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Software For Other Operating Systems
attachment:SeamlessVirtualizationResized.png
You can run applications created for other Operating Systems inside Ubuntu using two different approaches:
Running a different OS inside Ubuntu (typically done with virtualization).
- Using a Windows compatibility layer, like Wine or Cedega
In general, desktop and server apps work better with virtualization, multimedia apps like games work better with Wine or Cedega.
Playing Windows Games
To play Windows games, including Half Life 2, Battlefield 1942 and most popular first person shooters, you probably want [:Cedega:Cedega]. If Cedega can't play a Windows game, then it's unlikely that game can run under Linux. [:Wine:Wine] also plays a more limited list of well known games, including World of Warcraft.
Running Well Known Windows Desktop Apps
If you only need to run a well known Windows app - for example Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office, and World of Warcraft - check if it's supported by Wine. If not, see below.
Running any Windows desktop or server app
attachment:screenshot+windows+xp+in+qemu.png Windows XP run using QEmu on Feisty 7.04
If you'd like to run any Windows desktop or server app - or perhaps a more specific app that Wine doesn't run - with the exception of games, there's a few different methods:
- Ubuntu 7.04 includes two virtualization tools that can run Windows, and all its apps:
[:KVM:Kernel Virtualization] (KVM) requires an Intel or AMD CPU that supports VT or Pacifica technology.
[:WindowsXPUnderQemuHowTo:QEmu] works on all systems. Feisty includes the kqemu driver, necessary to run Windows XP at speed.
Ubuntu 6.06, 6.10, and 7.04 can run Windows, and all its apps, using [:VirtualBox:VirtualBox],[:VMware:VMware] or [:XenVirtualMachine:Xen].
VirtualBox is to use, Open Source, and can run all versions of Windows including VMware. VMware products are proprietary, but they are more popular and VMware Player and Server can be downloaded free of charge. Xen is Open Source, but it's slower than VMware and KVM and requires more effort to set up.
[:SeamlessVirtualization:Seamless Virtualization] shows how to make applications from virtualized Windows OS appear directly on the Linux desktop.
Available Methods to Run Software from Other Operating Systems
Runs |
Tool |
Required Ubuntu Release |
Requires Hardware Virtualization |
Open Source |
Any x86 OS, including Windows |
[:VirtualBox:VirtualBox] |
6.06 or newer |
Yes |
Yes |
Any x86 OS, including Windows |
[:KVM:Kernel Virtualization] |
7.04 beta |
Yes |
Yes |
Any OS, including Windows |
[:WindowsXPUnderQemuHowTo:QEmu] |
7.04 (earlier Ubuntu lack the acceleration driver needed to run most OSs at full speed) |
No |
Yes |
Any x86 OS, including Windows |
[:VMware:VMware Player, Workstation, or Server] |
6.06 and newer |
No |
No |
Any x86 OS, including Windows |
[:XenVirtualMachine:Xen] |
6.06 and newer |
Yes, unless running Linux |
Yes |
Specific Windows Programs |
["Wine"] |
6.06 and newer |
No |
Yes |
Windows games |
["Cedega"] |
6.06 and newer |
No |
Mixed proprietary and OSS,must be purchased for full functionality |
Mac OS X (PPC) only |
[:MacOnLinuxHowto:Mac on Linux] |
6.06 and newer |
No |
Yes |
Linux |
OpenVZ |
6.06 and newer |
No |
Yes |