CodeWeavers 30% off Winter Solstice Sales on CrossOver Mac and Linux

While the big box stores and shopping malls run black Friday sales, and in recent years many of the online retailers have began to have black Monday sales. Leave it up to the wacky folks at Codeweavers to have a 30% off Winter Solstice Sales on CrossOver Mac and Linux.

Why a Winter Solstice sale you might ask, well you see CodeWeavers has their headquarters in Minneapolis St. Paul Minnesota and in Minnesota in the winter you measure snow by the feet and temperatures to the negative. So when the Solstice comes on December 21st, the beginning's of longer days and warmth are surly on the way. And this is a time of mass celebration on the magnitude of world cup winners, or your favorite team winning the super bowl. And in all this mass hysteria a thirty percent off sale was devised so everyone around the world can join in this festive time of the year.

This sale runs from now until December 20th 2023 and to take advantage of it just use "TOM23" as your dealcode in CodeWeavers store at checkout.

This is a good time to purchase CrossOver not only because you will save 30 percent off the normal retail selling price. And as a bonus to this discount in the next month or so CrossOver 10.0 will be released with many new and exciting features. And if you purchase now you can upgrade to CrossOver Pro or Games 10.0 when it's released.

This sale is open to anyone who needs to run Windows Applications and Games on Mac, Linux and FreeBSD. So please help spread the word and post about the "Solstice2010" sale on Facebook, your web site, and don't forget to send a tweet to all your friends and family.

Update 04/13/2023 : The Solstice2010 dealcode has expired, you can now use "TOM23" as your dealcode and save 20% off CrossOver for Mac and Linux.

Help spread the word about CrossOver for Linux and Mac

The folks over at CodeWeavers are having a get the word out campaign. If your a proud customer of theirs and would like to help them spread the word about the great products that they have, this would be a good time to do it. Ive personally used their products ever since CrossOver Plugin 1.0 first shipped and have always been satisfied with the product and support that I've received over the many years.

Spreading the word about CrossOver

Friends of CodeWeavers, unite! First of all, thank you very much for your support. We greatly appreciate everyone who has purchased a copy of CrossOver, or has worked hard as an Advocate to ensure that CrossOver continues to improve and run the apps that you need. Beyond that, though, we also really value those of you who help spread the word about CrossOver. Your favorable comments, both in person and on the Web, are absolutely some of the most powerful things you can do for us.

Link to CodeWeavers From Your Page

If you have a web page, blog, MySpace page, Facebook page, or whatever, we'd love to have a link from you. Here's are some graphics for your Mac or Linux PC that can show that you're a CodeWeavers customer. Simply copy the image and link to your site. You can link from the image hosted here or right click and save the image to your PC then upload it to your site and use the link provided here.

Also, please add a link to this page from your blog, facebook page, twitter, buzz account etc. etc... and help spread the word about spreading the word. :)

Thanks for your support!

Transgaming Cider Game users can now save 35% off CodeWeavers CrossOver Games for Mac

About Transgaming Cider

"TransGaming's Cider Portability Engine is a proprietary technology that allows PC games to be enabled on Apple's Intel Macs without the traditionally expensive and arduous need to redevelop a game from the ground-up. Cider acts as a "wrapper" around the PC game dynamically translating PC API calls to the Mac OS X operating system. As such, games can be enabled with Cider in a matter of days to weeks as opposed to the typical man years that traditional development takes.

Cider is an extremely powerful technology that allows games to be released day and date with their PC counter-parts giving publishers significant upside revenue potential and leveraging marketing and branding initiatives. Cider also allows publishers to release either dedicated Mac versions of their games or PC/Mac hybrid versions (i.e. both versions of the game in a single box)."

In reality how well do games really run with Transgaming's Cider on Mac? Well with the the help of my friend Google I did some searches for Cider Games and this is what I found. Below is a quote and link to the original article.

GTA2 [Intel][Cider] (Mac Games) :
"Notes: The resolution can't be changed in game - you will have to leave it at the preset value.
Known Issues: If you click on Options in the main menu the game will crash, so don't do it. Controls and other settings have already been configured for you." Full Link

'Cider' could see PC/Linux/Mac game releases :
"Cool, but also a bit frightening, many publishers will rush games and release fairly buggy products as is, I can only imagine the horror unleashed adding all that" Full Link

Sins of a Solar Empire :
"Personally, I would really really hope that if a port ever happened (which it doesn't seem like Stardock has ever had any inclination to do for any of its games - which is a shame) it wouldn't use Cider as Cider games are often very buggy due to not being Mac native. Hell, EVE Online uses Cider and there are still dialogs to pic a DirectX version in the options..." Full Link

Dark messiah with Cider and font issue :
"the fact that the cutscene videos won't show up and had to be deactivated because they use a DirectX 90c shader which Cider can't handle I can hear the sound but the screen is just black with a white quare - too bad since the videos contain major story elements..."

"I am currently fiddling with Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines, but the game is extremely buggy and crashes every time I try to load a new game." Full Link

COD5 Cider Port Released :
"I hate cider. Everything about it is just annoying. I would rather have it then no port, but really, for big game companies? Its slow, buggy, and resource intensive. The valve apps that are programmed in OpenGL should run much better." Full Link

Settlers Community Technical Support :
"Cider C Runtime Error Runtime Error!!!!! Program: C:\The Settlers 7\Data\Base\_Dbg\Bin\Release\Settlers7R.exe abnormal program termination" Full Link

And this is just a small sample of the search results regarding Transgaming Cider ported games for the Mac. All I can say is, Wow... it sure seems that Cider is a extremely buggy piece of technology at this time, and therefore you can most likely expect crashes and errors with a Cider ported game on your Mac.

Most people choose a Mac because it is a quality premium product with a elegant OS to go on that hardware. So the last thing your going to want is a buggy Cider based game on your Mac right? Keep in mind extremely buggy software like this also taxes your CPU and GPU and can cause premature hardware failures do to overheating and constant 100% system loads. Not to mention system lock ups and system crashes. I personally would not put my Mac through this torture, because their are alternatives at this time to Ciderized Games.

What are the alternatives to Cider ported games?

At this time there are more and more native Mac ported games coming on the market all the time. With the recent market share increases the Mac has seen more and more game developers are porting to the Mac.

You could also duel boot using bootcamp, but your going to have to pay for the Microsoft Windows licence. And you cant run any of your Mac software while your booted into Windows. You will also loose a large chunk of hard drive space for that Windows install.

You can install vanilla Wine from WineHQ on your Mac and play games, this is a good option for technical minded people. And for people who have hours to spend tweaking Wine and the Game for the best playing experience. But if your not familiar with compiling software and then further configuring Wine once you have Wine installed this option might not be for you.

And then their is CodeWeavers CrossOver Games for Mac. CrossOver Games can run hundreds of Windows Applications and Games on Intel based Mac PCs.

About CodeWeavers CrossOver Games for Mac :

"Now gamers can play the games they want, on whatever platform they want! With CrossOver Games, you can run many popular Windows games on your Intel OS X Mac or Linux PC. Whatever your tastes first-person shooters, fantasy, strategy, MMORPGs CrossOver Games lets you run many popular game titles. CrossOver comes with an easy to use, single click interface, which makes installing your games simple and fast. Once installed, your game integrates seamlessly with your Desktop. Just click and run! It's like running Windows on your Mac or Linux machine, but without Windows. No rebooting, no switching to a virtual machine, and no Windows Operating System license required!."

