Apps Port Wine to Android

[Mar00k]

Hi all!

As you know, some enthusiasts from russia run Debian Linux on Android G1 phone. In theory I think it's real to run any X on it (Gnome, KDE, etc).
And therefore (in theory) it's real to run Wine on Android.

So what? Wine is alternate realisation of Win32 API. It means this is legal way to run applications, written for Windows on Linux platform. (for more information see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_(software) ).

What can we get as a result? For my work I sometimes need SAP Logon, Lotus Notes, 1C and some other Windows programs. For now there are no mobile device with support of this programs, and no mobile platform with support to this. But if we can run Wine on Android, we will have most of windows programs run without any troubles.

I didn't know Linux well, so maybe I think wrong way?

 

[Phases]

Cool thought, I don't see how that wouldn't work.

 

[pestilence]

I'm not sure how wine runs on non-i386 processors. I'm sure it's possible, but I doubt it would be usable.

You'd definitely need to add some sort of binary translation/emulation layer under wine to make it work and then you'd have a phone cpu trying very hard to be a desktop cpu.

 

[Phases]

Touche!

 

[drustvold]

Hey, 10 years ago this WAS a desktop processor!

 

[deedend]

Hey, 10 years ago this WAS a desktop processor!

Yes, but windows run on ix86 arcitecture... so I think that it's impossible to run wine on this device. Some time ago I have search information about wine on PPC Linux distros, and I have found nothing.
But I'm happy if someone denies me!

 

[pestilence]

It's technically possible, but you'd have to emulate an x86 processor and probably a bunch of other stuff as well. It might be a workable solution on an architecture that's a lot faster than an x86, but certainly not on one that's considerably less powerful already.

 

[SchlaWiener]

Wine stands for "Wine is no Emulator" so it is impossible to run apps with wine on other arcs than x86. There isn

 

[pestilence]

Wine stands for "Wine is no Emulator" so it is impossible to run apps with wine on other arcs than x86. There isn

 

[Tomasito]

Now that we have Live-Android with x86 architecture, it could be more possible i think.

I don't know how is android (i'm downloading live-android right now), but if we can compile wine with android, i see no reason why it shouldn't work

Maybe in a couple of hours i will give it a try

 

[rogerwilco]

hi ppl,

I jump to read topic with great excitement, but what I saw was totally different then in my mind.

I want Wine too. but not to run x86 stuff, to run WinMo progs instead!

That will allow to use android phones (capacitive!) just with necessary winmo software, without carring ugly winmo in it. I hope this becames possible one day..

regards,

 

[fridelain]

About running wine in another architecture (ARM), it was done for the mac by the Darwine proyect. It's all about getting qemu to perform the "binary translation", and the window size is easily solved though small fonts and scrolling. The difficult thing is to get programmers interested. Tip: pay them.

 

[mitch04]

Hey has there been any success in trying to port wine to ANDROID?? I'M prepared to help, where are we out.


Thanks

 

[el_pablo]

I don't think porting WINE to android is a pratical idea since running an x86 apps on a this small device would drain the battery in no time.

The best avenue would be a kind of remote desktop connection where windows apps would be linked seemlessly inside Android. Something like the XP Mode in Win7 where you can execute apps inside XP seemlessly into Win7.

A kind of remote sandboxie for Android.

 

[IOWA]

I don't think porting WINE to android is a pratical idea since running an x86 apps on a this small device would drain the battery in no time.

The best avenue would be a kind of remote desktop connection where windows apps would be linked seemlessly inside Android. Something like the XP Mode in Win7 where you can execute apps inside XP seemlessly into Win7.

A kind of remote sandboxie for Android.

Legacy WinMO apps would be nice...

 

[Norril]

Another way to get Windows apps on Android is via Citrix. Unfortunately you need to set up the backend infrastructure to host a Citrix environment, but they do make an Android client, as well as iPhone/iPad client, etc.

 

[KlaymenDK]

...and it needs to work on phones with a just few hundred megs of ram, of which perhaps a couple of dozen are available to apps. If you ever get this to work, it is going to be one slow son-of-a!

 

[Scramble]

I dont see it as impossible to enable ARM architecture programs intended for windows mobile devices to run under android. WINE does this for x86 PCs. We need the same for ARM, something to redirect the windows mobile API to android. Surely an x86 virtual PC on a smartphone is not the way.

Alternatively imagine a PC program that could convert a windows mobile .cab to android .apk or vice versa? Something like Winelib is to WINE, decompile the windows mobile package and recompile and repackage to android.

