- Wine 10 is now out with more than 6,000 updates on its release log
- The emulator - which turns 32 this year - allows Linux/Unix users to run Windows software
- Open source project doesn't require Windows unlike virtual machine solutions
If you want to run Windows software on a Linux OS, you'll need to install the Wine compatibility layer. Wine, a recursive acronym for "Wine Is Not an Emulator," provides a runtime environment for running Windows applications natively on Linux without virtualization. It can also be configured as the default installer for Windows software, simplifying the setup process.
First released on July 4, 1993, Wine was created by Bob Amstadt (the project’s original lead) and Eric Youngdale as an open source implementation of the Windows API for Unix-based systems. Over the past 32 years, it has evolved into a powerful tool for bridging the gap between Windows and Linux environments and after a year of development, the developers behind it have announced the stable release of Wine 10.
This new version includes over 6,000 individual changes. While many are minor fixes, there are some notable highlights, including full support for the ARM64EC architecture and hybrid ARM64X modules, allowing seamless integration of ARM64EC and plain ARM64 code.
OpenGL support
High-DPI support has been improved in this release, with automatic scaling for non-DPI aware applications. Vulkan enhancements now support child window rendering and Vulkan Video extensions.
Direct3D updates include a new HLSL-based fixed function pipeline, Vulkan shader backend improvements, and dynamic state extensions to reduce stuttering. And, in a welcome move, OpenGL is now supported within the Wayland driver, which is enabled by default. This addition will allow for better integration with Wayland-based Linux environments.
Other changes include an experimental FFmpeg-based multimedia backend, improved HID and touchscreen input handling, enhanced Unicode and locale compatibility, and solid RPC/COM support on ARM platforms.
A number of other tweaks have been made too, such as process elevation, improved serial port event handling, and support for modern vector extensions like AVX-512. Developers also benefit from updated build tools, static analysis options, and bundled library upgrades like Capstone, Vkd3d 1.14, and FFmpeg.