To see if your favorite game currently runs on CrossOver Games just visit CodeWeavers CrossOver Compatibility Center (C4) and browse through the over 8,000 applications and games in the C4 database.

About CodeWeavers CrossOver Compatibility Center (C4) :

"CodeWeavers goal is to make Linux and Mac OS X fully Windows-compatible operating systems. All Windows applications should be able to be run: cleanly, harmoniously, within the native environment, and without using an emulator. To that end, we maintain this Compatibility Center."

If your favorite games currently runs via CrossOVer Games Mac you can join the C4 forums and share your experience with other CrossOver Gamers. You can also become a advocate for your favorite games and vote on your games support level, give feedback, and much more. If by chance your game doesn't currently run with CrossOver Games you can vote for your game and let the people at CodeWeavers know the game is important to you and you would like to see it supported in a future CrossOVer Games release. Their is also a tips and tricks section in the C4 forums where you can use or add to known tips for getting a unsupported game up and running.

If by some chance your game isn't currently listed in the database you can still install the game as a unsupported application and see for yourself if it runs. And then submit the game for inclusion in the database and once its accepted submit your ranking. You will also want to keep in mind that just because a game isn't officially supported by CodeWeavers doesn't mean it isn't playable. As of today their is currently well over 1,000 Gold ranked applications and games in the C4 database.

So how do you save 20% off CrossOver Games for Mac? Just use "ComeToTheLight" in the CodeWeavers store at checkout time as your coupon / dealcode and you will get a instant 25% discount off the full retail selling price. Anyone who has ever had any problems running a Cider based Game can use this dealcode and give CrossOver Games a try. You can also share the "ComeToTheLight" dealcode with friends and family so they can join in the fun and start playing many of today's most popular games on their Mac computers with you.

Update 01/27/2023 : The ComeToTheLight dealcode has expired, you can now use "TOM23" as your dealcode and save 20% off CrossOver for Mac and Linux.

CodeWeavers Releases CrossOver Games 9.2.1

CODEWEAVERS SUPPORTS WORLD OF WARCRAFT CATACLYSM:
CodeWeavers Releases CrossOver Games 9.2.1; Vows Extensive Personal Testing for Quality Assurance Purposes

 
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (December 7, 2010) Twelve million addicts, err, players cant be wrong. Theres no doubting the draw of World of Warcraft. And today, as Blizzard rolls out its third, much-anticipated expansion to the game Cataclysm, CodeWeavers ensures that Linux gamers can play right along with their PC and Mac brethren. CodeWeavers Linux customers will be able to run Cataclysm as if they were running on Windows with today’s immediate shipment of CrossOver Games 9.2.1.

CodeWeavers Chief Operating Officer Jon Parshall vowed that testing of the new CrossOver build would be ongoing. All day at his office. All night at his home. Probably until I hit level 85, Parshall stated. Well, to be honest, probably for a while past that. I actually have six level 80s to get to 85, and Im thinking about leveling up a worgen, too, he continued, referring to the new Alliance race of fearsome werewolves. That’s gonna take quite a while, but its all in the name quality assurance.
With the release of Cataclysm, the dreaded dragon Deathwing has returned to Azeroth, ripping asunder and utterly transforming the game world that players have lived in for the past six years, and leaving chaos and destruction in his infernal wake.

Im thinking chaos and destruction is what my wife may visit on me as well for sequestering myself in my mancave for hours at a time, but that’s a price I’m going to have to pay, Parshall added as he grabbed three cans of Red Bull and a bag of All Nighter Cheeseburger Doritos® before disappearing into his basement. For footage of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm running under Linux
 

CrossOver Games 9.2 replaces all previous versions of CrossOver. The software is immediately available at www.CodeWeavers.com.

About CodeWeavers
Founded in 1996 as a general software consultancy, CodeWeavers focuses on the development of Wine the core technology found in all of its CrossOver products. The companys goal is to bring expanded market opportunities for Windows software developers by making it easier, faster and more painless to port Windows software to Linux. CodeWeavers is recognized as a leader in open-source Windows porting technology, and maintains development offices in Minnesota, the United Kingdom and elsewhere around the world. The company is privately held. For more information about CodeWeavers, log on to www.CodeWeavers.com.

CrossOver Linux Review

by Mike Mansell

For about four months now, I have been using the Ubuntu Linux operating system full-time on both my desktop and notebook computer. A few weeks into this experience, I wrote an article sharing some of my findings about the Windows to Linux migration process. One of the main concepts that I addressed in this article was the concept of finding Linux-based alternatives to one’s current Windows software. However, I also covered the fact that there are some software applications that simply do not have worthy alternatives, and for this reason suggested that Linux newcomers look into the WINE package to run Windows software on Linux. However, there is no denying that WINE is “at best a bit sketchy” (as said by a commentator).

When I first started using Linux, I had heard about the CodeWeavers CrossOver software package that worked to run Windows applications in a Linux environment. However, I could not justify purchasing it (retail pricing starting at $40) because in my eyes, it did not offer any value. After all, it was based on the WINE project, and I saw it pointless to purchase something that was simply a re-branded version of something that was freely available. More recently, though, a few people have been telling me about the wonders of CrossOver and how it was so much more than the branded WINE package that I thought it was. For this reason, I decided to take the plunge and purchase CrossOver Linux Standard in order to run a few Windows applications in Linux.

Upon installing the pre-compiled package, I was intrigued by the “bottle” concept that was employed in CrossOver. You see, in order to maximize comparability and isolate instabilities, CrossOver allows you to create separate ”bottles” that have individualized WINE settings. For example, I currently have a “bottle” that contains the mIRC IRC client. When I install additional software packages down the road, I will install them in separate bottles. Then, if any Windows-based software opts to go haywire down the road, any errors or damage will be isolated to that bottle and will not effect other software. Simply put, this leads to optimum stability. Additionally, by allowing individual applications to reside within their own bottles, CrossOver allows for the best possible comparability by eliminating any software conflicts and allowing for optimal operating system environments to be used.

More importantly, however, is the level of control that the end-user has over the bottles. I say this because the bottle manager allows for bottles to be forced to shut-down in the event of error, and allows for applications and runtime to be installed and uninstalled. Moreover, the implementation of a task manager extends the end-users level of control.

 

In retrospect to installing software in WINE, installing Windows-based applications in CrossOver is amazingly simple. The easy-to-use installation wizard allows you to create a new bottle with the recommended settings for your applications and to go about the installation process. These pre-configured settings for supported (and non-officially community-supported) software reduces the need for “trial and error” when installing software.

 

One of the best things about CrossOver is the fact that it instantaneously updates the “Applications” menu under Gnome, giving the end-user easy access to their applications. While this seems somewhat basic of a feature, it is definitely something that I have yet to see implemented in WINE.

