It isn’t in the repository? You can’t just apt-get install wine?
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I really hate it when everyone is smarter than I am. I think the Amish are probably more tech savvy.
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not smarter, we just learned different things. You can learn new things too. 
I learn new stuff everyday.
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I’m using Wine version 6.0.3~repack-1 I got it via the Software Manager app that Mint has.
If you’re looking in the Manager it has a 4.0 rating with 826 Reviews currently. It might be an outdated version, I’m not sure I’m only three days into really using Linux instead of just playing around on a Raspberry Pi.
Edit: I’ve updated to Wine version 9.(whatever the sub decimals are I’ve already forgotten) I reinstalled wine via the terminal.
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that is the best way, i think.
especially if you haven’t trashed your previous obsolete PC.
Linux does not take lots of computer resources and runs well on older machines.
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nah, you just buy a new laptop, and wipe all the partitions including the hidden recovery partition, and install linux. LOL that reminds me of when the Dell sales guy was trying to sell the state on their autorecovery system for Windows, and he is like, you can do anything you want to it, and it will automatically recover itself, and there is nothing stored on the disk. I said oh!? let me try, and deleted the hidden recovery partition, and gave it back to him, and told him I couldn’t get it to work. I got called to the head of the IT department, for an impromptu meeting with the head of the windows group, and the Dell guy. I told them, what I did. I just said, you need to understand computers, and walked out.
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Since I had this for trying to help someone else, here is a run down of how the filesystem is laid out in unix.
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I use this for a lot of things. Especially, building old computers. It’s pretty easy to use, just really primitive. It will boot on an optical drive, or thumb drive.
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It’s getting close to crunch time regarding Windows 10, so I’m reviving this thread. I’ve had Linux Mint on an old laptop for a while and it works well with the exception of screen drop outs on an external monitor that worked perfectly fine while the laptop was on Windows. Seems OK with a newer monitor now installed. 
I’m about ready to make the crossover on my desktop. I’ve been using the laptop only for entertainment purposes, but now I guess I’ll have to install a processor hog Windows app like Corel VideoStudio for a more rigorous test. I’m a little nervous about Windows only programs like Adobe Photoshop, DesignCad, Coffeecup Designer and a few other indispensable apps running too slowly under a virtual machine, I really want to get away from Bill Gates.
BTW, what keeps Windows running under a virtual machine from reaching out and trying to update itself?
Also, some programs like TurboTax are saying they will only run under Windows 11 in the future. I assume that the same hardware requirements for installation will apply for a virtual machine under Linux. I have an older computer that Windows 11 doesn’t like. At least TurboTax can be run from the web, but going forward I wonder if apps will start requiring 11 to run.
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Marty,
I’ve been using Ubuntu for some years on my best computer which I use for internet access. On my “work computer” I still have Windows XP and all of the programs I do most of my work on–page layout, graphics, video, audio, and midi software which I use for recording, playing, editing, etc. I transfer files between computers with a flash drive—a bit of an inconvenience, but otherwise it works great. The current version of Ubuntu has gone beyond my computer resources, so I’m experimenting with Xbuntu as perhaps a future replacement. I dropped new Microsoft systems about 2015.
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If I didn’t know better I’d guess you were teenagers. I have pretty much no idea what you’re talking about.
I have a 15+ year old cheap Samsung phone. Memory is about full, so when I make videos I use my work phone. We have a laptop we hardly use about the same age. It has to be plugged in to work and I don’t remember if it’s xp or 10 - that’s about all I know. Oh, and a Samsung pad - don’t know where it is - it’s probably dead somewhere - hasn’t been fed for years. Even the tv has too many remotes and too many menus for my liking nowdays. When I was a kid it was one channel - one button - on/off.
Unfortunately I have zero interest in computer stuff. It’s a pita to pay monthly bills and sweat is pouring every time I need to order things online - not neccessarily about the cost 
but the feeling of no control. Much better make something from scratch from old obtainium in drawers and boxes - I know what I get.
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JO, I’m shocked. I thought you could do anything.
One of my “hobbies” is not spending money, IF there is any way possible. I’ve never had a new computer, haven’t bought a computer program in probably 15 years and have learned how to do my computer repairs on my own, because I am too cheap to pay anyone else to do it. That’s my story. I guess the same could be said about the gasifiers I have built, but I have needed to rely on others for moral and technical support. Thankyou DOW team for your support.
Guess what? Even that got me in trouble. A former minister at my church asked me about setting up a website for the church. I say, “I don’t know anything about it. I don’t even understand the terminology.” He says, “Anyone who can make an old car run on charcoal can do it.” And so I did with some help. End of story.
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First you need to enable the Intel VT-x extension in Bios or technically uefi. (amd has something similar) that allows the vm software to directly and securely access the processor. Obviously the easiest solution would be to switch apps and get involved with the projects. I use GIMP instead of PShop. FreeCAD and Inkscape. I don’t do video editing, but coreldesigner is a megapp where in linux you may need multiple apps to get similar functionality. TurboTax there isn’t an equivalent as even their online tools don’t have all the features.
