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Monday, November 2, 2009

PlayOnLinux

What is PlayOnLinux?

PlayOnLinux is a piece of sofware which allows you to easily install and use numerous games and softwares designed to run with Microsoft®'s Windows®.
Few games are compatible with GNU/Linux at the moment and it certainly is a factor preventing the migration to this system. PlayOnLinux brings an accessible and efficient solution to this problem, cost-free and rescpetful of the free softwares.

What are PlayOnLinux's features?

Here is a non-exhaustive list of the interesting points to know:

You don't have to own a Windows® license to use PlayOnLinux.
PlayOnLinux is based on Wine, and so profits from all its possibilities yet it keeps the user away from its complexity while exploiting some of its advanced functions.
PlayOnLinux is a free software.
PlayOnLinux uses Bash and Python

Nevertheless, PlayOnLinux has some defects, as every piece of software:

Occasional performances decrease (image may be less fluid and graphics less detailed).
Not all games are supported. Nevertheless, you can use our manual installation module.

Go there...
http://www.playonlinux.com/en

I'd like to learn more about PlayOnLinux...

PlayOnLinux (POL) is a tool to help Linux users run games and programs for Windows on Linux, via the use of (as a front-end for) Wine.

The web site is currently available in four languages :

In English: http://www.playonlinux.com/en/
In French: http://www.playonlinux.com/fr/
In Spanish: http://www.playonlinux.com/es
In Polish: http://www.playonlinux.com/pl/

The installations usually support English and French, but there are also scripts for other languages.

Prefixes does matter!

How does a prefix matter?

When you install applications with Wine all your files are saved with the same prefix.

http://www.playonlinux.com/doc/images/wine_en.jpg

This may not be a problem, until you realize a file in one program is messing up another program. PlayOnLinux uses different prefixes for all applications, so you can have specified configurations, settings and filetrees for each program.

http://www.playonlinux.com/doc/images/playonlinux_en.jpg

Manage Wine Version

Are you having a hard time deciding which Wine-version you should use to get the most out of every application? Is your favorite program rated "Garbage" with the newest Wine-version, although it was "Platinum" on the last one? With PlayOnLinux you can't just keep your settings separated, you can also assign one version of Wine for each software installation!

Easy Install

You can install your game or software in a few steps for any of the applications in our repository. The installations are meant to be very simple with as few difficult choices and interactions for the user as possible, often the installation downloads all the files needed without having to trouble the user at all. The easier the better!

But what if an installer doesn't exist for your program yet? Well, you can actually install the game through PlayOnLinux as you would have done on Wine and still get the advantages with prefixes and use a particular Wine-version just for your program!

Plugin

What is a PlayOnLinux plugin?

A plugin is a miniature-program which adds new functionality to PlayOnLinux. The plugin-system allows you to configure PlayOnLinux for your own needs! If you are a gamer and would like to record your gaming (like Fraps), use "Capture" (by GNU_Raziel). If you already have installed your game in Cedega and would like to import it into PlayOnLinux there is "TransgamingCedega" (by Tinou). For a look at the current uploaded plugins, take a look at http://www.playonlinux.com/en/download.html#plugins.

Installation

You may already have PlayOnLinux in your repository, otherwise there is most likely already a package for your distro, just take a look at the download page and you'll probably find it. And if there are no packages for your distro, you can always use the Generic release; nothing to compile, just to run PlayOnLinux! (Make sure you got the dependencies though!)

Support

If you have any problems or experience any bugs, please tell us on PlayOnLinux's forum or IRC-channel.

Development

Writing install-scripts

Writing the scripts is not very difficult. The script is written in shellscript, using a lot of functions given from PlayOnLinux. When you use shellscript you also have the advantage of using well-known functions you use yourself at your own terminal! And since all installations are inspected of well-trusted admins there is no chance of any malicious scripts in our database.

Plugins

Since PlayOnLinux has a good plugin system you have the chance to easily improve PlayOnLinux where you think its lacking features!

Documentation and helping user

Don't know how to script and don't feel like learning? Well, if you want to help there is things you can do. The forum can always have use for someone helping people with troubles, or coming with good ideas for the PlayOnLinux program. Welcome to our webpage! http://www.playonlinux.com

Bugs Tracker

A bug tracker is available for the project and script. You can find it here: http://bugs.playonlinux.com You can report any bug!

PlayOnLinux (last edited 2010-10-28 19:58:32 by MulX)

Go there...
http://wiki.winehq.org/PlayOnLinux

It's not in my Fedora 14 Repos. But I found a PlayOnLinux RPM for Fedora and a bunch of other Distros, on their site here...
http://www.playonlinux.com/en/download.html

I installed it with the RPM that I Downloaded. But I can't find it in my Applications Menu or in the Wine Menu. So, I'm going to Reboot and see if it shows up after that. Sometimes you still have to Reboot, after a new install in Linux too. Not often, but sometimes...

Don