Centralized DB of Windows Applications

[tpreitzel]

Today, WINE has a distributed database of applications owned by the users of WINE. Practically, this solution is probably the only legal way to proceed unless the WINE project literally funds the purchase of every application for Windows. * Maybe, an owner of a specific program can loan the masters of their Windows programs to the WINE project with the guarantee that they'll be returned within a specific time frame in the same usable condition as shipped? I don't see the current process of a distributed database as the best option available. True, it may be the only practical one, however.





* More likely, NOT every application for Windows needs to be purchased to allow full and rapid development of WINE, but rather only one of kind program produced by a specific vendor in any given year, e.g. one EA game produced in 2002.

[austin987]

On 4/2/08, tpreitzel <[email protected]> wrote:

Today, WINE has a distributed database of applications owned by the users of WINE. Practically, this solution is probably the only legal way to proceed unless the WINE project literally funds the purchase of every application for Windows. * Maybe, an owner of a specific program can loan the masters of their Windows programs to the WINE project with the guarantee that they'll be returned within a specific time frame in the same usable condition as shipped? I don't see the current process of a distributed database as the best option available. True, it may be the only practical one, however.





* More likely, NOT every application for Windows needs to be purchased to allow full and rapid development of WINE, but rather only one of kind program produced by a specific vendor in any given year, e.g. one EA game produced in 2002.

There are thousands of windows programs, many of which run without
problems. By filing bugs for those not running, and providing the
information requested, most problems can be solved. Flooding
developers with lots of programs to test and check for problems will
not quicken progress, but rather than delay it.

[jeffz]

Instead of testing whole programs, test cases are written as small programs which test specific cases of behaviour quickly and with little or no user interaction. Full code coverage in testing is often more desirable than as Austin put it, a flood of programs.

[austin987]

On 4/2/08, jeffz <[email protected]> wrote:

Instead of testing whole programs, test cases are written as small programs which test specific cases of behaviour quickly and with little or no user interaction. Full code coverage in testing is often more desirable than as Austin put it, a flood of programs.

Test cases are useful as well, yes. My point was rather than sending
developers lots of programs that work fine, test the programs
yourself, and file bugs for any problems. Most of the time, someone
with little experience can get the information needed without sending
the program to a developer.

Let me qualify that, however. If there is a program with no demo, and
someone with little experience wants it to work/a program with a _TON_
of problems, and a developer/advanced user has time/volunteers to
debug, this could be useful. Not to name names, but I believe Dan has
done this a few times .

If you have time to spare and want to help wine, either find programs
that don't work and file bugs, better yet, triage old bugs for ones
that have been fixed/closing dupes, or if you can code, write patches
.

[Dan Kegel]

On Wed, Apr 2, 2008 at 7:46 PM, tpreitzel <[email protected]> wrote:

Maybe, an owner of a specific program can loan the masters of
their Windows programs to the WINE project ... ?

As Austin says, it's much better for people that have programs
to test them and report the bugs. The Wine developers
don't have time to do this even if they had all the apps.
- Dan

[James McKenzie]

Dan Kegel wrote:

On Wed, Apr 2, 2008 at 7:46 PM, tpreitzel <[email protected]> wrote:

Maybe, an owner of a specific program can loan the masters of
their Windows programs to the WINE project ... ?

As Austin says, it's much better for people that have programs
to test them and report the bugs. The Wine developers
don't have time to do this even if they had all the apps.
- Dan

+1. I test several applications and report back on the results. This
moves Wine forward (or backward the case may be.)

James McKenzie