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Software For Other Operating Systems
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 vitualization, 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]. If Cedega can't play a Windows game, then it's unlikely that game can run under Linux. [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
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:
With Ubuntu 7.04 and a recent Intel or AMD CPU that supports VT or Pacifica technology, you can run Windows, and all its apps, using [:KVM:Kernel Virtualization] (KVM). This is fast and very easy to set up.
Ubuntu 6.06, 6.10, and 7.04 can run Windows, and all its apps, using [:VMware:VMware], [:WindowsXPUnderQemuHowTo:QEmu] or [:XenVirtualMachine:Xen]. VMware products are proprietary, but the VMware Player and VMware Server can be downloaded free of charge, and is very simple to use. [:WindowsXPUnderQemuHowTo:QEmu] is also free of charge, but requires proprietary software to run Windos at reasonable speed. [Xen] is Open Source, but it's slower than VMware and KVM and requires more effort to set up.
On top of these techniques, you can make applications from virtualized Windows OS appear directly on the Linux desktop - read the second part of [http://searchopensource.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid39_gci1238129,00.html this tutorial].
Available Methods to Run Software from Other Operating Systems
Runs |
Tool |
Required Ubuntu Release |
Requires Hardware Virtualization |
Open Source |
Any x86 OS, including Windows |
[:KVM:Kernel Virtualization] |
7.04 beta |
Yes |
Yes |
Any OS, including Windows |
[:WindowsXPUnderQemuHowTo:QEmu] |
6.06 and newer |
No |
Partially - VMs run slow without the proprietary kqemu module |
Any x86 OS, including Windows |
[:VMware:VMware Player, Workstation, or Server] |
6.06 and 6.10 |
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 |