A reason for Linux not being more used as added in the comments section of a recent article is “Adobe and Games“. Well, there is a latest Linux bad guy in town and it is here to comfort us in a cooler way than Wine.
Winepak is an open source project whose aim is to package wine applications by Flatpak-ing them. Using flatpak's app packaging method, you can search through Winepak’s repository either via your terminal or software center to install many applications that would otherwise have remained for only Windows if you couldn’t be too bothered to go through the stress of wine’s protocols.
Features in Winepak
- Free & Open Source – you can contribute to its code on GitHub.
- Easy to Setup – Add the winepak repository to access winepak catalog.
- Search – Find the Microsoft Windows applications you want by searching the winepak repository, either via the software center or the terminal
- Integration – winepak installs custom desktop and appdata files, integrating cleanly into your desktop.
Winepak enables users to install Windows applications on the Linux machines like it is the native thing to do and right now games including Overwatch, Fortnite, and World of Warcraft are already available for download.
Installing Winepack in Linux
Setting up Winepak is easy and can be done in simple command line steps:
1. If you don’t already have flatpak set up on your machine follow this setup guide depending on your distro.
2. Add the Flathub repository by running the following command in your terminal.
$ flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
3. Next, add the winepak repository by running the following command in your terminal.
$ flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists winepak https://dl.winepak.org/repo/winepak.flatpakrepo
4. Install an application using your software center or via the terminal.
$ flatpak install winepak tld.domain.Application
Reportedly, a web interface for Winepak is in the works. This will enable browse and download apps and games without going through their software center or terminal. This is great new!
What’s your take on Winepak? Are you excited about the news? Add your comments below.
flatpak remote-add –if-not-exists winepak https://dl.winepak.org/repo/winepak.flatpakrepo
flatpak install winepak tld.domain.Application
error: Error searching remote winepak: Can’t find ref tld.domain.Application
flatpak install winepak tld.domain.Application
error: Error searching remote winepak: Can’t find ref tld.domain.Application
The biggest reason for Linux not being more popular is actually on the article! 😀
We live in the click-and-done era and anything tech related today is only accepted by the general public if it is a couple of clicks away tops. Until the day that Linux developers realize this obvious thing they will only be building (developing) stuff for themselves and no one else.
Who else on earth beside middle-aged who used ms-dos command line back in the days and developers will even consider for a second opening a command line and typing something like “flatpak remote-add –if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo“? Literally zero out of one hundred.
So here we could have had an innovation that could have captivated a newer public for Linux, but instead it’s dead at birth unless it is transformed in a way that can serve the market the way the market expects it. Developers have to forget about command line and make something that looks like google play store. Everything different died 25 years ago.
And spoiler alert, the click-and-done era is also almost over. The speak-and-done era is taking over. So Linux developers please, please realize this once and for all and kill the need of using a command line.
Would you rather enter a couple of commands in the terminal or go through confusing menu hell. I find it fun using the terminal for some things, like updating my system and installing apps. It’s kind of easier to use the terminal in some situations once you know the shortcuts (ex: the Tab key to auto fill when you are typing a command or looking for a program to install).
You don’t ever need to do anything with command line in Linux. I have 3 desktops at home, all running Linux Mint. One of them is used by my wife and my grandma, who’s 80 years old. They both have ABSOLUTELY ZERO knowledge of anything related to computers even remotely. All they do is click on icons they need. No problems and zero complaints from both of them.
When I moved from Windows 7 to Linux Mint, THEY DID NOT EVEN NOTICE ANYTHING. For a couple of days they asked me, where is this button now and where is that icon now. That’s it.
Moreover, all I do on their computer is run Update manager once a week. My wife could do it, but I just prefer not to give her the admin password just in case. That’s it
So stop misleading people. You don’t to do ANYTHING with command line in Linux these days.