The main bottlenecks of a VM system is the filesystem and graphics card.
I use KVM for linux with the virtio (virtual input/output which allows direct hardware access.) with Virtual Machine Manager gui front end. It does a lot more then I need. But the two things I like about it, is it allows remote access to the gui, and it doesn’t store the VM configuration to the VM file itself it has its own separate xml configuration file. I haven’t done it in a very long time but I was able to both dd a working windows install into a file. With a mod a working config file and was able to run it. I have also been able to directly access a disk with a window install on it. You get the Windows errors about changing hardware. But it also allows you to copy a vm file itself so if you mess it up, you can reinstall your backup copy by changing filenames. (there are ways to do it within vm manager itself.) or you could set it up on your laptop, then move it over to your desktop if you do it as a file.
Virtio has extensions for windows guest drivers to talk directly to the linux kernel so it doesn’t have to do any device emulation and you get a massive speed boost. While I will rave about the speed, and I love virtio. You can also grab the display on your laptop with the VM running on your desktop, and you can also leave the VM running in the background with no display and just reconnect to it when you want to see it.
The downside is 3d performance and for graphic intensive programs, if you have an extra video card, you can assign that directly to the VM right in VM manager which helps with rasterization speed.
You have to disable automatic updates in Windows if you don’t want it to update.
I didn’t watch the whole video but this guy is setting up a clean install. It takes a while but it is worth it. You still legally need license keys.
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Steve, it seems we share a hobby
It’s just that computers don’t interest me. I can’t put my finger on it, but it probably has to do with you can’t see, hear, feel or smell what’s happening and no real work is being done. With computers and the like I do only what’s absolutly neccessary.
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JO,
Maybe I should stick with what I can detect with my senses, too. I didn’t understand anything in Sean’s last post. Guess I’m not all I’m cracked up to be. We share useful hobbies, though.
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Hello,
Recently I’ve switched to Linux (Ubuntu), I’d like to share my experience.
To give you some background, I built a new computer from scratch, so it didn’t have an operating system installed.
I was torn between installing Windows 11 or Linux (any version).
After some thought, I chose Linux Ubuntu; what made me decide? A desire for change and the role of AI… Even though one should approach AI with some caution, it really makes understanding and using the system easier, especially at the start.
However, I did run into compatibility issues with software that only runs on Windows, so I decided to set up a dual-boot system (since my new computer is a beast, and I found that to be the simplest solution).
For your information, a new Windows 11 license costs just over 20 euros—a one-time payment.
As Sean mentioned, there are free, very similar alternatives to the software you use on Windows.
I recommend switching to these if possible; don’t be afraid to use AI for help if you want to avoid spending an hour watching a tutorial. You can import libraries if you wish.
The only crucial thing is to properly back up your files onto a USB drive (forget CDs—they’re outdated, and files easily become corrupted and unusable; also avoid external SATA hard drives, as a minor bump can make the data unreadable).
Personally, I was also apprehensive about the switch, but it turns out to be quite simple—so take the plunge, and above all, don’t forget your backups.
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It really isn’t that hard. It software along the lines of VMWare so it has a ton of features, you have no use for. But it still does the basics. I included the video because he goes through installing the Windows guest drivers which is a big performance boost for free.
I would suggest following the video. it looks like you just need handful of packages.
qemu-kvm libvirt-daemon-system libvirt-clients bridge-utils virt-manager
Then add yourself to the groups, if the installer didn’t do that.
sudo usermod -aG libvirt $USER
sudo usermod -aG kvm $USER
then log out and back in. you probably get the icon in your applications.
and you may want qemu-guest-agent which allows for cutting and pasting to the VM from the desktop.
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I enjoy Linux Mint. I also have installed Claude Code. I just open a terminal and mkdir (what _ever__I_am _doing) then cd (what _ever__I_am _doing), then type claude. Once Claude has opened, I just tell it to do what I want. I don’t burn enough tokens to make a difference. In case, there is a bad connection, or USB cable, I can usually catch it before claude burns endless tokens trying to determine what is wrong.
Has anyone ever used Alpine? I want to try it.
I have tried Tiny Core but it’s not as easy as regular Linux distro. It is incredible how little space it takes up. It’s like loading DOS on an 8088 with 5inch floppies.
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I haven’t used Alpine. I use Fedora, but if you uncheck everything including minimal in the installer which you can probably do with other installations as well, it will be really small and fast. It is usually the gui that is bloatware regardless of operating system.
You might set up Alpine in a VM and see how you like it. the Virt Manager stuff should be available for mint as well, and it is based on ubuntu so the packages are probably the same.
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Linux is great for extending the life of aging hardware which is especially important with new hardware being so expensive now. Linux apps tend to be lighter weight than their Windows equivalent and the OS certainly is. If nothing else, linux gives you a lot of control over how resources are used. It is also great for a home server- my AI agent lives there along with a bunch of other services that my household appreciates: backups, media storage and such which takes demands off individual PCs.
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