I really enjoy Linux but I find myself having to keep Windows partitions around for software that specifically requires Windows.
Proton makes everything easier by automatically running game files through a translation layer, and it “just works” quite well most of the time.
Also VanillaOS can apparently auto-spin a container when you try to open a .deb or AUR package (this is my rudimentary understanding).
Setting up WINE/Bottles, etc. is above my pay grade.
Is it not possible to create an OS that just does the same thing as Steam but for the entire OS?
honestly, wine has seemed unreasonably complex to me in the past and i haven’t tried since. but Bottles offers a nice easy to use GUI, i do recommend giving it a shot. at least on arch linux it’s super easy to install via the AUR.
the only issue is some apps need additional dependencies which can take some searching to figure out what exactly is needed. the arch wiki lists a bunch of them though, and often the error messages bottles shows will point you the right way.
i’ve gotten almost every .exe to work with it, most immediately, some after a short bit of tinkering.
The bottles flatpak is the official release so people not on an arch based system can/should use that
Even people on Arch should use it. It ensures better isolation of processes and is the only supported installation method if you ever have issues.
that said, i did end up finding open source alternatives for all the software i use often, and don’t use bottles much.
I’ve yet to find something open-source that scratches what MusicBee can do, and it’s got major performance, usability and visual problems when running through WINE that have been reported.
It’s why I keep a Windows VM around.
Wine works great 😂
I did.