Wine

[Jokerman]

I have the latest version of Ubuntu which has Wine installed.  I understand that windows programs can be run using Wine, my friend has an option to right click on the program and he can choose run with Wine. I do not have this option, so how do I run windows programs in Wine?
Many thanks.

[Keith]

I have no experience of using WINE but these links might help:
https://www.lifewire.com/tools-to-run-windows-programs-in-linux-4120713
https://itsfoss.com/use-windows-applications-linux/
https://www.usethistip.com/run-windows-software-ubuntu-wine.html
https://www.howtogeek.com/105271/how-to-run-windows-software-on-ubuntu-with-wine/

A better alternative might be to use Linux substitutes for Windows software, and there are many to choose from.  Have a look at:
https://pengs.win/software-alternatives-linux/
https://www.datamation.com/open-source/20-linux-alternatives-for-common-windows-applications/
There are lots of sites providing other recommendations. 

Searching for "Linux problems using Wine" results in many sites reporting problems with running Wine.  Which begs the question of why use Linux at all if you prefer to use Microsoft products? 

Keith

[DavidMcCann]

This site will help you: https://www.winehq.org/
The wiki option at the top will take you to the FAQ and documentation, which explain how to install and run programs. Not every Windows program runs well, or at all, and the Applications Database will enable you to see what runs and what doesn't.

You can set up menu entries or keyboard shortcuts to launch programs using Wine, once they have been installed. A typical example command on my computer is

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wine "/home/david/.wine/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/MorinusWinEng/morinus.exe"

Don't forget many of the Windows programs you might consider have good or better native alternatives:
https://linuxappfinder.com/

[Jokerman]

Hi Guys,

I have been looking into your suggestions, Wine states that you can run games by right clicking and choosing open with wine. however I have come across this post which states,
"For reasons I never understood, the Wine devs stopped enabling by default the .desktop files that provide that function. The solution is to copy those files from whichever examples directory they get put in to, I think, /usr/share/applications ".
As I am new to Linux, I am not sure what directories are and how to place files there.

[Keith]

"Directory" is the original term for what Microsoft calls a "Folder".

You can move files between directories in the same way you do in Windows - either by click-and-dragging files in the file manager or using a terminal command (cp or mv). 
Note that if you want to copy a file using the Ubuntu file manager, you need to hold down the Ctrl key while you do it, otherwise it moves the file. 

The directory /usr/share/applications does indeed contain setup information for applications.  You can check most easily if your file is there by opening a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+t) and entering:

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ls /usr/share/applications

and scrolling through the list.  If you want to use Terminal commands and are not familiar with them, just ask. 

Keith

[Jokerman]

Hi Keith,
I tried to copy the file to /usr/share/applications but it states I do not have permission to copy to this directory, so back to the drawing board.

[Keith]

Sorry; I forgot...... It's just a security issue and you need to do the copy as "super user".
You don't mention how you attempted to copy the file, so I assume you are happy with the command line via the terminal. 
To enter commands as super user, you simply preface the command with sudo.  So:

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sudo cp -a <source-file-path> /usr/share/applications/

You will be asked for your password but when you start entering it you will see nothing on the screen - not even ***.  More security! 
BTW; sudo stands for superuserdo

Remember that only the environment (set up) file (*.desktop) should be in /usr/share/applications/, not the binary (executive) files. 
The *.desktop files are simple text files that you can read, and you might like to read a few to get the hang of what they do. 
Try

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cat /usr/share/applications/update-manager.desktop

to see a typical file contents.

Keith