Latest news with #CrossOver
Gizmodo
5 days ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
Download CrossOver for macOS and Linux
The main attraction of CrossOver goes beyond its capability to execute Windows applications, according to users. The application operates in such a way that users feel like they never disconnected from their Mac or Linux environments. You're not creating virtual machines. There's no need for a computer reboot when you require a specific app through this software. The software enables you to maintain your position on your macOS or Linux desktop while gaining access to programs that were previously unavailable to you. Few professionals working across diverse environments will find this significant benefit particularly helpful. Your primary computer operates with Mac, but you require an accounting software that functions exclusively on Windows. If you switched to Linux, then your preferred design application does not provide support for your new operating system. The design of CrossOver allows users to avoid making sacrifices with their software choices. You can experience dual functionality since CrossOver operates between macOS and Linux desktops through a single interface. The several years of development have made the platform solid, so it remains resistant to breakage. About 75% of standard applications Americans wish to operate on have undergone testing, and developers have simplified the installation process with basic click commands. Simplicity stands out as the key distinguishing fact of this particular product. For decades, Wine demonstrated complete power while maintaining requirements that demand technical abilities. The sophisticated, complex functions of the program remain hidden behind an elegant user interface provided by CrossOver. The system functions best without needing to understand how everything operates within the program code. The application selection process is simple since you just need to choose the desired app to install, then watch CrossOver execute all operations automatically. Softness in user experience activates two significant benefits: first, it reduces the amount of time required to complete actions, and secondly, it conserves precious energy for other tasks. The process requires no debugging activities or searches on online forums. Moving forward with your work process just requires you to launch your selected software. Managers who work with productivity tools combined with older software or games without native system compatibility will experience a total shift in their work process because of this access method. The software removes the ongoing platform battle between different operating systems. It reduces friction. Open-source foundations enable this platform, while the provider delivers support through regular updates along with technical assistance that users need. The stable, practical functionality of CrossOver provides an excellent program solution for developers and gamers and business owners, and strictly functional users who require particular software without damaging their system operations.
WIRED
22-04-2025
- WIRED
Teen Coder Shuts Down Free Mac App Whisky, Encourages Supporting the Paid Alternative
Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica The developer says his open source app could 'seriously threaten' the viability of CrossOver, the popular paid app. Both programs help macOS users get Windows games running on their Macs. Photo-Illustration:Whisky, a gaming-focused front-end for Wine's Windows compatibility tools on macOS, is no longer receiving updates. As one of the most useful and well-regarded tools in a Mac gamer's toolkit, it could be seen as a great loss, but its developer hopes you'll move on with what he considers a better option: supporting CodeWeavers' CrossOver product. This story originally appeared on Ars Technica, a trusted source for technology news, tech policy analysis, reviews, and more. Ars is owned by WIRED's parent company, Condé Nast. Also, Whisky's creator is an 18-year-old college student, and he could use a break. "I am 18, yes, and attending Northeastern University, so it's always a balancing act between my school work and dev work," Isaac Marovitz wrote to Ars Technica. The Whisky project has "been more or less in this state for a few months, I posted the notice mostly to clarify and formally announce it," Marovitz says, having received "a lot of questions" about the project status. Contributing 'Practically Zero' Marovitz is no slacker, having previously worked on the Switch emulator Ryujinx, which shut down after an agreement with Nintendo, and other gaming projects, including PlayCover. So while a break is a good thing, there is another big reason: "Whisky, in my opinion, has not been a positive on the Wine community as a whole," Marovitz wrote on the Whisky site. He advised that Whisky users buy a CrossOver license, and noted that while CodeWeavers and Valve's work on Proton have had a big impact on the Wine project, 'the amount that Whisky as a whole contributes to Wine is practically zero.' Fixes for Wine running Mac games 'have to come from people who are not only incredibly knowledgeable on C, Wine, Windows, but also macOS,' Marovitz wrote, and 'the pool of developers with those skills is very limited.' While Marovitz tells Ars that he's had 'some contact with CodeWeavers' in making Whisky, 'they were always curious and never told me what I should or should not do.' It became clear to him, though, 'from what [CodeWeavers] could tell me as well as observing the attitude of the wider community that Whisky could seriously threaten CrossOver's viability.' The center of Whisky's homepage now carries a persistent notice that 'Whisky is no longer actively maintained. Apps and games may break at any time.' A Tipped-Cap Moment CodeWeavers' CEO wrote on the company's blog late last week about the Whisky shutdown, topped with an image of a glass of the spirit clinking against a glass of wine. 