WinE Tasting for the Common Man

There's another article here which references WinE, the Windows® emulation software commonly run on Linux systems for the purpose of opening the door to the Windows® library of compatible software. I decided to write a little about my viewpoint of WinE itself, if for no other reason than to help clarify the meaning of the other article.

WinE you won't Find in the Cellar

For the readers who are unfamiliar with WinE (the technology, not the beverage), WinE is FREE software, packaged as part of a Fedora Core, one of the most popular, most stable GNU/Linux distributions, as well as many other Linux distros which recognize the public desire to use the multitude of software available for Windows®. Fedora however happens to be unique in that it is packaged for distribution completely devoid of any software which isn't Open Source.

The gracious Gurus who develop WinE, the 32 bit Windows® Operating System Emulation Software, are recognized for distributing FREE (Open Source) software which enables users to run software developed for Windows®: the countless software apps often standard to the Office, a workplace, or Small Business Enterprise management. -click to enlarge-
At what cost Vista®? From home users with a variety of everyday uses both leisurely and important, to businesses, some of which rely on a budget which simply doesn't allow the luxury of business systems, WinE literally makes available to everyone the advantage of running industry-standard software at home, or on business systems.

WinE itself is FREE, and it's designed to emulate Windows® while running on a GNU/Linux Operating System, the likes of which many are also FREE to use. Fedora, for example, where WinE is part of the standard packaging, is a cutting-edge Operating System which is aqcuired by a FREE download [or by mail for a nominal cost of postage packaging]; which is FREE to install on several systems; which is FREE to use on every PC in the office, or at home. Fledgling businesses which might otherwise forgo the installation of computer systems can now consider the WinE alternative as a viable option.

Thanks to WinE, we can run all of the most popular ‘Windows®-based’ software, and can do so on systems without a required installation of systems equipped with Windows®, -click to enlarge-
Released Oct. 25, 2001
or at an even greater expense, the purchase of new Windows® equipped workstations to support the software. (the image shows the results of a web search focused on low-price retail distributor of Windows® software to illustrate the relatively high cost of the 6 year old O/S. The price represents the cost of installation on a single PC, as it is NOT a Volume License such as those purchased by large Businesses and Universities to allow multiple installations. Such volume licenses are priced differently.)