Ubuntu and its derivatives are the popular choice for first-time users of Linux that switching away from Operating Systems such as Microsoft Windows.
The Ubuntu Software Center contains thousands of applications that are alternatives to Windows programs. However, for some applications, some features are missing. Including the Wine compatibility layer as part of the distribution would assist in user transition.
The Wine Project is distributed under the GNU Lesser General Public License, which is compatible with the GPL licensing of Ubuntu.
I have it installed and I love it! But Iâm suggesting include it in the installer. We already have ZFS and Nvidia drivers - including Wine would further ease transition.
People like me use Ubuntu because all those malware that runs in Windows does not run in Linux. While WINE may not necessarily do that, I will like keep Windows things as far as possible from Ubuntu. I will use Windows 10 as dual boot when I am not happy with what Ubuntu offers.
A lot of Ubuntu users never run any Windows related things, so including Wine by default isnât such a good idea. Wine is a last resort measure for rare cases, and it doesnât really give you a good user experience with whatever you install most of the time. Including it by default wonât improve user experience.
Wine is no longer âa last resort measure for rare casesâ, most non-tech people I know who started to use Ubuntu in the last few years still expect all their applications to run the same, which Wine provides.
There are certainly good arguments for and against including it, and personally, I would agree it would be best to keep it off by default.
But I also know a lot of people (entire classrooms at my school) who are starting to use Ubuntu for the sole purpose of running older software that no longer works on Windows 10 (mostly games from the early 2000s), and itâs really bothersome to have to go about installing Wine, particularly as the Wine website is clearly tailored to advanced users, not common folk who have no idea what âbuildingâ even is.
Again, I do agree that keeping it off by default is the best alternative, but perhaps it could be offered as an option in the installer, or at the very least added to the Ubuntu Software GUI, so that right after installing the OS itâs a simple process to go there and install it in one click.
Haha, used to teach Blender at an adult school. That happened last year, and they werenât doing it at the school, but coordinating between themselves so that they could play older titles, which is becoming increasingly hard on modern machines running Windows.
Going back to the topic, I see the point @ajpri1998 is trying to make. For a lot of people who arenât tech savvy or whoâs first approach to Linux is precisely to run Windows applications, Ubuntu could be a little more user friendly.
If it is on Ubuntu Software, I canât seem to find it, searching âwineâ just lists programs that use it; and I know my students couldnât find it either, which we I had to show them how to install it via CLI during class. The chance to turn people over and have them say âwow, Linux is awesomeâ ended up becoming âugh, this is a pita to set upâ.
An installer option seems like a workaround - a solution to a (currently) ill-defined problem: Is Ubuntu Software too hard to find or to use? Or is Wine too hard to find within Ubuntu Software? Or something else? Perhaps a clearer understanding of the problem might lead to a better (easier, more maintainable, less unique) solution.
When I try searching for âWineâ in Ubuntu Software, Wine (deb) is the 29th item on my list, clearly labelled, and has the familiar icon. I merely had to scroll down twice. Alternately, itâs fourth from the bottom. The top 27 items on the list were snaps that include wine already. Which honestly seems a more attractive option for many folks in the âfirst time users of Linuxâ and âarenât tech savvyâ segments.
However, seems like a possible bug that all those snaps hog the top spots on the Ubuntu Software search result - I doubt thatâs the best search term for them. When folks search for âwineâ in Ubuntu Software, itâs pretty clear what they are likely seeking a limited subset of the 33 hits. A fix for that issue would solve the âcanât find Wineâ problemâŚand probably others in using Ubuntu Software.
Huh, yeah, it was there under all those other programs⌠Now I feel stupid for never seeing that⌠But yes, solving that search result issue would, at least in my view, make installing and using Wine as easy as it should be. I guess weâre just too used to finding things as the first or second result when looking for it on a storefront/website.