Full Article

CodeWeavers Releases CrossOver and CrossOver Games 9.2

CodeWeavers Releases CrossOver 9.2
to Support Civilization 5 on Linux and Mac
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (October 19, 2010) Less than a month after Firaxis released its highly anticipated and acclaimed Civilization 5, CodeWeavers, Inc. today announced the release of CrossOver Games 9.2, enabling gamers to play the game on Linux and Mac operating systems.
Based in Saint Paul, Minn., CodeWeavers is a leading developer of software products that turn Mac OS X and Linux into Windows-compatible operating systems. Its CrossOver software allows Windows software to be used on Mac and Linux PCs without the need for a Windows operating system license.
“Civilization 5 is pure turn-based pleasure, and I personally couldnt wait for it to arrive,” said Jon Parshall, chief operating officer at CodeWeavers. “As soon as we opened it up, we unleashed our programming ninjas to upgrade CrossOver so Linux loyalists and Mac lovers can join in on the good times.
“Current CrossOver subscribers can hit our site for a free 9.2 upgrade. New customers? Welcome aboard!” Parshall added. “Now, if youll excuse me, King Bernie Smedley is busily leading the virtuous Smedleyites to a glorious victory over the hated Carthaginians. Its all part of our ongoing commitment to testing and quality assurance…
CrossOver Games 9.2 replaces all previous versions of CrossOver. The software is immediately available at www.CodeWeavers.com.
About CodeWeavers
Founded in 1996 as a general software consultancy, CodeWeavers focuses on the development of Wine – the core technology found in all of its CrossOver products. The company's goal is to bring expanded market opportunities for Windows software developers by making it easier, faster and more painless to port Windows software to Linux. CodeWeavers is recognized as a leader in open-source Windows porting technology, and maintains development offices in Minnesota, the United Kingdom and elsewhere around the world. The company is privately held. For more information about CodeWeavers, log on to www.CodeWeavers.com.

Change Log For CrossOver Games

9.2.0 CrossOver Games - October 19, 2010

• Merged with Wine release 1.2.1. This includes bug fixes for several unsupported games, as well as fixing a crash in the launcher for Street Fighter IV and a lag in Team Fortress 2.
• Fixed a bug that causes DRM problems on Ubuntu 10.10.
• Fixed patching of StarCraft II (via an updated Gecko engine).
• Fixed a problem that prevented StarCraft II from launching properly during the first run.
• Fixed the sending of text in Worms Armageddon WormNET.
• Improved behavior with built-in msvcr71. Should simplify the installation of several unsupported games, including Lord of the Rings Online.
• Fixed a double mouse-pointer bug that appeared in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II on some Linux distributions.
• Improved font rendering for Trainz 2004 and others.
• Got Tomb Raider: Chronicles working again.
• Fixed a serious rendering problem for Civilization V.

Change Log For CrossOver Linux

9.2.0 CrossOver Linux - October 19, 2010

• Merged with Wine release 1.2.1 which includes bug fixes for many applications. It also includes adjustments to cope with a change of security policy on Ubuntu 10.10.

Change Log For CrossOver Mac

9.2.0 CrossOver Mac - October 19, 2010

• Merged with Wine release 1.2.1 which includes bug fixes for many applications.

How I converted my Office to Linux

How I converted my Office to Linux by MLUG This is a recording OSGUI Tim filmed of Mick & the Melbourne Linux Users Group (MLUG) guys on the 25th Aug 2010 in North Melbourne Computer Bank Office. More info about MLUG and this Workshop Meeting Session can be found at: www.mlug.org.au Background For a long time I’ve been using Linux at home and work. I use Linux for my TV, notebook, development (work & hobbies), electronics and thin clients. I first worked with thin clients about 4 years ago, starting from scratch using FreeBSD.

Im a programmer at heart and although I do a lot of administration at work I try my best to minimize this with the use of technology be it hardware, software or scripts. What we had to start with Mixture of large noisy desktops Running Windows XP 100Mbps 24port switch 6 Staff, with requirements for 10 desktops (display screens, boardroom, casual employee and test computers) Safety net I had many safety nets as I was migrating...

Backups Switch between old HD & PXE boot Virtualisation of old system Slow step by step migration Clone drive before upgrades Technology which helped me SSDs Ruby Atom motherboards LTSP project CrossOver Linux VirtualBox OSE (Open Source Edition) How I started Installed Open Source apps under Windows XP (OpenOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird) Centralized services for Data using Samba on a server Centralized printer server using CUPs CrossOver Linux Isolate applications which cannot be replaced by open …

Quicken can run on Macs

Screen capture courtesy of Intuit QUICKEN 2010 is shown running under CrossOver. Both CrossOver Mac and CrossOver Linux can run the latest version of Quicken with few problems.

Intuits Quicken financial software is highly regarded and widely used by the Windows crowd. Unfortunately, Intuit botched the Mac version of Quicken by taking away some of the most important features of the Windows program.

This is a serious problem for former Windows users who switched recently to the Mac. Sales to "switchers" are a significant percentage of Mac sales, and nothing is as likely to disappoint a new Mac user than finding out your favorite program just isn't the same on your new computer.
But this doesn't have to be. Anyone using a modern Mac can run the latest version of Quicken -- the Windows version, with all its bells and whistles -- by investing $40 in software that gives Macs a way to run Windows programs.

The software is called CrossOver Mac, from www.codeweavers.com. You can download a trial version at no cost. CrossOver Mac and its companion product, CrossOverLinux, are based on a long-standing project called WINE.

The WINE project is a volunteer effort that creates a Microsoft-like underpinning that runs Windows software without the need for Windows itself.
Many Mac and Linux users -- my guess would be a couple of million -- run Microsoft Outlook, the powerful mail-and-calendaring software used in offices worldwide, under WINE itself or under CrossOver. (The advantage CrossOver has over WINE is easier installation and, in many cases, better support.)
Not all Windows programs cooperate with WINE and CrossOver. Codeweavers, which runs the CrossOver project, keeps a list of popular Windows software that runs under CrossOver at www.codeweavers.com/compatibility.

Windows programs are ranked in categories of Gold Medal (programs that run just as well as they do in Windows), Silver Medal (programs that Codeweavers is working on to eliminate a few bugs) and Bronze Medal (programs with partial usability).

Quicken 2010 for Windows is considered a Silver Medal program. Codeweavers describes the status of Quicken 2010 for Windows this way:
"Silver is awarded to applications that install and run well enough to be usable. However, in our testing, we find that these applications have bugs that prevent them from running flawlessly. The most important aspect of a supported Silver application is that CodeWeavers makes a firm commitment to bring all Silver applications to the Gold level in future releases of CrossOver. Likewise, CodeWeavers will respond to and address all bugs reported in these applications."
If you're a Quicken 2010 user and recently switched to the Mac, you can install your present copy of Quicken 2010 on your new Mac after you install CrossOver Mac. You may need to contact Intuit if the software complains that it has been installed on more than one computer. Intuit will arrange for reinstallation permission.

Screen capture courtesy of Intuit QUICKEN 2010 is shown running under CrossOver. Both CrossOver Mac and CrossOver Linux can run the latest version of Quicken with few problems.

How to Run Windows on a Mac

You just bought your shiny new Mac. Youre mesmerized by the user-friendliness of its operating system and applications. After playing for a while, you want to get back to work on your Microsoft Access database and..…you find out that theres no equivalent of this useful database program on the Mac world!

Dont worry! I’m going to tell you about 3 different ways that you can run the Windows operating system on your Intel Mac so that you can run any unique programs such as Microsoft Access.

