Ask Slashdot: What Are Your Greatest Successes and Weaknesses With Wine (Software)?

wjcofkc writes: As a distraction, I decided to get the video-editing software Filmora up and running on my Ubuntu box. After some tinkering, I was able to get it installed, only to have the first stage vaporize on launch. This got me reflecting on my many hits and misses with Wine (software) over the years. Before ditching private employment, my last job was with a software company. They were pretty open minded when I came marching in with my System76 laptop, and totally cool with me using Linux as my daily driver after quickly getting the Windows version of their software up and running without a hitch. They had me write extensive documentation on the process. It was only two or three paragraphs, but I consider that another Wine win since to that end I scored points at work. Past that, open source filled in the blanks. That was the only time I ever actually needed (arguably) for it to work. Truth be told, I mostly tinker around with it a couple times a year just to see what does and does not run. Wine has been around for quite awhile now, and while it will never be perfect, the project is not without merit. So Slashdot community, what have been your greatest successes and failures with Wine over the years?

Comments

Re: windows can run under linux so why bother?

[tepples]

These terms in the Windows 10 EULA worry me:

To the extent included with Windows, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote are licensed for your personal, non-commercial use, unless you have commercial use rights under a separate agreement.

this license does not give you any right to, and you may not: [...] work around any technical restrictions or limitations in the software;
use the software as server software, [...] reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the software, or attempt to do so

Even the most basic telemetry in Windows 10 discloses the identity of every application and driver installed on the system to Microsoft:

By accepting this agreement and using the software you agree that Microsoft may collect, use, and disclose the information as described in the Microsoft Privacy Statement (aka.ms/privacy), and as may be described in the user interface associated with the software features.

The following provision appears to make it illegal for the second owner of a used PC with retail Windows to resell that PC and Windows license to a third person:

If you acquired the software as stand-alone software (and also if you upgraded from software you acquired as stand-alone software), you may transfer the software to another device that belongs to you. You may also transfer the software to a device owned by someone else if (i) you are the first licensed user of the software and (ii) the new user agrees to the terms of this agreement.

Windows also requires activation:

You can also activate the software manually by Internet or telephone. In either case, transmission of certain information will occur, and Internet, telephone and SMS service charges may apply.

I have seen Internet activation fail at my current employer, requiring the administrator to use the telephone activation means, which involves waiting on hold for several minutes. Unless the user subscribes to unmetered telephone service, waiting on hold costs 10 cents per minute (source: T-Mobile.com).

Windows downloads and installs semiannual updates unattended. It delays download on a metered connection, but there's no GUI to mark an Ethernet network as having a metered uplink (such as that of satellite Internet).

The softwareperiodically checks for system and app updates, and downloads and installs them for you. You may obtain updates only from Microsoft or authorized sources, and Microsoft may need to update your system to provide you with those updates. By accepting this agreement, you agree to receive these types of automatic updates without any additional notice.

Class-action arbitration is forbidden:

you and we agree to binding individual arbitration before the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”), and not to sue in court in front of a judge or jury. Instead, a neutral arbitrator will decide and the arbitrator’s decision will be final except for a limited right of appeal under the FAA. Class action lawsuits, class-wide arbitrations, private attorney-general actions, and any other proceeding where someone acts in a representative capacity aren’t allowed.

The video portion of the software is for "PERSONAL AND NON-COMMERCIAL USE" only, and I haven't yet taken legal advice as to whether uploading a video to YouTube and allowing ads makes the use no longer "PERSONAL AND NON-COMMERCIAL USE".

THIS PRODUCT IS LICENSED UNDER THE AVC, THE VC-1, AND THE MPEG-4 PART 2 VISUAL PATENT PORTFOLIO LICENSES FOR THE PERSONAL AND NON-COMMERCIAL USE OF A CONSUMER TO (i) ENCODE VIDEO IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE ABOVE STANDARDS (“VIDEO S

Re: windows can run under linux so why bother?

[war4peace]

Most of those are safety nets. You perceive them as possible dangers, I perceive them differently.
1. "use the software as server software" refers to you being denied support if you use the Windows 10 OS commercially as a server and your database hosted under it breaks. Basically, if you use Windows 10 non-server as a server and it fucks your data, you can't sue for damages.
Car analogy: "You can't use your Volkswagen Polo for professional racing".

2. the software transfer chain issue: I don't think it's "unfair". They're protecting their business - they allow you to transfer the license to a second user, and that's it. It being fair or not is subjective - I'm not saying it should be fair to everyone, but I don't personally see it as unfair either.

3. A crapton of commercial software requires activation. Most games do too. Is it fair? Not really, ideally. But if you think about it, first there was unprotected software which everyone was copying, then protections started being implemented as an effect. The F/OSS blossomed as an effect of that. And to be fair, Windows still allows you to use it very well without activation. most other commercial software doesn't even install, let alone run, without activation.

4. Automatic updates: sure they suck. But then again, I am torn on this, not really sure which way to lean, because it's a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario. No updates means unpatched vulnerabilities and then you blame Microsoft. Forced updates means money lost if a metered connection is involved, and rare occasions when the OS breaks. So they picked their poison, and yours too.

5. "Class-action arbitration is forbidden" - is that even enforceable? I'm from the EU and here it's definitely not enforceable.

6. The Video part of the license is actually not really theirs. "ADDITIONAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM MPEG LA, L.L.C. SEE (AKA.MS/MPEGLA)". Microsoft licensed that codec and sublicenses it to you. It's the same license spaghetti as the MP3 stuff which Linux distros suffered from for years - you had to download it manually and agree to its license terms separately, otherwise you couldn't even listen to an MP3 song.