Wine for Android

I think Wine needs no introduction . Sometimes users of Linux have a situation when Microsoft Office is absolutely necessary or their favorite game is not presented in Linux. This is where Wine or its commercial version of CrossOver comes to the rescue, allowing Windows applications to be launched with relative ease. Now it will be possible on Android.

“Wine is not an emulator,” which allows the program to work on the device with the same performance and almost as good as on its own Windows OS, but it can work unbearably buggy.

CrossOver, a Codeweavers product focused on launching the most popular office and other Windows applications, will be released for Android later this year. It is not yet clear what will be the difference between the Android version of CrossOver and the version for Linux, but their ultimate goal is the same: let them run popular Windows programs. Given that most Windows programs do not support the touch screen, you should consider connecting a keyboard and mouse to the tablet before launching the application.

But there is some bad news. Because Wine and CrossOver are not emulators, while Windows programs still require an x86 processor to work. Most devices on the market are based on ARM and will not be able to use CrossOver. The good news is that the number of devices on Intel is growing. And if you own such a device or plan to buy it, you can register to receive a notification when CrossOver for Android “Technology Preview” is published.