Booting into Windows: Using Apple Boot Camp

Any Intel based Mac is capable of starting up from either the Mac OS X or from the Windows OS (after doing the appropriate set-up).
You will need to first install Apple’s Boot Camp on your Mac so that this useful application creates a Windows partition on your Mac’s hard drive. Boot Camp version 3 comes with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Boot Camp 2.0 came with Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Boot Camp allocates one portion of the hard drive to Mac and the other portion to Windows so that both operating systems can co-exist in your machine.

Important: Boot Camp does not come with a free license of Windows. You will need to still purchase your own license of Windows.
After a successful installation of Boot Camp, you can boot your Mac into Windows by holding the Option key down while rebooting your system. This option does not allow you to run both operating systems at the same time. If you want to have access to your Mac documents while running Windows, you must reboot back to Mac OS.
If you would prefer an option that allows you to run both operating systems simultaneously, then you would be better off with running Windows on a Virtual Machine.

Running Windows on a Virtual Machine

When you use a virtual machine on your Intel-powered Mac, you will run Windows and Mac operating systems at the same time. Furthermore, you can also run different windows of Windows XP, Windows 7 and Linux all at the same time.
Also, you will be able to move files from any operating system to the other without the need of rebooting your machine.
There are 3 recommended virtualization applications:

• Parallels Desktop
• VMware Fusion
• VirtualBox

Be aware that when you use a virtual machine, you will not be running Windows at native speeds as in Boot Camp. From my personal experience, I prefer VMware Fusion because of their user-friendly setup and intuitive controls.
If you would like to run Windows on your Mac using option 2, then you will need to first purchase a license of one of the 3 recommended virtualization applications and secure a license of your desired version of Windows (or Linux).

Running Windows Programs without the Windows OS

Last but not least, you can use CodeWeavers CrossOver to run Windows XP applications right on your Mac OS X without the need of installing the Windows OS. CrossOver is neither a virtualization application (option 2) nor a dual-boot system (option 1). CrossOver stores files by Windows applications in Mac folders and adds to them necessary code to run on Mac OS X systems.
Unlike options 1 and 2, you will skip the cost of a Windows license. This makes option 3 a very attractive option as the cost of a Windows license may be the most expensive component of your budget when trying to run Windows on your Mac.
However, the trade-off of using CodeWeavers CrossOver is that it only supports a few Windows applications such as Outlook.

Conclusion

There are 3 options to consider when looking to run Windows on your Intel-based Mac.
The 4 key questions that you need to ask yourself are:

1. Do I want run Windows and Mac simultaneously?
2. Do I want run Windows apps at native speeds?
3. Do I want to be able to run all Windows apps?
4. What is my budget?

Given these 4 questions and the information above you can decide which one is the best option for you.

MN Company Lets You Run Windows Apps on a Mac the Easy Way

They say the best blogging is about story-telling. So, let me tell you one of mine how I came to write this post. First, some background: I run a Windows-free environment, and have for a long time. I put in my time with “Windoz” many years ago, and quickly left it behind. I cant even remember what version of the Mac OS I was using when that happened, but it was several iterations ago, and I upgraded through all those OS upgrades, loving the enhancements every step of the way. There are many reasons I became an Apple fanboy, and have happily stayed that way but the biggest of them all was simply ease of use, across the whole Mac experience, and the much lower hassle factor all around. I value my time. I don’t want to be a computer geek. I just want to get stuff done. Mac fits the bill. 

Today, thanks to the amazing advances of the Apple OS over the years and other Apple software offerings, I dont have a single need to run a Windows app on my Mac. However, I realize many people do they have a work reason, perhaps, to run Outlook, one of the Windows versions of Microsoft Office, or Internet Explorer, or other apps that just dont (for some crazy reason) yet have a Mac version. Ive been running the same Mac version of MS Office now for more than a decade; it works fine. (So, I cant say I run a completely Microsoft-free environment; just a Windows-free one.) I also realize there’s another big universe of Mac users out there who want to run Windows on their machines: gamers. We’re not talking a work reason here (I don’t think!), but this is a big market. There are many more games available for the Windows platform than for Mac though that is changing somewhat, since so many game apps are continually being introduced for the Mac iOS that is, for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. (And the new “GameCenter” in Mac iOS 4.1, due next week, moves Apple even further into the games market.)

But why I am writing about running Windows on a Mac when I dont have a need myself, and I’m certainly not a gamer? Well, before I tell you about “CrossOver Mac,” here’s why: I had a personal experience recently helping my daughter. Shes also a longtime Mac user, but she needed to run a single Windows app for her business, which was required by a government agency she had to deal with. So, I told her, sure, I’d help her figure out how she could do that. I of course knew about two programs designed to do that, called “Parallels” and “VMware Fusion,” either of which we could buy (for about $80, I think). And I told her I could help her get one of those installed on her Macbook. But we really didn’t like the idea of spending even that much money to run one little Windows app, maybe once a month plus a friend, Steve Borsch, told me Windows doesn’t really run all that snappy with those programs, anyway.

But I was starting to think about buying one of those programs when another local friend, Gary Doan, said, “Wait, what about Boot Camp? That wont cost you anything.” Apple started bundling that program with OS 10.5 and now 10.6, and you just need the original install disk to fire that up. Yes, plus a bonafide version of Windows, with an install disk and we would have had to buy that. Cheapest I could find: an OEM version of 32-bit Windows 7 for $110 at our local Micro Center (closest thing we have to Fry’s here in MN). You can’t even buy Windows XP anymore, I learned, so that was not a cheaper option. That, combined with an onerous 14-page manual that Apple said you must print out and have by your side as you go through the detailed Boot Camp installation and configuration process, was making me start to think, screw this. Then I learned my daughter’s Macbook only has a half a gig of RAM, and would need at least 1G to run OS 10.6, which I wanted to upgrade her to, and preferably 2G. That would have cost me at least another $60, even if I installed the memory myself, which I really didnt want to do. I thought, wait a minute, were getting close to $200 here for something we really don’t want to do! Plus untold hours of my time screwing around to get it running.
Long story short: I found a brand-new HP Mini netbook on sale for $269 at OfficeMax (thanks to a friend’s tip), and I had a $30 off coupon! I told her Id gladly pay for half of that. I figured I was coming out way ahead, considering I wouldnt have to invest any time at all if we went with this option. Plus, she wanted a second computer anyway, just for email and web use on another floor of her house, and the HP Mini came with built-in wifi capability, so it was a pretty cheap option for that. Now, were both happy.

Which brings me to the subject of my post: theres a much simpler way to run Windows on an Intel Mac and it might just work for you. I wish Id have known about it a week or two earlier, and I could have saved even more time (and money). Its a product called CrossOver Mac, from the playfully named CodeWeavers, based in St. Paul, MN.