'Whisky may have been a CrossOver competitor, but that's not how we feel today,' wrote James B. Ramey. 'Our response is simply one of empathy, understanding, and acknowledgement for Isaac's situation.' Ramey noted that Whisky was a free packaging of an open source project, crafted by someone who, like CrossOver, did it as 'a labor of love built by people who care deeply about giving users more choices.' But Marovitz faced "an avalanche of user expectations," Ramey wrote, regarding game compatibility, performance, and features. 'The reality is that testing, support, and development take real resources … if CodeWeavers were not viable because of CrossOver not being sustainable, it would likely dampen the future development of WINE and Proton and support for macOS gaming,' Ramey wrote. 'We 'tip our cap' to Isaac and the impact he made to macOS gaming,' Ramey wrote, strangely choosing that colloquial salute instead of the more obvious beverage analogy for the two projects. Marovitz tells Ars that while user expectations were 'definitely an issue,' they were not the major reason for ceasing development. 'I've worked on other big projects before and during Whisky's development, so I'm not a stranger to tuning out the noise of constant user expectations.' Open source projects shutting down because of the tremendous pressure they put on their unpaid coders is a kind of 'dog bites man' story in the coding world. It's something else entirely when a prolific coder sees a larger ecosystem as not really benefiting from their otherwise very neat tool, and chooses deference. Still, during its run, the Whisky app drew attention to Mac gaming and the possibilities of Wine, and by extension Apple's own Game Porting Toolkit, itself based on CrossOver. And likely gave a few Mac owners some great times with games they couldn't get on their favorite platform. Marovitz, while stepping back, is not done with Mac gaming, however. 'Right now I'm working on the recompilation of Sonic Unleashed and bringing it fully to Mac, alongside other folks, but for the most part my goals and passions have remained the same,' Marovitz tells Ars. This story originally appeared on Ars Technica.
WIRED
08-03-2025
- WIRED
How to Get Windows Games Working on a Mac
There are all kinds of reasons to prefer Macs over Windows-based PCs. Gaming isn't one of them. That isn't to say that you can't game on a Mac—modern Apple Silicon computers are fairly powerful. The problem is that many popular games don't offer downloads that will run natively on a Mac. Search the Mac App Store or Steam and you'll find a bunch of games for Mac—just not necessarily the specific ones you want. And there's another problem: Apple tends to break reverse compatibility faster than Microsoft does. For example, it's currently impossible to run 32-bit applications on modern versions of macOS. If you have a Steam library full of games that ran just fine on the Mac you had in 2015, you'll find that a lot of them won't run at all on the Mac you bought last year. It's frustrating. Before you give up and buy a gaming laptop, though, know that you've got options for getting PC games to run on the Mac. It's possible to get many Windows games—even recent releases—working on Apple hardware. It's just going to take some tinkering and, in some cases, spending a little bit of money. There's No Universal Best Option I would love to simply tell you there's a definitive best way to play Windows games on a Mac. The truth is more complicated, and likely depends on which specific game you want to play. The best place to get started is to head to the Apple Gaming Wiki and look up the specific game you're interested in. Every game has a compatibility chart, letting you know which tools people have had success using to get the game running on a Mac. There are also general tips listed there for getting things running well. In most cases you're going to want to use the tool with the best documented results here. There are generally three tools listed in results: CrossOver, WINE, and Parallels. We'll go over all of these options below. Another thing to keep in mind is that, for some games, there may be a dedicated port made by a third party. For example: Fans built a port of Sonic Mania for the Mac that can run the game if you buy the Windows version and copy the relevant files. Fans of Final Fantasy XIV also made a client. Such dedicated ports will generally be noted on AppleGamingWiki, so keep your eyes peeled for them. First let's talk about the best tools for the job. CrossOver: The Best for Most People Justin Pot CrossOver Mac is a $74 program that can run Windows applications. You can search for any game, and a lot of software, right in the user interface and get a guided installation process. This means anything your game needs in order to run properly is downloaded and configured for you. CrossOver is expensive, yes, but this guided approach could save you a lot of time compared to the free options. It's also nice having the ratings for how well the games work right in the application itself, instead of having to research anything yourself.
