Running World of Warcraft on Ubuntu

Keywords: Match:

Mar. 08, 2006

OK, we all know the real reason many of you are hanging on to your Windows machines -- it's because you can't live without your daily World of Warcraft raid. And, who can blame you?

While you can use Cedega to run many Windows games on the Linux desktop, including World of Warcraft (WoW), some users don't like using it because of its open-source-unfriendly licenses while others object to its monthly fees.

However, you don't need Cedega to run WoW on Linux. Good old Wine (Wine is not an emulator), everyone's favorite way to run Windows apps on Linux, can do the job.

It is, however, not easy to do. That's a big reason why Wine's commercial supporter, CodeWeavers, can make a living from selling the cleaned-up version of Wine, CrossOver Office

CrossOver Office, like the name says, is more about running Microsoft Office, Quicken, and the like on Linux than games.

However, thanks to a new How-To on the Ubuntu forum, and its follow-up messages, Ubuntu users should be able to get Wine and WoW up without ripping too much of their hair out.

The How-To goes into a lot of detail about how the writer was able to set it up successfully on his Ubuntu system. Equally helpful, though, is the message thread that goes with his message.

In fact, if you're going to try this, read not just the How-To, but the entire message-thread. There's a lot of useful information about graphic cards and setup difficulties already on it.

Before charging into this project, let me just add that WoW is incredibly popular. It just went over 6-million users. This has caused so many problems with its servers that it's not uncommon for players to wait for more than half-an-hour just to get into the game on the weekends and other popular gaming times. Therefore, Linux users who want to test out their Wine/WoW rigs would do well to try them during relatively idle times, so that a server problem won't be mistaken for a problem with your setup.

Finally, Wine .99 has just come out. While none of the Ubuntu WoW players have tried it yet, its new features and improvements sound like they be useful for would-be Linux WoW players.

-- Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

About the author: Ziff Davis Internet senior editor Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols has been using and writing about technology and business since the late '80s and thinks he may just have learned something about them along the
way.

Related stories:

(Click here for further information)

7 Advantages of D2D Backup
For decades, tape has been the backup medium of choice. But, now, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup is gaining in favor. Learn why you should make the move in this whitepaper.

4 Legal Reasons to Control Internet Access
The Internet is obviously a valuable resource for many organizations. However, many are exposed to legal liability concerns because they fail to control Internet access. Learn if you're safe in this white paper.

Rapidly Resolve J2EE Application Problems
Whether you are in the process of building J2EE applications or have J2EE applications already running in production, you must ensure that they deliver the expected ROI. Learn how in this white paper.

Load Testing 2.0 for Web 2.0
There are many unknowns in stress testing Web 2.0 applications. Find out how to test the performance of Web 2.0 in this white paper.

Build Better Games Online
For the game infrastructure providers, life is complex. Making money from games has become more complicated. Why? Find out in this white paper.

Building a Virtual Infrastructure from Servers to Storage
This white paper discusses the virtual storage solutions that reduce cost, increase storage utilization, and address the challenges of backing up and restoring Server environments.

Gaining Faster Wireless Connections with WiMAX
Welcome to what is quickly becoming the hyperconnected world where anything that would benefit from being connected to the network will be connected. Learn more in this white paper.

Is Your Desktop a Security Threat?
The new wave of sophisticated crimeware not only targets specific companies, but also targets desktops and laptops as backdoor entryways into those business’ operations and resources. Learn how to stay safe in this white paper.

Increasing SAN Reliability by 100 Percent
Storage area networks (SAN) are a strong part of storage plans. Learn how to increase your reliability and uptime by 100 percent in this case study.

Got a HOT tip? please tell us!

ADVERTISEMENT
(Advertise here)

Popular recent stories: • OpenSUSE 11.0 arrives • AMD/ATI touts faster Linux drivers • Banshee achieves first stable release • VirtualBox: The best hypervisor you've never heard of • Gutsy Geeks take Linux to the airwaves • Ubuntu "MID Edition" ships • World's cheapest Linux-based laptop? • Xandros 4: The best desktop Linux for Windows users • Microsoft pushes India toward Linux All-time Classics: • Choosing a desktop Linux distro • Banshee -- the next best thing to Linux iTunes • The Best Free Desktop Linux . . . and how to make it better • Running World of Warcraft on Ubuntu • Linux-powered Asus Eee PC mini-laptop arrives • A simple Linux backup method • The well-tempered Debian desktop • What's the best Linux for beginners? • Linus versus GNOME • Hunting for the perfect Linux Media Center	Desktop Linux books Join our Desktop Linux discussion forums: • Moving to Linux • Linux/Windows debate! • Linux Q&A . . . and more

BREAKING NEWS

• Judge Kimball rules. Ho, hum.
• Writer tells Penguinistas to chill on closed source
• Linux 2.6.26 enhances desktop Linux
• BeOS-like distro focused on content creation
• OpenSUSE rolls out auto-build service
• Best Buy, Amazon selling Ubuntu for $20
• Wine, Bordeaux ship
• New Gentoo updates installer, revises profiles
• Graphics board vendor touts faster Linux drivers
• Private St. Louis school goes Linux
• Xandros quietly acquires Linspire
• Microsoft pushes India toward Linux
• "Intrepid Ibex" plucks up courage for alpha release
• Military-grade USB key supports Linux desktops
• CentOS 5.2 ships with enhanced virtualization

Linux-Watch headlines:
• Judge Kimball rules -- the sequel!
• Microsoft tactics push India toward Linux
• Bell, SuperMicro sued over GPL
• "Business intelligence" software goes GPL
• Will Atom bomb?
• LF Summit videos posted
• Linux gains "embedded" maintainers
• Virtualization on tap in SLES and RHEL upgrades
• Linux gets security black eye
• Verizon chooses Linux "platform of choice"

Visit the...

news feed

Home \| News \| Articles \| Forum \| Polls \| About \| Contact

	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| ROI Calculators \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| Channel News
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Home \| News \| Articles \| Forum \| Polls \| About \| Contact

	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| ROI Calculators \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| Channel News
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.