Using Apps, specific to Windows on Linux (Introduction)

image from: https://learn.microsoft.com

If you are still undecided about upgrading to Windows 11 because you are locked in with using applications from Adobe and don’t want to make a switch to alternatives options like GIMP and Inkscape (both free) but you like the idea of exploring Linux, this information could be for you. Linux has been and continues to be a geeks for geeks operating system, so often synonymous for being overly technical and unapproachable. This might have been true 10 years ago, but fast forward to today and the Linux desktop is very easy to setup, the major complication is deciding which Linux version you want to use.

Being a Linux user myself and an enthusiast, I am fully aware that not everyone is going to have the same sentiment that I have about this piece of technology. That is where a lot of Linux people lose the general public; I feel like a lot of Linux people want others to be just as enthusiastic about free open source software and we, as a Linux community, need to get that out of our heads. Windows is completely sufficient for every day use and people don’t care about the reasons why Linux users are enthusiasts because Windows gets the jobs done.

With all that being said, there are reasons why people would want to migrate away from Windows. This is where the Linux community of enthusiasts really shines in response to moving away from the Windows ecosystem. Over the years, the community has developed and continues to develop solutions that make using Windows specific applications run on Linux, sometimes with better performance. There are a number of great projects currently in development, while not in version 1.0 are still stable and constantly being updated.

 

Two popular projects currently available to use Windows applications natively on Linux are WinBoat and WinApps. WinBoat runs a Windows virtual machine in the background and the App icon like Photoshop appears on the desktop. WinApps using a compatibility layer called wine to open the apps.

The method I use to use Windows and Windows specific apps is through a virtual machine. A virtual machine is a complete operating system inside your current operating system. I used VirtualBox (now QEMU) for many years and still use it to some degree, because of its ease of use. While using a virtual machine does use up system resources, having the ability to use Windows and the apps natively, comes in handy in a lot of situations. Because it is a virtual machine, you essentially can take it with you where ever you take your laptop. Virtual machines are quite stable and helps isolate it from your host machine.