and kudos to them for doing such a great job. I just wish we could see more native software of this nature.

    (just my two cents)

    --
    Why bother.