Running Windows Applications on Linux

The perceived inability to run windows applications on Linux is what keeps many individuals from trying Linux. It turns out that it is possible to run many popular Windows applications on Linux PCs using one of several software technologies. Products that will allow Windows applications to run on Linux include:
Cedega from TransGaming Technologies Inc. CrossOver Office for Linux from CodeWeavers Inc. QEMU from Fabrice Bellard VMware from VMware, an EMC companyWin4Lin from Win4Lin Inc. Wine from the Wine Project

Cedega
TransGaming Technologies bills themselves as “the global leader in the development of software portability products for cross-platform gaming”. Their flagship product, Cedega, allows games originally created for Windows to run on Linux, “out-of-the-box”.
Cedega runs on Linux Kernel 2.4 or higher.
Cedega is available on a subscription basis from the TransGaming web site (). TransGaming also offers a 14-day trial of Cedega on their web site.

CrossOver Office
CrossOver Office from CodeWeavers allows many popular Windows applications to run on Linux. The list of applications that CrossOver Office allows to run on Linux is quite extensive and includes applications such as: Microsoft Office, Lotus Notes, Microsoft Project and Visio, and graphics applications such as Macromedia Dreamweaver MX, Flash MX, and Adobe Photoshop, and much more. CrossOver Office also allows individuals to use many Windows Web browser plugins, such as QuickTime and Shockwave. CodeWeavers uses Wine technology in its CrossOver Office Products (see the Wine description later in this article).

CodeWeavers maintains an extensive list of applications that can run on Linux using CrossOver Office with a ranking of how well they run. The list can be accessed on their web site ().
CrossOver Office has been tested on many Linux distributions. The complete list may be found on the CodeWeavers web site.

CrossOver Office is available in two versions, Standard and Professional. The Standard version is intended for home users and Linux enthusiasts, while Professional is more for commercial users and builds on the functionality of Standard by adding enhanced deployability features, as well as the ability to run CrossOver Office in shared mode from a single machine.
A 30-day trial of CrossOver Office is available from CodeWeavers and may be obtained from their web site ().

Full Article

Running Recettear on an Intel Mac

Lolieconomics on the Mac.

So, you have a Mac, but you want to play this game called Recettear. However, you do not want to reboot into Windows or use virtualization software. Crossover/Crossover Games can pretty much do the trick, but you need to reconfigure some settings before you can play the game.

Obtain the game

It won’t do much if you don’t have the game. Purchase a Copy from Impulse or GamerGate. Do not buy from Steam since the game will require you to run Steam and might not work properly within Crossover/Crossover Games. The copies from Impulse and GamerGate are DRM free.
Note that the Impuse client is buggy, so you need to download in Windows.

Obtain a copy of Crossover/Crossover Games

Crossover is a native emulation layer that allows one to install and run windows programs natively without installing Windows or using virtualization software. Any version will work with Recettear. Once Crossover is installed, run it and go to Configure > Install Software. After its installed, install the full version of Recettear. If you download using Windows, copy the Recettear game files to the c_drive folder in your Crossover Bottle. This can be accessed by going to Configure > Manage Bottles, Select the DirectX Bottle > Advanced > Open C: Drive in Finder.

Configure the Bottle

If you ran the program for the first time, you noticed that there is no sound. To fix this, we need to override some DLL files. To do this, go to Configure > Manage Bottles. Select the DirectX Bottle and go to Control Panel Tab. Then launch “Wine Config”
Go to the Libraries tab and add the following:
dmband dmcompos dmime dmloader dmscript dmstyle dmsynth dmusic dmusic32 dswave streamci dsound

Apply these settings and exit out Wine Config. Then, relaunch Wine Config and go to the library tab. Verify if these libraries are in the list. If not, readd them and try again until they are finally on the list.
Lastly, go to the Audio tab. Ignore the alert message about missing registry entries. Then, set the Hardware Acceleration to Emulation and then press OK.
Close the Manage Bottles window.

Run the Game

Finally, go to Programs > Run Command. Then, locate the program file called “recettear.exe” in the folder where you put the game files in the bottle. Click Save Commands to Program Menu so you can access it later. After you saved the command, press “Run” to run the game. Then, you have successfully installed Recettear on your Mac.
 

Since I have the game up and running, I will start covering it tomorrow. Remember, support the indie developers and buy a copy… don’t pirate!
(Same instructions should work for Crossover under Linux)

 

Crossover Bordeaux Cedega VS Vanilla Wine

A question I have fielded more then a couple times in the Wine section of the Ubuntu Forums is

What is the difference between commercial Wine products and vanilla Wine?

There are three main commercial Wine products: Bordeaux, Cedega, and Crossover. There are a few distinct differences between the commercial Wine products and the FOSS Wine.

Support:
One of the largest benefits to using a paid for Wine product is that not only are you paying for software, you are also paying for support of said software. What this means is that if an application that is suppose to function, doesn't work properly - You will have a real live person to help you debug the issue. While support for Cedega is somewhat lacking, Bordeaux and Crossover have fantastic support staff.

GUI/Automated Installer:
All three of the commercial Wine applications provide a GUI/automated installer for installing applications. This makes it much easier for new users (and faster for experienced users) to configure applications properly under Wine. Time is money as they say.

CodeWeavers open invitation to Wine-Doors and other closed projects users

A couple weeks back I noticed the Wine-Doors project was down and on their front page they have a message "Very very broken and I don't have time to fix it" So what should users who have been using Wine-Doors, or any of the other closed projects do in the future to configure and run their favorite Windows Applications and Games on Linux or Mac?

One option is to use Vanilla Wine from winehq and configure and set everything up yourself. This takes some knowledge of how Wine works and some time to test each small change to see if its helping or hurting your Application or Games. You will also need to be familiar with running regedit and editing the user and system registry in Wine.

Another option that is allot easier for end users and business is to move to CodeWeavers CrossOver for Linux and Mac. Wine-Reviews and CodeWeavers would like at this time to invite all of the past Wine-Doors users to try CrossOver Pro or Games and receive a instant 25% discount off any purchase. To receive the 20% discount just enter "ComeToTheLight" as your special dealcode when you purchase CrossOver.

Update 01/27/2023 : The ComeToTheLight dealcode has expired, you can now use "TOM23" as your dealcode and save 20% off CrossOver for Mac and Linux.

This invitation is also for anyone who has used Wine Tools, Xwine, WineBot, Transgaming Cedega or any other Wine Configuration Tool in the past.

When you become a CrossOver customer you become a member of a large community of Wine users who share the same interest. CodeWeavers have setup user forums for every application and game in their compatibility center, this way you can have discussions about the application thats most relevant to you. You can Vote for your favorite application and also make a monetary Pledge for any application in the compatibility center. You can also become a Advocate for your favorite applications and games and help test the status with each new CrossOver release. Advocates also have the ability to download and test nightly builds of CrossOver for Linux, Mac, FreeBSD, and Solaris.

You can also sign up to become a beta tester of upcoming releases and be one of the first people to test and use any of the new features in a upcoming CrossOver release.

CodeWeavers C4P technology allows over 300 Windows applications to be installed on your Mac or Linux PC with a single click of your mouse. If you have CrossOver installed, and the Windows installer for your software, you can simply click the  button in the Compatibility Database, and CrossOver will automatically install your application for you!

You can also write and submit your own C4P script for any application that you use. This will allow other people who use the same application to easily install and run the application with a single click. With more people voting and pledging and using a application the more likely the application will be supported in future releases.

