newbie: WINE / Windows / Office Question

[lawson_whitney at juno.com]

On 30 Nov 2001, Stuart Blake Tener wrote:

> WINE users:
>
> Hi, I am new to wine, and am getting ready to try to test it and get
> started.
> These questions may seem basic, but any assistance would be well
> appreciated.
>
> a) What configuration file (basic or standard) do I need to bring it
> up?

I don't understand the question.  each wine user needs a configuration
file ~/.wine/config to tell wine how it is to behave when run for that
user.
>
> b) I have Mandrake 8.1, and I typed "wine" and got a response back
> about command line options, so I beleive it to be installed, any idea
> what Mandrake RPMs I need to be assured are there for it to work?

The wine rpm that came with Mandrake 7.2 was missing regapi and
winedefault.reg, which are essential to normal working of wine.
I don't know it they have since gotten somebody who knows what it is
doing to make their wine rpm's and I am not holding my breath until they
do.  Generally, you will do better with wine if you get the source and
build it yourself.  It has some nice tools to help you, but you must
take responsibility to give it what it needs.  (a full set of software
development tools and the -devel package for every library you  want it
to use.)

> c) I have been told Wine works best with Windows "installed". I am

Who told you that?  I don't agree.

> okay with installing windows, as my goal is to start off by keeping
> everything in a Linux partitioin for now, and not needing to run two
> different OSes at once.
> Dependability is a must for me, as I use business applications for
> business work. If I choose to have windows installed, must I make a

Then you don't want to use microsoft applications, either.

> seperate partition for it and such? or can I somehow run wine to
> install Windows into a unix directory, and then use Wine and Windows
> together from that point forward?

No, no, no.  Wine does _not_ run windows.  If you want something that
runs windows, get vmware or win4lin, but be aware that these run windows
- in a virtual machine, so it is maybe less generally harmful, but with
all the bugs you have come to know and love.  Also slow.

Wine runs windows application programs.  It can install the more
cooperative of these into a unix directory, and run them there.  I
haven't gotten anything that uses the latest InstallSh**** to install
yet, although there have been some reported successes.
>
> d) how well does Quckbooks run under WINE?
>
> e) how well does Office 2000 run under WINE (Word, Excel, and Outlook
> to be specific)?
>
We give you wine so you can have windows without microsoft, and what do
you want to do with it?  Why, run microsoft applications, of course.
Good luck.  Wine doesn't make any special effort to prevent this from
working, but microsoft makes every effort it can think of to prevent it.
The newer microsoft applications are booby-trapped against being run by
any sane OS.

> Anything else I ought to know or other gotchas?
>
> thanks,
>
> Stuart
> Beverly Hills, CA
> USA
> _______________________________________________

Lawson
--oof---


________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today!  For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.