Budget-priced Windows license

[Robert Heller]

At Mon, 23 May 2022 22:51:07 +1000 kauer at biplane.com.au, "Ubuntu user technical support,? not for general discussions" <ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com> wrote:

> 
> On Mon, 2022-05-23 at 20:06 +0800, Bret Busby wrote:
> > is it better to run MS Windows in a virtual machine, on top of Linux,
> > or, to run wine, in order to run applications that only run on MS
> > Windows, on Linux?
> 
> A VM will run pretty much every application, though performance is an
> issue and there are some intractable programs, especially those that
> use high-end graphics or require super-accurate timing (like some audio
> applications in particular).
> 
> WINE is far more limited, but has better performance when it does work.
> On the other hand, running a WINE application is giving that
> application more-or-less direct access to your hardware; something i
> for one am loath to do. Though TBH I've never heard of a WINE
> application running amok and hurting anything :-)

WINE is a user-mode application, so has all of the limitations of any other 
user-mode application.  It can't actually touch the hardware directly (no 
user-mode application can) -- all hardware access has to go through the kernel 
somehow and the kernel will impose access restrictions and/or "sanity checks".

> 
> The above is *general*; I'm sure there re programs that are exceptions.
> 
> I suspect that "your milage may vary". If you need Windows for one or
> two particular things, try WINE. If you need it more generally, a VM is
> probably best. Personally, I have a separate Windows computer just for
> the rare occasions when I need Windows. An i3 desktop that I inherited
> from someone who didn't need it any more.
> 
> Regards, K.

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