So to sum everything up, we here and Wine-Reviews and CodeWeavers want to invite you to become a member of the CrossOver comminity where you can interact with people who have the same interest and needs as you do. As a CodeWeavers customer you can join in any of the forums, vote on applications and games, make a pledge for your favorite application or game. And you can become a Advocate as well as a Beta tester of future releases. CrossOver is built around a community of people with the same interest and needs, and your invited to join this exciting community.

I should also mention that CodeWeavers has support that exceeds industry standards. Level 1 Support inquires are followed upon with in twenty four hours, and in many cases within only a couple hours during regular business hours. So if you should encounter any problems their dedicated and professional support crew is ready to help you resolve the issue in a timely manner.

Once again, to take advantage of the 20% discount just enter "ComeToTheLight" at the store and your on your way to becoming part of the broader Wine and CrossOver Community.

Update 01/27/2023 : The ComeToTheLight dealcode has expired, you can now use "TOM23" as your dealcode and save 20% off CrossOver for Mac and Linux.

About CodeWeavers
Founded in 1996 as a general software consultancy, CodeWeavers focuses on the development of Wine – the core technology found in all of its CrossOver products. The company's goal is to bring expanded market opportunities for Windows software developers by making it easier, faster and more painless to port Windows software to Linux. CodeWeavers is recognized as a leader in open-source Windows porting technology, and maintains development offices in Minnesota, the United Kingdom and elsewhere around the world. The company is privately held. For more information about CodeWeavers, log on to www.codeweavers.com.

 

CodeWeavers Releases CrossOver 9.1 And CrossOver Games 9.1 For MAC And Linux

New Version Incorporates Wine 1.2, Supports Star Trek Online and StarCraft II
SAINT PAUL, Minn. (July 28, 2010) On the heels of the highly-anticipated release of Wine 1.2, CodeWeavers, Inc. today announced the simultaneous release of CrossOver 9.1 and CrossOver Games 9.1 for both Mac and Linux.

Based in Saint Paul, Minn., CodeWeavers is a leading developer of software products that turn Mac OS X and Linux into Windows-compatible operating systems. CrossOver allows Windows software to be used on Mac and Linux PCs without the need for a Windows operating system license.
Available immediately, CrossOver 9.1 fully incorporates Wine 1.2, which the Wine community released on July 16th. The Wine Project is an open source technology developed by hundreds of volunteers worldwide. Wine enables millions around the world to run Windows software on Unix-like operating systems, all without needing to run Windows itself. CodeWeavers is one of the founders and largest supporters of The Wine Project and sells CrossOver and other software as supported versions of Wine.
CrossOver Games 9.1 now supports StarCraft II as well as Star Trek Online, along with a wide range of improvements to many other games.

The regular CrossOver update includes improvements to all Microsoft Office versions, improvements in Quicken 2010 support, and a broad range of fixes that should help all applications.
"Wine 1.2 version featured the work of 328 people including a lot of hard work from our team making more than 23,000 separate patches over two years," said Jeremy White, CodeWeavers CEO. "CodeWeavers was proud to be a part of that effort, and we are thrilled to be able to bring that work to our customers with this release of CrossOver."
CrossOver 9.1 and CrossOver 9.1 Games replaces all previous versions of CrossOver. The software is immediately available at www.CodeWeavers.com.

About CodeWeavers
Founded in 1996 as a general software consultancy, CodeWeavers focuses on the development of Wine the core technology found in all of its CrossOver products. The company's goal is to bring expanded market opportunities for Windows software developers by making it easier, faster and more painless to port Windows software to Linux. CodeWeavers is recognized as a leader in open-source Windows porting technology, and maintains development offices in Minnesota, the United Kingdom and elsewhere around the world. The company is privately held. For more information about CodeWeavers, log on to www.CodeWeavers.com.

 

Winamp for Mac OS X

Well since Nullsoft does not provide any support for other then Microsoft Windows OS it could be tricky somehow to get it running on another OS like Mac OS X or even another *nix system…but it is not impossible. The thing you need is Wine to get it running on your *nix system or if you own a Mac like me you can use your copy of Crossover as well. I must say the last option will work the best if you want to use this kind of app….
This time we are going to use Crossover Mac 9.0.1 Standard/Professional in order to run Winamp 5.57 on Mac OS 10.6.4. In advance I must say that this version of Crossover does not support Winamp by default and neither does any previous versions of it. But you might ask…is it possible anyway…? I must say yes…! To my surprise the installation went smooth without any bugs and after the installation the program does work very well or at least for everyday use. Although I have came into the problem when you drag the window around it may feel kinda laggy when doing so. But otherwise it works well for most of your tasks with Winamp.

 

As you can see from the picture above it even runs with the new theme style in Winamp but for better compatibility I suggest to use the old Winamp skin for faster response and use of the program. To setup your Bottle in Crossover you only need to use a WinXP environment and continue with the installation. Winamp does not need any other runtime components to run and after installation you can use it like you did on your Windows PC.

World of Warcraft The Burning Crusade Cinematic Intro

Thanks to Cider, Mac users can run windows applications and games without running a virtual OS. Now that I think about it… Im not sure if this COD4 was actually made for mac or if it was a port running through cider. This works for many other things as well. Codeweavers CrossOver also does the same type of thing using wine instead of cider. Somewhere on their site they have a compatibility list. I successfully use CrossOver to run Steam games like DOD:S and other stuff. With virtualization through Parallels or VMWare Fusion, you still need a copy of the windows OS. With wine, you dont. Long Live Mac! The ONLY reason I ever used windows was because I wanted to play games.

Name: World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Release
Date: January 16, 2007
Platform(s): PC and Mac OS X
Publisher: Activision Blizzard
Developer: Activision Blizzard

How to Run Windows and OS X on the Same Mac

By: John Brandon

OS X or Windows? Run them both on the same machine without any trouble.

A hybrid engine that runs on gas and electricity. A football star who plays both defense and offense. A politician who understands social justice and capitalistic expansion. These anomalies are rare, but in the world of tech, they are almost unknown entities. For anyone who owns a Mac, it might seem a bit odd to think you can run both the Mac OSX and Windows, and switch effortless between them. Yet, not only is it possible to live in these two universes, it actually makes perfect sense.

One reason is that there are a handful of applications, and even a few Web sites, that only work on a PC. The most obvious examples are enterprise-level tools at work, including some apps from Oracle and Microsoft that do not run on the Mac platform and probably never will. A few Web sites require an older version of Internet Explorer, which is not even offered for the Mac anymore. And, many of the latest games such as Mass Effect 2 are not available for the Mac.

Fortunately, Apple offers an application called Boot Camp which allows you to run Microsoft Windows as though it was meant for your Mac all along. A few other virtual machine tools exist as well, including Parallels 5 and VMware Fusion, adding a few features and adding some performance perks. For more industrious users, you can also use a program called Crossover which actually runs the Windows app as though it works on a Mac, even though this approach is a bit hit or miss.
For those who want to run both Mac and Windows, heres an overview of the advantages to each approach, and a few pitfalls to avoid along the way.

Apple Boot Camp
The free Boot Camp app for Mac, included with every Mac, has one major difference compared to Parallels and Fusion: it requires that you reboot your computer. Thats only a minor annoyance, but Boot Camp does require you to live either in Windows or Mac and switch back and forth.

