Hi all, I'm your newest member, a software author of a few Windows apps.
I've been wanting for years to somehow get them working on the Mac (and possibly Linux depending on demand) without a major rewrite, and it looks like Wine may be just what I'm been looking for.
I've read what introductory info I can find but I'm still trying to get my head around how the whole thing works and how I would set it up. Some answers to the following would be much appreciated to get me started:
1. Do I build with static Wine libraries (or source) to produce a native Mac binary? Or do I build a regular Windows exe and then it runs against Wine dynamic libraries to simulate the expected Windows API environment on the Mac?
2. Does the build process have to happen on a Mac, and if so what compiler? Or can I build on Windows with Visual Studio in a special Wine configuration to create a Mac executable that I copy across?
3. Can you point me to any guides or info that specifically describes the process and considerations for porting Windows apps to Mac for developers?
Getting started with porting to Mac OSX
Wine directly runs Windows apps. Since its yet to be perfected, it may help to modify your source code some to make sure it works with Wine 100%, but that all depends on your program and what it uses.
Wine itself isn't a porting tool... in that it doesn't make Mac versions of programs. It is just a way to run Windows programs without Windows.
You may want to look at Winelib (which I am no expert on) which is more of a porting tool part of Wine.
http://www.winehq.org/docs/winelib-guide/index
For the Mac, you may want to look at Wineskin (which is my own project) which I design around actually making a finished and distributable Mac app. This doesn't use Winelib, but normal Wine. Its a bundled up app with everything needed to run the Windows program installed into it.
Wine itself isn't a porting tool... in that it doesn't make Mac versions of programs. It is just a way to run Windows programs without Windows.
You may want to look at Winelib (which I am no expert on) which is more of a porting tool part of Wine.
http://www.winehq.org/docs/winelib-guide/index
For the Mac, you may want to look at Wineskin (which is my own project) which I design around actually making a finished and distributable Mac app. This doesn't use Winelib, but normal Wine. Its a bundled up app with everything needed to run the Windows program installed into it.
@doh123, thanks that sounds like exactly what I need.
So, with Wineskin, would I build a Windows EXE as usual, then use Wineskin to somehow wrap it up in Windows-To-Mac translation layer to produce a Mac executable?
Does the Wineskin preparation process run on Windows or Mac?
I'm still struggling to get my head around this!
So, with Wineskin, would I build a Windows EXE as usual, then use Wineskin to somehow wrap it up in Windows-To-Mac translation layer to produce a Mac executable?
Does the Wineskin preparation process run on Windows or Mac?
I'm still struggling to get my head around this!
For any solution, including Wineskin, you'd need a Mac for making, testing, and debugging to make a Mac version.cwswpl wrote:@doh123, thanks that sounds like exactly what I need.
So, with Wineskin, would I build a Windows EXE as usual, then use Wineskin to somehow wrap it up in Windows-To-Mac translation layer to produce a Mac executable?
Does the Wineskin preparation process run on Windows or Mac?
I'm still struggling to get my head around this!
Wineskin works much like Transgaming's Cider if you've seen that (used for games by big game companies). The entire Windows program is inside of the Mac app along with everything else it needs to run it. So the user just double clicks the app and it runs just like it was totally native (for the most part)
This forum is mainly for normal Wine usage. Being Wineskin is considered 3rd party, if you need assistance with it, I can still help you over on the Wineskin website, and not clog up the mail server any further here with what is considered off-topiccwswpl wrote:Thanks, that's helps a lot.
I've been reading the Wineskin manual as well in the meantime. I will starting exploring in earnest and I'll check in again when I have some sensible questions to ask!
