usability study: "30 days with Ubuntu" author had trouble with wine
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/231065/ubuntu_linux_day_23_wou... First problem - ubuntu's package manager is unclear: "I opened up my handy-dandy Ubuntu Software Center and typed Wine in the search field, and...WTF? There are 14 matching items that show up. Many of them are variations on 'Microsoft Windows Compatibility Layer'. One has '(meta package)' at the end, another has '(dummy package)'. They each have a little sub-title like 'wine', or 'wine-gecko', or 'wine1.3-gecko'. Why isn't there just a single app clearly called 'Wine'? I didn't really have any clue which of these various software packages is the real Wine, but the one at the top--the 'meta package'--had the most ratings and ranked highly at 4.5 stars, so I decided to give that one a shot." Second problem - he expected to run a program called Wine, found wineconfig, did something with it, and then got back on track: "Once it completed installing, I went to the Applications lens on the Unity bar and typed in Wine. It claims I have three apps installed that fit that description: Configure Wine, Uninstall Wine Software, and Winetricks. I was hoping to actually run Wine, but given these three options it seems that Configure Wine is the logical first choice. I clicked Configure Wine and the Wine Configuration console popped up (go figure). At the bottom of the Applications tab, it specific which version of Windows to emulate...I mean be compatible with. It defaults to Windows XP, but I changed it to Windows 7... OK. Now, I am ready to run some Windows software, right?" Third problem: he expected Office 2010 to install and run Fourth problem: he couldn't even run the installer: " I opened up the folder from my Windows drive where I store downloaded software, right-clicked my Microsoft Office 2010 installation executable and clicked 'Open With Wine Windows Program Loader', and...got an error message. Something to the effect that this software is not marked as executable. Windows logoRunning Windows software in Wine proved convoluted and elusive.I checked with Google, and found a helpful walk-through from Psychocats.net called Using Wine on Ubuntu. Apparently, the fact that the software is an EXE is not obvious enough, so I have to first right-click the file, go into the Properties, and click a checkbox designating the file as executable. Seems convoluted. The problem is, every time I click the checkbox my check disappears. It won't let me make my file executable. I tried looking for more help on Google to no avail. I tried a couple other executable installation files, but couldn't mark those as executable either. I assume it is a permissions thing--like I need to somehow access the file permissions with root privileges in order to be able to make those changes. That is just a theory, though. So, no Windows software running for me just yet." Ouch, ouch, ouch.
On Fri, Jun 24, 2011 at 18:58, Dan Kegel <dank(a)kegel.com> wrote:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/231065/ubuntu_linux_day_23_wou...
First problem - ubuntu's package manager is unclear:
"I opened up my handy-dandy Ubuntu Software Center and typed Wine in the search field, and...WTF? There are 14 matching items that show up. Many of them are variations on 'Microsoft Windows Compatibility Layer'. One has '(meta package)' at the end, another has '(dummy package)'. They each have a little sub-title like 'wine', or 'wine-gecko', or 'wine1.3-gecko'. Why isn't there just a single app clearly called 'Wine'? I didn't really have any clue which of these various software packages is the real Wine, but the one at the top--the 'meta package'--had the most ratings and ranked highly at 4.5 stars, so I decided to give that one a shot."
Second problem - he expected to run a program called Wine, found wineconfig, did something with it, and then got back on track: "Once it completed installing, I went to the Applications lens on the Unity bar and typed in Wine. It claims I have three apps installed that fit that description: Configure Wine, Uninstall Wine Software, and Winetricks. I was hoping to actually run Wine, but given these three options it seems that Configure Wine is the logical first choice. I clicked Configure Wine and the Wine Configuration console popped up (go figure). At the bottom of the Applications tab, it specific which version of Windows to emulate...I mean be compatible with. It defaults to Windows XP, but I changed it to Windows 7... OK. Now, I am ready to run some Windows software, right?"
Third problem: he expected Office 2010 to install and run
Fourth problem: he couldn't even run the installer: " I opened up the folder from my Windows drive where I store downloaded software, right-clicked my Microsoft Office 2010 installation executable and clicked 'Open With Wine Windows Program Loader', and...got an error message. Something to the effect that this software is not marked as executable. Windows logoRunning Windows software in Wine proved convoluted and elusive.I checked with Google, and found a helpful walk-through from Psychocats.net called Using Wine on Ubuntu. Apparently, the fact that the software is an EXE is not obvious enough, so I have to first right-click the file, go into the Properties, and click a checkbox designating the file as executable. Seems convoluted. The problem is, every time I click the checkbox my check disappears. It won't let me make my file executable. I tried looking for more help on Google to no avail. I tried a couple other executable installation files, but couldn't mark those as executable either. I assume it is a permissions thing--like I need to somehow access the file permissions with root privileges in order to be able to make those changes. That is just a theory, though. So, no Windows software running for me just yet."
Ouch, ouch, ouch.
These all sound like packaging problems.. -- -Austin
On 25/06/2011, at 11:38, Austin English <austinenglish(a)gmail.com> wrote:
On Fri, Jun 24, 2011 at 18:58, Dan Kegel <dank(a)kegel.com> wrote:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/231065/ubuntu_linux_day_23_wou...
First problem - ubuntu's package manager is unclear:
"I opened up my handy-dandy Ubuntu Software Center and typed Wine in the search field, and...WTF? There are 14 matching items that show up. Many of them are variations on 'Microsoft Windows Compatibility Layer'. One has '(meta package)' at the end, another has '(dummy package)'. They each have a little sub-title like 'wine', or 'wine-gecko', or 'wine1.3-gecko'. Why isn't there just a single app clearly called 'Wine'? I didn't really have any clue which of these various software packages is the real Wine, but the one at the top--the 'meta package'--had the most ratings and ranked highly at 4.5 stars, so I decided to give that one a shot."