 

Boot Camp also supports Windows 7, but you do need the latest Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard version and the Boot Camp 3.1 Update, which you can download using the system update utility or get directly from the Snow Leopard install disc.
The important point to make here is that you will need your own licensed copy of Windows 7 (or a previous version) and, using the Boot Camp Setup Assistant (located in Applications/Utilities), you will need to install the operating system as though you just bought a brand new PC. After the install, you will also need to install the Mac drivers for Windows. (That might seem odd, but this is the step that makes Windows work with the Mac hardware.) Just insert your OS X DVD when prompted. You will also need to run the Apple Software Update utility from within Windows to update the drivers.
Then, to use Boot Camp, you just hold down the Option key when your Mac boots. You will see an option to boot into Windows or the Mac. Select the one you want and youre off.
Now, about performance. Its obvious that a Mac is designed for the best performance with OS X. Running Windows, you will notice the speed is mostly adequate, but not that comparable with a brand new laptop from, say, HP or Dell that is designed (and thoroughly tested) for Windows.
Codeweavers Crossover

One last option if you really need to run Windows apps on your Mac is CrossOver Mac, a program that uses the Wine toolkit. CrossOver makes it look like a Windows app runs natively on your Mac, mostly by loading just the required application framework. So, for example, if you want to use Microsoft Office 2007, you can load CrossOver and then install the app and run it in a window, without actually loading Windows at all.

When CrossOver works, it works wonders. The app supports popular mainstream apps like Microsoft Office and Outlook, but not any of the major Adobe products. A separate app called CrossOver Games lets you play a small number of older games, like the first Call of Duty games, but not recent titles.
CrossOver is a good idea, though, if you just need to run basic apps and dont want to bother installing Windows itself. And, the costs just $40 so it is half the price of a virtual machine app.

Full Article

 

Stamping out Wine 1.2

By Jeremy White
Everyone in the Wine community is driving to release Wine 1.2 the newest and best version of Wine.
Its been two years since Wine 1.0, and weve really made huge strides. This version will include the beginnings of genuine 64-bit support, along with major Direct3D improvements, and improvements in a huge number of other areas.

Since the majority of CodeWeavers staff are Wine developers, that means were busily working on Wine 1.2 ourselves. Further, were working to roll Wine 1.2 into CrossOver 9.1 and CrossOver Games 9.1. We are really happy with the improvements and think this is going to make the very best CrossOver release.
Of course, you might wonder, when is Wine 1.2 going to come out? And when is CrossOver 9.1 going to come out? Reasonable questions, and one you think we would be able to answer.

However, its not that easy, because of the unusual relationship we have with Alexandre Julliard, the maintainer of Wine. That is, while he is our CTO, and helps enormously with CrossOver, we also have a clear understanding that he is completely autonomous in his role as the Wine maintainer.

So when we ask him, in his role as Wine maintainer, when Wine 1.2 will ship, he simply tells us when its ready. He goes on to discuss regression counts, and productivity of developers, and so far as I know, how the tea leaves look to him. This drives James, our VP of Sales absolutely crazy, which perhaps is the point.

So the official timeline for CrossOver 9.1 is one tad after when it's ready.

 

An introduction to CrossOver Office and Games for Solaris

What exactly is CrossOver Solaris?

CrossOver for Solaris is a commercial variant of Wine released by CodeWeavers with (currently) limited support for many of today's most popular office application and games. CrossOver Office and Games for Solaris has been compiled on Solaris 10 and tested for performance and stability with many of todays most popular games such as Guild Wars, Eve Online, and Steam games like Half-Life 2 and Portal. As well as many of todays most popular Office application such as Microsoft Office 97 to 2007, Quicken, Quickbooks, Photoshop, Internet Explorer and many other not mentioned applications.
CrossOver for Solaris will also run on OpenSolaris systems, in this introduction I will be using OpenSolaris 2009.06 the last stable release of OpenSolaris.
Minimum system requirements

Solaris :

• An x86 based Solaris 10 or OpenSolaris distribution based on glibc 2.3 or greater
• Perl 5 or greater
• IJG JPEG library (libjpeg)
• python >= 2.4
• gtk2 >= 2.10
• python-gtk2 >= 2.10
• It is also recommended that you have a web browser installed.
• 100MB of available disk space (plus space for the Windows applications)
• 128MB of RAM

Currently Unsupported builds of CrossOver Solaris

Currently the only way to get CrossOver Office or Games for Solaris is to first purchase a Linux licence of CrossOver. After your purchase you can then go to "My Downloads" (Your Downloads) and then select the "Unsupported Downloads" tab and then select the CrossOver Solaris tab. At this time you can download both CrossOver Office and Games 8.0 and the new 9.0 release from CodeWeavers.

The Demo version of CrossOver

When you download CrossOver Solaris from the Unsupported section it will be a seven day demo. The demo version of CrossOver has all the functions and features of the full version. Any Windows software that works on a full version will also run in the demo version, and vice versa. The important limitation of the demo version is that bottles can only be used for 7 days. This means that any Windows packages that you install using the demo version will cease to work 7 days after their installation. When a demo installation is unlocked, all existing bottles and applications are unlocked as well. To unlock a demo, you must have a support account with CodeWeavers. You can purchase CrossOver licenses and support contracts from the vendor that provided you with your demo or directly from the CodeWeavers store. During purchase you will be asked to provide an email address and password. This address and password will be used to unlock your demo install. (Your Linux purchase will unlock the Solaris demo)

Games :
Games in CrossOver Games for Solaris:

• World of Warcraft
• EVE Online
• Guild Wars
• Prey
• Steam Games, including:
  • Half-Life 2
  • Team Fortress 2
  • Counter-Strike
  • Counter-Strike: Source
  • Civilization IV
  • Peggle Extreme
  • Call of Duty 2
  • Max Payne 2
  • Grand Theft Auto 2
• and more...

Office :

Applications in CrossOver Office for Solaris:

• Microsoft Office 2007, 2003, XP, 2000 and 97
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft Access ^*1
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 & 7
• Microsoft Project
• Adobe Photoshop
• Microsoft Visio
• Lotus Notes 5.0 and 6.5.1
• Quicken
• FrameMaker
• Various Web Browser Plugins
  • QuickTime
  • Shockwave Director
  • Windows Media Player 6.4 & 9.0
• and more...

*1 - Microsoft Access supported in Office 2000 only.

Many applications and games that are not on the above list will still work just fine. For a list of such applications, visit the CodeWeavers CrossOver Compatibility Center. At the compatibility center you can search for games, read about other users' experiences, and post tips and hints for other users.

Cost and Support of CrossOver Solaris

If your a current owner of CrossOver Office you will receive a complimentary copy of CrossOver Games. If by chance you don't currently own a copy of CrossOver Office you can purchase the stand alone Games product for only $39.95 with your purchase you will receive *limited support* through their support ticket system at this time, you can join in the discussions that take place at the C4 compatibility center, join a mailing list, vote for your favorite applications and games, and much more.

A purchase also goes toward helping support a full time Wine hacker! the folks at CodeWeavers have over the years given back well over 98% of all the code modifications that went into CrossOver to the Wine project. It also a good idea if you purchase CrossOver for Solaris to VOTE for Solaris in the Compatibility center.

CrossOver Solaris Screenshots (taken on OpenSolaris)

CrossOver Solaris Gnome menu entries


When you select "Install Windows Software" from the menu the CX GUI will start.


