| Latest CrossOver release supports Linux, adds Mac |
Jan. 11, 2007
Analysis -- Although you've always been able to run some Windows programs on Linux thanks to the Wine Project, CodeWeavers Inc. made that easier to do with its CrossOver Office line. Now, in a major new release and name change, CodeWeavers is introducing CrossOver Linux 6.0 and CrossOver Mac 6.0.
Both programs enable users to run many popular Windows programs on x86 -- and some 64-bit-based -- Linuxes and Macs. In the past, CrossOver has been known best for its support for such common Windows business programs as Microsoft Office, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Quicken. This new version brings a more fun side of CrossOver to the fore: games.
CrossOver now incorporates substantially improved support for many popular games, including World of Warcraft and many Steam-based titles such as Half-Life 2 and Counterstrike. As president and CEO Jeremy White wrote in an email note about this new release, "I can attest that World of Warcrac...er craft is the most well tested application we have ever supported."
White added, "We feel that it's important to provide quality support for game titles such as this, and we've labored to provide a very high-quality level of playability under our product for World of Warcraft, as the shattered productivity of our own office can attest!" As part of this, CrossOver now boasts far better Direct3D Windows graphics performance.
The company claims that CrossOver is already an "essential productivity utility for millions of Linux users around the world." In addition to the applications already mentioned, CrossOver is also said to support Outlook, Visio, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, QuickBooks, and Lotus Notes, among other popular Windows applications.
With Version 6.0, CodeWeavers is aiming expand beyond Windows productivity software, into the field of PC games, according to White. CrossOver Linux 6.0 represents "another major jump forward for the Windows-to-Linux movement. With this release, we intend to step boldly into the gaming space and give our customers a more complete compatibility experience. Leveraging the good work of both CodeWeavers's own developers, and the open-source Wine community, we're now able to offer substantially better games support than we've ever been able to before," says White.
In addition, the new version boasts improved support for such popular productivity applications such as Office 2003, for example by supporting native connections to Exchange Servers via MS Outlook. Other Microsoft business products, such as MS Project 2003 and MS Visio 2003, are also now supported, according to the company.
For a detailed listing of enhancements in Version 6.0, check out the CrossOver change log.
Mac too
As part of the 6.0 release, CodeWeavers has also released the first version of its Windows software compatibility platform for the Mac -- CrossOver Mac. This version supports many, if not all, of the same Windows programs as its older Linux sibling. Note, however, that CrossOver Mac only officially supports Microsoft Outlook, Visio, Project, and Quicken and the game Half Life 2.
In the announcement of the Version 6.0 release, White stated, "The huge number of downloads for the Beta version of CrossOver Mac earlier this year proved the incredible desire among Mac users for a Windows-to-Mac utility. Our dream at CodeWeavers is to enable everyone to choose a computer system they like, without worrying about compatibility with their Windows programs. Today's release of CrossOver Mac is a major step towards that goal."
Neither CrossOver version currently supports either Microsoft's latest Internet browser, IE 7, or its office suite, Office 2007.
Availability
CrossOver Linux 6.0 Standard is immediately available, priced at $39.95. CrossOver Linux 6.0 Professional, the enterprise version of the product, is priced at $69.95, with volume discounts available. The major technical differences between Professional and Standard are that Professional can be deployed to multiple systems over a network and a single instance can be used by multiple users. Professional also comes with a year of higher level support, whereas Standard comes with six-months of a lower level of support. CrossOver Mac, meanwhile, is priced at $59.95 for the download version, or $69.95 for the CD version.
White encourages users to download and test a "free trial" of CrossOver before buying it, regardless of platform. "We recommend that anyone who is interested in CrossOver first download a trial version and make sure that it works well for you," he said.
Both full and trial versions are available from the company's website.
-- Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
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