Second problem - he expected to run a program called Wine, found wineconfig, did something with it, and then got back on track: "Once it completed installing, I went to the Applications lens on the Unity bar and typed in Wine. It claims I have three apps installed that fit that description: Configure Wine, Uninstall Wine Software, and Winetricks. I was hoping to actually run Wine, but given these three options it seems that Configure Wine is the logical first choice. I clicked Configure Wine and the Wine Configuration console popped up (go figure). At the bottom of the Applications tab, it specific which version of Windows to emulate...I mean be compatible with. It defaults to Windows XP, but I changed it to Windows 7... OK. Now, I am ready to run some Windows software, right?"
Third problem: he expected Office 2010 to install and run
Fourth problem: he couldn't even run the installer: " I opened up the folder from my Windows drive where I store downloaded software, right-clicked my Microsoft Office 2010 installation executable and clicked 'Open With Wine Windows Program Loader', and...got an error message. Something to the effect that this software is not marked as executable. Windows logoRunning Windows software in Wine proved convoluted and elusive.I checked with Google, and found a helpful walk-through from Psychocats.net called Using Wine on Ubuntu. Apparently, the fact that the software is an EXE is not obvious enough, so I have to first right-click the file, go into the Properties, and click a checkbox designating the file as executable. Seems convoluted. The problem is, every time I click the checkbox my check disappears. It won't let me make my file executable. I tried looking for more help on Google to no avail. I tried a couple other executable installation files, but couldn't mark those as executable either. I assume it is a permissions thing--like I need to somehow access the file permissions with root privileges in order to be able to make those changes. That is just a theory, though. So, no Windows software running for me just yet."
Ouch, ouch, ouch.
These all sound like packaging problems..
-- -Austin
At least one is an issues that Wine could directly address. Wine should investigate and inform users why they can't run a program and where to look for help. It could detect execution permissions, filesystem type, run location outside Wine paths etc. Then give helpful direction. Regards,
(CC Scott) About the packaging issues, I have to agree the current system seems a bit counter-intuitive. I believe this was discussed before - something about debian naming rules - but given the development cycle of wine, wouldn't something like google-chrome's naming be better? wine-stable (1.0, 1.2, 1.4...) wine-unstable or wine-beta (minor releases) J. Leclanche On Sat, Jun 25, 2011 at 3:25 AM, Edward Savage <epssyis(a)gmail.com> wrote:
On 25/06/2011, at 11:38, Austin English <austinenglish(a)gmail.com> wrote:
On Fri, Jun 24, 2011 at 18:58, Dan Kegel <dank(a)kegel.com> wrote:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/231065/ubuntu_linux_day_23_wou...
First problem - ubuntu's package manager is unclear:
"I opened up my handy-dandy Ubuntu Software Center and typed Wine in the search field, and...WTF? There are 14 matching items that show up. Many of them are variations on 'Microsoft Windows Compatibility Layer'. One has '(meta package)' at the end, another has '(dummy package)'. They each have a little sub-title like 'wine', or 'wine-gecko', or 'wine1.3-gecko'. Why isn't there just a single app clearly called 'Wine'? I didn't really have any clue which of these various software packages is the real Wine, but the one at the top--the 'meta package'--had the most ratings and ranked highly at 4.5 stars, so I decided to give that one a shot."
Second problem - he expected to run a program called Wine, found wineconfig, did something with it, and then got back on track: "Once it completed installing, I went to the Applications lens on the Unity bar and typed in Wine. It claims I have three apps installed that fit that description: Configure Wine, Uninstall Wine Software, and Winetricks. I was hoping to actually run Wine, but given these three options it seems that Configure Wine is the logical first choice. I clicked Configure Wine and the Wine Configuration console popped up (go figure). At the bottom of the Applications tab, it specific which version of Windows to emulate...I mean be compatible with. It defaults to Windows XP, but I changed it to Windows 7... OK. Now, I am ready to run some Windows software, right?"
Third problem: he expected Office 2010 to install and run
Fourth problem: he couldn't even run the installer: " I opened up the folder from my Windows drive where I store downloaded software, right-clicked my Microsoft Office 2010 installation executable and clicked 'Open With Wine Windows Program Loader', and...got an error message. Something to the effect that this software is not marked as executable. Windows logoRunning Windows software in Wine proved convoluted and elusive.I checked with Google, and found a helpful walk-through from Psychocats.net called Using Wine on Ubuntu. Apparently, the fact that the software is an EXE is not obvious enough, so I have to first right-click the file, go into the Properties, and click a checkbox designating the file as executable. Seems convoluted. The problem is, every time I click the checkbox my check disappears. It won't let me make my file executable. I tried looking for more help on Google to no avail. I tried a couple other executable installation files, but couldn't mark those as executable either. I assume it is a permissions thing--like I need to somehow access the file permissions with root privileges in order to be able to make those changes. That is just a theory, though. So, no Windows software running for me just yet."
Ouch, ouch, ouch.
These all sound like packaging problems..
-- -Austin
At least one is an issues that Wine could directly address.
Wine should investigate and inform users why they can't run a program and where to look for help.
It could detect execution permissions, filesystem type, run location outside Wine paths etc. Then give helpful direction.
Regards,
participants (4)
-
Austin English -
Dan Kegel -
Edward Savage -
Jerome Leclanche