If you select install software the installation process will begin.


After you select the bottle you want to install your application or game into the install process will start.



After the install has finished your application or game will be placed in the CX Manage Bottles UI window.


In Manage Bottles you will see "Advanced Settings" tab. From this tab you can create Archives of your installed bottles, perform backups and more.


In the Manage Bottles UI you can run commands in a bottle, view installed applications and games and view the control panel settings.


To register your copy of CrossOver Solaris select the "Register and unlock this demo" from the system menu. You will need to enter your email address and password and the register tool will conect to the CrossOver store and proceed with the registration.


To run a Windows command select "Run a Windows Command" from the system menu. Select a bottle and then run a Windows command from that bottle. With CX Office and Games 9.0 and onward you can now easily create log files and use debug channels from the Run Command UI.


To terminate a Windows application select "Terminate Windows Application" from the system menu.


To uninstall CrossOver Office or Games select "Uninstall" from the system menu. You can choose to leave all of your previously configured bottles intact if you wish to do so.


To run a Windows Application or Game from the system menu simply navigate to the menu entry and choose the installed Application or Game. Or if your a advanced user you can run any application or game from your terminal.

Here is a screenshot of IE 7 running on OpenSolaris with CrossOver Solaris.


CrossOver also runs on FreeBSD and PC-BSD, see this older post for more information on CrossOver for FreeBSD.

In a future post I will be doing a review of Microsoft Office and IE 7 on FreeBSD and OpenSolaris.

 

An introduction to CrossOver Office and Games for FreeBSD

What exactly is CrossOver FreeBSD?

CrossOver for FreeBSD is a commercial variant of Wine released by CodeWeavers with (currently) limited support for many of today's most popular office application and games. CrossOver Office and Games for FreeBSD is tested for performance and stability with many of todays most popular games such as Guild Wars, Eve Online, and Steam games like Half-Life 2 and Portal. As well as many of todays most popular Office application such as Microsoft Office 97 to 2007, Quicken, Quickbooks, Photoshop, Internet Explorer and many other not mentioned applications.
Minimum system requirements

FreeBSD :

• An x86 based FreeBSD distribution based on glibc 2.3 or greater
• Perl 5 or greater
• IJG JPEG library (libjpeg)
• python >= 2.4
• gtk2 >= 2.10
• python-gtk2 >= 2.10
• It is also recommended that you have a web browser installed.
• 100MB of available disk space (plus space for the Windows applications)
• 128MB of RAM

Currently Unsupported builds of CrossOver FreeBSD

Currently the only way to get CrossOver Office or Games for FreeBSD is to first purchase a Linux licence of CrossOver. After your purchase you can then go to "My Downloads" (Your Downloads) and then select the "Unsupported Downloads" tab and then select the CrossOver FreeBSD tab. At this time you can download both CrossOver Office and Games 8.0 and the new 9.0 release from CodeWeavers.

The Demo version of CrossOver

When you download CrossOver FreeBSD from the Unsupported section it will be a seven day demo. The demo version of CrossOver has all the functions and features of the full version. Any Windows software that works on a full version will also run in the demo version, and vice versa. The important limitation of the demo version is that bottles can only be used for 7 days. This means that any Windows packages that you install using the demo version will cease to work 7 days after their installation. When a demo installation is unlocked, all existing bottles and applications are unlocked as well. To unlock a demo, you must have a support account with CodeWeavers. You can purchase CrossOver licenses and support contracts from the vendor that provided you with your demo or directly from the CodeWeavers store. During purchase you will be asked to provide an email address and password. This address and password will be used to unlock your demo install. (Your Linux purchase will unlock the FreeBSD demo)

Games :
Games in CrossOver Games for FreeBSD:

• World of Warcraft
• EVE Online
• Guild Wars
• Prey
• Steam Games, including:
  • Half-Life 2
  • Team Fortress 2
  • Counter-Strike
  • Counter-Strike: Source
  • Civilization IV
  • Peggle Extreme
  • Call of Duty 2
  • Max Payne 2
  • Grand Theft Auto 2
• and more...

Office :

Applications in CrossOver Office for FreeBSD:

• Microsoft Office 2007, 2003, XP, 2000 and 97
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft Access ^*1
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 & 7
• Microsoft Project
• Adobe Photoshop
• Microsoft Visio
• Lotus Notes 5.0 and 6.5.1
• Quicken
• FrameMaker
• Various Web Browser Plugins
  • QuickTime
  • Shockwave Director
  • Windows Media Player 6.4 & 9.0
• and more...

*1 - Microsoft Access supported in Office 2000 only.

Many applications and games that are not on the above list will still work just fine. For a list of such applications, visit the CodeWeavers CrossOver Compatibility Center. At the compatibility center you can search for games, read about other users' experiences, and post tips and hints for other users.

Cost and Support of CrossOver FreeBSD

If your a current owner of CrossOver Office you will receive a complimentary copy of CrossOver Games. If by chance you don't currently own a copy of CrossOver Office you can purchase the stand alone Games product for only $39.95 with your purchase you will receive *limited support* through their support ticket system at this time, you can join in the discussions that take place at the C4 compatibility center, join a mailing list, vote for your favorite applications and games, and much more.

A purchase also goes toward helping support a full time Wine hacker! the folks at CodeWeavers have over the years given back well over 98% of all the code modifications that went into CrossOver to the Wine project. It also a good idea if you purchase CrossOver for FreeBSD to VOTE for FreeBSD in the Compatibility center.

CrossOver FreeBSD Screenshots

CrossOver FreeBSD Gnome menu entries


When you select "Install Windows Software" from the menu the CX GUI will start.


If you select install software the installation process will begin.




After you select the bottle you want to install your application or game into the install process will start.


After the install has finished your application or game will be placed in the CX Manage Bottles UI window.


In Manage Bottles you will see "Advanced Settings" tab. From this tab you can create Archives of your installed bottles, perform backups and more.


In the Manage Bottles UI you can run commands in a bottle, view installed applications and games and view the control panel settings.


To register your copy of CrossOver FreeBSD select the "Register and unlock this demo" from the system menu. You will need to enter your email address and password and the register tool will conect to the CrossOver store and proceed with the registration.


To run a Windows command select "Run a Windows Command" from the system menu. Select a bottle and then run a Windows command from that bottle. With CX Office and Games 9.0 and onward you can now easily create log files and use debug channels from the Run Command UI.


To terminate a Windows application select "Terminate Windows Application" from the system menu.


To uninstall CrossOver Office or Games select "Uninstall" from the system menu. You can choose to leave all of your previously configured bottles intact if you wish to do so.


To run a Windows Application or Game from the system menu simply navigate to the menu entry and choose the installed Application or Game. Or if your a advanced user you can run any application or game from your terminal. See the IE 7 screenshot below.

CrossOver FreeBSD running on PC-BSD 8 screenshots... :)






If you sign up as a Advocte you can get nightly development builds of CX FreeBSD and test newly implimented features and bug fixes!


Here is a screenshot of IE 7 running on FreeBSD 8 with CrossOver FreeBSD.



CrossOver Office and Games also runs on Solaris 10 and OpenSolaris! In my next post I will be doing a introduction to CrossOver Office and Games for Solaris.