Can't wait to see tomtom running on android

 

[RubeSam]

Port is usually enjoyed before or after the entr

 

[zerothis]

wine encourages application and game publishers to make publish only windows and dismiss the GNU/Linux platform by claiming their product "runs on wine" (even when they have already developed a Linux version). But of course they don't support it on wine, they can't actually tell you how to run it on wine, and never mind that only one of their games of dozens runs on wine (if they don't consider one they wont consider all), but most important they avoid Linux. Now you are suggestion this feature should be applied to Android? "We don't see the need to port it to Android it runs on Andwine. No where not going to tell you how and of course we don't actually support running it on Andwine. Our other games?, Quatz. Actually we just do care so we say it run on Andwine"

 

[jackdawson75]

Hi ...its ok but extension for android applications is .apk , so WINE is not available with this extension. How this possible?

and also the new ACER ASPIRE ONE mini laptop has got android os in it which is X86 architecture so does this gives any idea?

 

[genericuser]

1. Wine on Android-x86 - Porting Android to x86 would be really awesome! One would however need to port the X11 output to the Android graphics stack, and also to make a simple java loader to call the wine executable as a library.

2. Windows Mobile (CE) DOES have a Win32 API exposed, but this is not the same version as in Desktop Windows (NT). Lots and lots of source changes and reverse-engineering would be required to support the CE specific APIs, compiling Wine for ARM in itself shouldn't be difficult although the thread handler might need a rewrite.

Both of these are awesome ideas. You should start a project using one of the free repos, even if you aren't a programmer, and try to recruit those who are and have time. Even WP7 can't do legacy apps, if Android could, lol. Also, having Win32 apps on Android x86 would make for a nice alternative to Chrome OS, for power users' net-books.

 

[hansschmucker]

You could port WineLib, which would allow developers to recompile as ARM binary, while still using the Windows API - theoretically. I'm just not sure anybody would want it.

Aside from that, there were attempts to use Wine on PPC by running an X86 emulator which sends all API calls to the host running Wine which is then able to run the code implementing the API natively. Again, theoretically possible... but again I can't see any use for it. The overhead for the x86 emulator alone is considerable, never mind the fact that an ARM CPU at say, 600Mhz, is NOT the same as an x86 CPU with the same clock speed. It's similar at program logic and integer math, but there's lots of stuff where even relatively trivial computations take five times as many cycles on ARM as they do on x86. Not really a problem for ARM developers, since they know about these, but the x86 programs make a lot of use of these calls as they are fairly inexpensive there.

So my guess would be that a typical application (not games... these would run a lot slower, since games typically implement a lot themselves, meaning that the host can't execute it in native code) would run at about 1/10th the speed and maybe 1/15 for dual core as it would on x86 hardware... assuming no other program takes up resources. So a 600Mhz ARM might be able to run programs like a Pentium 60 and a 1.2Ghz dual core like a Pentium 166 (if you're lucky).

 

[rogercruz]

Has anyone heard of someone trying to get Wine ported to Android successfully? It is an interesting idea that I would like to explore.

I've read this thread carefully, and I disagree with some of the statements that it is impossible to do. It may be my lack of understanding here, but I think it is possible to compile wine for ARM (like darwine) and then change Wine sources to integrate with the Android architecture for graphics, sounds, keyboard, etc. The latter seems to be the hardest part but it is still doable in my mind. Anyone see any other reason why this couldn't be possible? Does Wine really need X11 or can it use the Window Manager in Android to accomplish the same look? if it does need X11, can the Androids graphics stack and X11 co-exist?

Thanks
Roger Cruz

 

[BobPaul]

Has anyone heard of someone trying to get Wine ported to Android successfully? It is an interesting idea that I would like to explore.

I've read this thread carefully, and I disagree with some of the statements that it is impossible to do. It may be my lack of understanding here, but I think it is possible to compile wine for ARM (like darwine) and then change Wine sources to integrate with the Android architecture for graphics, sounds, keyboard, etc. The latter seems to be the hardest part but it is still doable in my mind. Anyone see any other reason why this couldn't be possible? Does Wine really need X11 or can it use the Window Manager in Android to accomplish the same look? if it does need X11, can the Androids graphics stack and X11 co-exist?

Thanks
Roger Cruz

Roger,

You've addressed the easy part, mapping API calls. How do you plan to actually execute the Windows binaries? Do you also plan to run something like qemu for CPU emulation? Or is the plan for this to work on only Android x86?

Bob