[Wine] Java on host and wineprefix questions

[Martin Gregorie]

On Mon, 2014-02-17 at 10:56 +0200, Raif S. Berent wrote:

> Yes excellent point. The app is not 100% java, it installs in windows,
> and has java component, along with dotnet and probably other stuff.
> For the dotnet bit I could try to run it through native mono, but the
> "other stuff" section of the code would probably break the app.
> 
OK. You could try running it with native JRE and mono, but if you do, be
prepared for quite a lot of faffing round. The simple approach of
installing the Windows JRE and .net in the same prefix may be a lot
simpler. I'd suggest you try that first and only look at using the
native JRE and mono if it doesn't work.

> >>Don't forget that there are half-way houses too: 100% Java client applications that talk to local Windows-only servers, e.g. a DBMS with no Linux port. In that case you might run the server under WINE but use the Linux JRE for the client.
> 
> This is most likely the case and the direction that I should further
> test. How can your suggestion be implemented: "Run the app under wine,
> but link to native JRE for java calls coming from the wineserver"?
> 
The main issue with that sort of mixing is most likely to be the search
paths. Don't forget that, apart from the Z drive, each prefix is set up
to imitate a complete Windows filing system and that each prefix has its
own C: drive, which maps onto $WINEPREFIX/drive_c  I may be wrong about
this, but the only way the app running in a prefix is meant to talk to
programs in other prefixes or to native applications is via sockets.

As for the other drives, all defined in $WINEPREFIX/dosdevices, Z: maps
onto /, so is potentially quite dangerous while in my system A: maps
onto a floppy drive, D: and E: map onto my optical drives and K: maps
onto a removable (USB) hard drive.

> That observation is what led me to ask the question. Multiple /
> concurrent sessions are not a problem, you just get multiple
> wineserver pid's showing up.
> 
If you saw my later posts you'll know that I have no need to run more
than one Wine app at a time. Unless I'm using a set of apps that came
from the same source and are designed to work together, I put them in
separate prefixes because that avoids potential problems with
incompatible DLLs.

However, I started up two unrelated programs installed in separate
prefixes and both ran just fine without interfering with each other.
They are graphical programs and played nicely with each other when it
came to sharing the mouse. Neither use the keyboard so I didn't tesyt
that.
 
> I'll just look through the winetricks code or ask their mail list re
> this question. Your answers did help with confirming for me that I had
> indeed perceived the winetricks approach to the problem correctly.
> 
Glad we were able to help.


Martin