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New Crossover Release With Improved Compatibility
solanum writes "On March 2nd Crossover 9.0 was released. CrossOver 9 features a new user interface that focuses on making installation of Windows software quicker and easier than previous versions. Another new feature is CrossOver's ability to download installation 'recipes' directly from CodeWeavers online Compatibility Database. 'If another CrossOver user has figured out how to use CrossOver to install a Windows application, they can upload that installation recipe to our database,' said Jeremy White, CodeWeavers chief executive officer. 'As we go forward, and build this online storehouse, CrossOver will begin to automatically install that same application for other users. This enables us to move closer to a world where CrossOver will begin to run the majority of Windows apps, and not just an officially supported subset. In other words, our diabolical plot for world domination is going exactly as planned,' he added. Early reviews and comments are positive, and my own experience is that many more Windows applications work in this new version than previously."
CompatAbility? :)
I hope they check user-reported installation recipes, or people are going to find their instructions freshly packaged with Botnet 9.0 too...
I'm not sure how it works, but if you are submitting information electronically and it needs to be formatted correctly its probably not being looked at by a human in which case its vital that you format correctly.
If you can't be bothered to give them correct information I can see why you have not gotten an acceptable response.
Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
I know I will be modded to Oblivion. But thanks I have Mono, open source, Cross platform and .Net Framework (and IMO better than Java). I don't have to muck around with my applications to be compatible with other OS.
I'm not going to mod you, but I will respond. Cross-platform initiatives like Mono and Java take a shot at addressing the realm that Crossover handles, but they are far from a working or complete solution. Here's why:
Many applications - specifically, many of the ones that are important enough to make a person choose an operating system - are not written in Mono or Java. The reason why is worthy of discussion, but that doesn't affect the fact that this is the case. These applications include the obvious set: the Microsoft Office suite, Photoshop, AutoCAD, ArcGIS, mainstream games, et cetera. Linux as a platform could be desired (by the users) or applied to increase productivity, but the criticality of these applications prohibits it from being even considered.
Now, Windows virtualization has done wonders for allowing such software to be usable in a Linux environment, but there are both integration and performance issues with that solution. Furthermore, it can be difficult for a nth-degree-removed user to justify to management why they still need a Windows license but want to go out of their way not to run Windows.
On the other side, even cross-platform languages like Mono and Java still can have platform dependencies written into them. Many applications need or use functionality beyond that which is provided in the .NET Runtime API and resort to native interface calls. Poor programming can result in hard-coded filesystem specifics (like path separators). Cross-platform-aware vendors may write Windows- and Linux-specific parts of their larger codebase, but others will not. Point being, an application is not cross-platform merely on virtue of being written in a cross-platform language.
Be it issues with language or issues with general compatibility, there is a need to run Windows applications in a Linux environment that is not really solvable without a compatibility layer like Crossover. Until (if ever) vendors actually make a point of releasing cross-platform builds (or platform-specific builds for all mainstream platforms), Crossover provides a low-cost functional solution to a real user and industry need, and with it removes a roadblock that can, for many, completely disqualify non-Windows operating systems as a platform choice.
Still wont run the only apps I need to ditch windows.
Sony Vegas and a couple other video editing apps.
there is NOTHING under linux that is usable outside very simple home movies. I'd pay 2X the price for Vegas retail if I could get it for Linux.
And yes, I have tried everything for linux video editing, they all either completely suck or are half done, or are designed for home users... OpenShot is nice for home use, sucks for editing a 1 hour TV episode with tons of composting and CG.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Consider it donation to Wine.
I personally find that it offers better usability -less configuration- than Wine.
GENERATION 25: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation.
Yeah, I never understood the hatred towards CodeWeavers. They are the epitome of open-source business - they fund and support the foundation project (wine) by hiring devs and contributing piles of patches back. Unlike say, TransGaming which forked Wine ages ago.
Personally I have subs for both Linux and MacOS - it seems yearly they have these great specials, and I renew my support then. I think I only paid $35 this year because they had a 50% off special ($35/yr support for each product), and then got a bonus 6 months for being an existing customer, and then they gave me another year because this release took so long.
Heck, it's a great way to play Valve's games on MacOS (at least until Steam comes to native OS X).
I've been using CX Games on and off for almost 2 years now. The product is great if you are running a 32 bit version of Linux. However, if you are running a 64 bit distribution, you WILL have problems. My hardware is relatively modern (dual Xeons, 16G RAM, 9600GT video). The issues you WILL have on a 64 bit system if you try to play a Windows game are continuous random crashes due to running out of memory. I think CodeWeavers has good support as far as they can go. Their problem is that they are basically a 're-seller' of WINE and don't have control over that 'product'. I'm not going to bother submitting links into their support forums on this issue, if challenged I will link to the post where they admit that it just won't work right and there's nothing they can do about it.
