Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Reporting that Wine works in BookwormPup64....
I couldn't get SFS packages to work; perhaps I need to understand loading of libraries better????

So I tried my pet package and it worked
And it has the benefit that it launches .exe applications from Rox filer with a double click.
There are entries in the start menu. (in particular the wine file manager is very useful)
I noticed that hidden .wine folder in /root is a link. I've never seen that??? but it works!!

I tested it with mp3directcut and the audio worked automatically
Download:
https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic.php?t=13121

Tip:
I discovered ....

Don't make a folder (named .wine) in /root yourself.
Launch a wine app from the start menu and the two hidden folders will be created automatically (see image)
The links will be made in /root back to the wine folder in /opt

Very good pet for installing a version of Wine.

Like all Wine installs.

First thing to do is run Wine Config program

This will automatically download and install a few other programs needed by Wine.

First thing to do is run Wine Config program

No need to run a script with this wine pet app.
Just launch an included windows app from the Start Menu.
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So why does running Wine Config cause it to download and install the Gecko and Mono stuff?

The first time you click on menu ->Utility ->Wine Config

Does this before the program window pops up.

Every version of Wine I have used, does this download thing, the first time you run Wine Config.

After this is done.

Clicking on menu ->Utility ->Wine Config, just starts the program window, and use it to setup different config settings for Wine.

Really need to run Wine Config, before doing anything with Wine.
A lot of settings, that will control how Wine operates, to run a Windows based program.
Main one, is what Windows OS do you want it to emulate.

This version of wine package doesn't seem to need configuring.
I don't have a internet connection so I ignore the requests for gecko and windows fonts.
I have seen requests to choose audio connection but I don't remember if it was this package or some SFS I downloaded.
There are a lot of other wine packages floating around this forum.
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bigpup wrote: Tue Jan 07, 2025 11:45 pm

So why does running Wine Config cause it to download and install the Gecko and Mono stuff?...

It doesn't. The User has the option to decline to have them downloaded and installed. Guessing. But that option probably exists because they are not needed for most applications --none I'd ever want or needed to run; and Mono is large.

Wine is inherently unsafe. You'll find a warning on WineHQ that security is to be provided by the operating system running Wine. AFAIK, neither Puppy nor any other LinuxOS does beyond a firewall. AFAIK, Windows anti-malware programs won't run under Wine.

Gecko is not needed to run WineTricks, if it will run at all. Nor is it needed to run Windows Web-browser programs; which is not recommended for the following reason. Gecko provides a means by which your Wine has access to the Web, and vice-versa. Unless Containerized, see viewtopic.php?p=21774#p21774 --running Wine under a Chrooted OS doesn't, see viewtopic.php?p=21516#p21516-- Wine and programs running under Wine have access to your entire operating system and any connected drive/partition. By now there are native Linux applications which are as good, sometime much better, than the programs which will run under Wine. Wine serves two purposes: (1) to be able to run windows programs for which there are no Linux alternatives; and (2) to enable Users to run some Windows programs with which they are familiar rather than undertake the learning curve required by transitioning to a Linux alternative.

Including unneeded and/or unwanted programs is a waste of resources: for the provider, band-width; for the User the time and effort to remove them.

Thanks for explaination.
Interesting . Wine allows artrage demo to run
https://www.artrage.com/demos/
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@mikeslr

Thanks for that information!

Never have fully understood what Wine is doing and why it does or does not need something.

Some information on gecko and Mono I found:

When Wine prompts you to download and install Gecko, it is typically for the purpose of rendering HTML content in applications that rely on Internet Explorer's engine. Gecko is the layout engine used by Mozilla Firefox and is needed by Wine for proper handling of web-based functionality or components that require it.

Some Windows applications, particularly those with embedded web browsers or components like Internet Explorer, rely on this engine to display web pages correctly. Wine doesn't include a full web browser, so it uses Gecko as a substitute for these features.

The installation is usually straightforward, and it's important to allow Wine to download and install it for those applications to function properly.

Wine uses Mono to provide .NET support on non-Windows platforms, such as Linux or macOS. Many Windows applications rely on .NET Framework for their operation, and since Wine does not have native support for .NET, it uses Mono to fill this gap.

When you run winecfg (the Wine configuration tool) for the first time, it detects that Mono is required and attempts to download and install it. This ensures that any .NET-dependent Windows applications can run properly within the Wine environment. Mono is an open-source implementation of the .NET Framework, and it provides the necessary libraries and runtime components for these applications to function correctly under Wine.

If you're not running any .NET-based applications, you may not need Mono, and you can disable it or uninstall it through Wine's configuration settings.

So, I guess it depends on what Windows programs you want to run.

"So, I guess it depends on what Windows programs you want to run."

"When Wine prompts you to download and install Gecko, it is typically for the purpose of rendering HTML content in applications that rely on Internet Explorer's engine. Gecko is the layout engine used by Mozilla Firefox and is needed by Wine for proper handling of web-based functionality or components that require it."

As native Linux html readers can be used, Gecko isn't required just to read html files. 'used by Mozilla Firefox' may be referring to the 'old' Firefox installable via WineTricks'. AFAIR, I was able to download and install a more recent version of firefox and run it without having installed gecko. But, as suggested previously, running web-facing Windows programs without simultaneously running Windows anti-malware invites problems. Windows, with 80% of the computing market is a target rich objective for miscreants.