May be a bad idea to have Winetools in the next SUSE release

[Joachim von Thadden]

Am Thu, Mar 09, 2006 at 01:41:06PM +0100 schrieb Jan Zerebecki:
> I think a quote from http://www.winehq.org/site/download somewhat
> sums up the cencus on this list regarding Winetools: "WineTools
> [is] only recommended if installation or operability of Windows
> software failed on pure Wine. Since WineTools radically alters
> your Wine configuration please do not report bugs in programs
> with WineTools installed. Instead contact the author of WineTools
> Joachim von Thadden."

As there are arguments floating around about WineTools that are
definitely not correct I think I have to make some things here clear.

> Some other facts:
> 
> Winetools is only sporadically updated for new versions of Wine
> (as http://www.von-thadden.de/Joachim/WineTools/ indicates; this
> site also contains some warnings regarding the support status).

WineTools is not "sporadically" updated as it makes no sense to update
it  with every new Wine release. The purpose is not to keep track Wine,
the purpose is to have a stable basis. As such WineTools often stays
with a specific Wine version for a time. This is the same what
Crossover-Office does. So you would also not include that if you were
allowed to?

> Winetools radically alters some vital Wine settings and thus
> makes many other apps fail.

This first part is true, the second definitely not. WineTools is at the
moment the only way to have all major commercial windows programs run
simultaneously with Wine under Linux if you do not want to pay for
Crossover-Office.

If what you say is true then name the apps that fail with WineTools and
run with *plain* Wine. I am waiting for your list. And I will include
them in the next release (if I can download them legaly).

> This leads to many users asking for help in #winehq on freenode.
> But nobody there wants to support winetools and thus can only
> suggest them to remove their .wine and redo it without winetools
> (which usually makes it work).

Yes, this is true. As we are a freetime project we have not the time to
sit on an IRC channel. But there is always

a) this mailinglist where we sit and listen
b) the possibility to mail us directly

Again: I am nosy to know which apps work after removing a WineTools
.wine.

> Currently no Winetools developer works closely with the Wine
> developers to correct problems of interaction between Winetools
> and Wine.

What does that mean? We are making a tool to make Windows programs run
with Wine. We do not develop Wine and our main goal is not to achieve as
much debugging informations as possible. The goal is to make the usage
of Wine as easy as possible for users coming from Windows and who are
customized to point and click interfaces. Again: The goal is not to
develop Wine. The goal is to use it easy.

Regards
	Joachim von Thadden
-- 
"Never touch a running system! Never run a touching system?
          Never run a touchy system!!!"