BTW, I also use Crossover & MS Office under Trusted Solaris and I think it's a vast improvement over the previous solution (Star Office). I'm not a big fan of Microsoft but when the application (word processing, spreadsheets, presentations) opens 3 times faster and is more responsive and reliable, I take notice.
Wine developers have a lot of work to do. Getting the version number correct is the least you could do. Submitting the bug to wine's bugzilla and not the AppDB is also very important. The AppDB is for the benefit of end users. Developers don't necessarily read the AppDB, they do keep up with the bugzilla.
I can almost guarantee that if you submit a bug in the right place in the right format, you'll get a response. That response will almost certainly be a request for a regression test. It doesn't take much skill, so better to have users do it than busy, highly skilled devlopers. When I have done this I have had very good results getting regressions fixed. Sometimes even in the same day.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
That's weird. I have no trouble using Wine on 64-bit Mac OS X (both with the 32-bit and 64-bit kernels; not that running the fully 64-bit kernel matters, as the 32-bit kernel still supports 64-bit processes.)
Wine is open source. They can change anything they want. CodeWeavers already does lots of wine development.
If you can't be bothered to give them correct information I can see why you have not gotten an acceptable response.
You see, this is the kind of snideness that turns people off of from [F]OSS types and the community: from the comment that "Jeng" replied to I wouldn't have assumed (as Jeng did) that the guy "couldn't be bothered" (as his reply, http://linux.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1572692&cid=31372116 reveals) but rather that because someone made a mistake the devs (or whoever is in charge of dealing with bug submissions) held the guy in contempt: that's the kind of bull for which people are no-gos to work with.
I understand and agree COMPLETELY with prejudice against responding to those who submit things incorrectly when (1) firm warning has been given that un-carefully filled-out information will be ignored because (2) it would take-up too much time, (and I also understand there could be many disadvantages, misunderstandings, and lost opportunities by doing this as well, and that some people may not be the "can't be bothered types" yet aren't very competent: don't forget that even the incompetent can be helpful); the dmoz project is a good example of this prejudice in action: poorly written submissions and mis-categorizations consume a lot of their volunteers' time, so the former type gets dropped, the latter type (so long as the rest of the submission is decent) must be sent to the bottom of the queue of the category to which it belongs; happily enough dmoz editors will often explain to those who ask why their submission has not appeared or was rejected (or historically they have done so), which is much more encouraging for people to keep participating--good luck at ever getting similar feedback/care, that is for some average Joe who appears on the scene to help, out of many of the major projects of the FOSS community (sadly).
The brash assumptions, impudence, and quickness to judgment (1. yes, a play on a well-known verse of the Bible, and 2. I'm not against being "judgmental"--as people popularly decry "judging", just against being hasty about it) that are commonly known featurs in [the] FOSS [community] have to stop: perhaps it's not that widespread and it's just because of notable figures or influential organizations: but if that's the case, maybe there needs to be a purge or two to get rid of elements that [rightly] bring tarnish to its name (then again, rapid or "revolutionary" change often provides perfect opportunity for charlatans and tricksters, so it's likely better to direct things to evolve slowly, getting incrementally better to prevent any disruptions in power/influence that could leave the movement vulnerable).
Intelligent idiots are we. | Evil men do not understand justice.
But if your life and/or job depends on running photoshop, maybe you could just shell out and buy Windows. Why would you even want to put yourself through the pain of using a VM or Crossover. Just use windows. If it's your jobs, you should probably have a whole computer dedicated to only running photoshop. If you need Linux for some other task, just have a separate computer. Crossover is a nice thing if you're just running games or a couple simple Windows apps. But when it's part of your job, what exactly is the problem of running Windows. The cost of Windows is extremely low compared to all the other software you have to run.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
Actually, your response is MORE likely to turn people off of FOSS. You imply that an industry wide problem is only a FOSS problem. I generally don't report bugs to closed source projects because the response tends to be worse. The last one I submitted was several years ago to MS concerning a math bug in MS Money. It was easily reproducable. I took the effort to call their tech support line, and spent at least 2 hours getting through and walking they tech support person in creating the error cleanly on their side. The call ended with them agreeing that it was a bug, and was reliably recreated on their end. A month later, there is a message on my answering machine saying that they had some questions, but since I'm not home, they are going to close out the bug report. I spent FAR more time and effort trying to report a bug to a closed source group that I had actually paid to write the software, and in the end I was worse off than the OP.