Chapter 15. Windows-Only Media Formats and Programs

In This Chapter

  • Running Microsoft Office and Web tools with CrossOver Office

  • Using Windows inside Linux with Win4Lin

  • Playing Windows games with Cedega

  • Creating a “virtual computer” inside Linux with VMware

  • Trying out the free Windows inside Linux tool, Wine

A gentleman is a man who can play the accordion, but doesn’t.

—Unknown

For us, nothing’s more maddening than to find a file online or have someone send you a file, just to discover that you can’t use it. Although this issue is less of a problem for Linux users as each day passes, things do sometimes still crop up that have to be worked around, particularly if you switch to Linux and then realize you have certain programs you can’t live without and can’t seem to replace.

Fortunately, you have a number of options available whether you need to use files or run Windows programs. If you’re looking for software to try with existing files or a Linux equivalent to a beloved Windows program, a good place to start (aside from Chapter 16) is www.linuxrsp.ru/win-lin-soft/table-eng.html. Here, you can see why today it’s surprising if you can’t find a program under Linux to do what you need. Some of this software is “commercial” in that it’s for sale, and other programs are free.

If you do find that you actually need to run a Windows program under Linux, both commercial and free options are available, although far more commercial options exist. This chapter looks at both possibilities ...

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