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As I mentioned yesterday, I am regularly across several different operating systems over the course of the average day.  Typically this includes Mac OS 10.4 (Panther), Windows XP Professional and Ubuntu Linux Gutsy Gibbon.

Recently however I’ve begun to think in earnest about ways to streamline my computational activities - and particularly to shed my reliance on proprietary software, most noteably Windows/Microsoft.

At the end of the day though the thought had always lingered that I’d have to maintain at least a minimal presence in Windows - like it or not. One of the main criticisms I hear regarding open source is fact many of the industry standard programs for PC do not support Linux.  So how then, the logic would go, could you manage a completely break from Windows?

My research so far has revealed some very promising results that seem to suggest that Microsoft does not have as tight a grip on me as I’d previously suspected.  I’ve just confirmed - as is depicted by this screen shot - that you can successfully install and run Photoshop on Ubuntu via a largely open source and completely legal process.

The Installation Process

The process involves three stages, and the inclusion of a program called Wine.

Via Wine HQ:

“Wine is a translation layer (a program loader) capable of running Windows applications on Linux and other POSIX compatible operating systems. Windows programs running in Wine act as native programs would, running without the performance or memory usage penalties of an emulator, with a similar look and feel to other applications on your desktop.”

Ingredients:

• Ubuntu Linux (I used the Fiesty Fawn version)
• Wine
• A licensed copy of Adobe Photoshop

Setup Procedure

Phase One: Install Wine

From the Wine HQ site (”Wine for Debian based distributions“):

“First, open a terminal window. Then add the repository’s key to your system’s list of trusted APT keys by copy and pasting the following:

wget -q http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt/387EE263.gpg -O- | sudo apt-key add -

Next, add the repository to your system’s list of APT sources.  The proper syntax will depend on your version of Ubuntu, so be sure to check the website for details.  In my case I use Fiesty Fawn, and entered the following in the terminal window:

sudo wget http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt/sources.list.d/feisty.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/winehq.list

When this process is complete, run: “sudo apt-get update” followed by “sudo apt-get install wine“.

Providing all has gone well you’ve just finished the first phase of the process.

Phase Two: Install Photoshop

Once the Photoshop installation process begins, the steps will look quite familiar to Windows users.  Prior to this you have to instruct the system to run the installation within Wine.  To do this open a terminal window and type wine followed by the pathing to the setup.exe file.

For example:

wine /media/ISO/setup.exe

At this point, Wine should take over and begin the native Photoshop installation process.  From here it’s just a matter of following the standard installation procedure.

Phase Three: Finalise the Setting Configuration

When the native Photoshop set-up is complete you’re just about done.  There are only one or two more steps to complete.

As The Pinoy Geek explains (”HowTo: Install Photoshop in Ubuntu“):

“After the installation has completed, you may now run Photoshop under wine! Go to Nautilus (the Windows Explorer counterpart of Ubuntu, Places->Home Folder). Here, the default setting is to hide Hidden files, but we don’t want this because Wine installs applications under a hidden directory. So let’s tell Ubuntu to show us the hidden files by toggling it under the “view” menu.

View->Show Hidden Files, or simply press [CTRL]+[H].

Some other folders should appear now, look for the folder “.wine” (yes, with a ‘.’ preceding it) and double-click it. Now, enter the folder “drive_c”. The directory structure should be familiar from Windows. You should now locate the “Program Files” directory, then the “Adobe” directory, and lastly, your Photoshop directory. Once you’ve found it, simply double click Photoshop.exe and let Wine do it’s magic.

Final notes: If installation or running the program under Wine doesn’t work, try configuring the Wine to run under “Windows 2000″ mode. To do this, go to the terminal and type:”

NB: At this stage you should be able to run Photoshop.  Personally I found the system hiccuped a bit initially, but this was resolved by a restart.  After the restart things settled down and I had no problems opening or using Photoshop.  I also discovered a new option called Wine had appeared in the Applications list.

Final Thoughts

These preliminary findings are extremely positive ones indeed, and portray Wine as an invaluable vehicle through which PC users can make the switch to open source operating systems.  Moreover, a cursory glance of the Wine Application Database suggests further opportunities for running additional proprietary sofware above and beyond Adobe Photoshop; and we haven’t even begun to discuss the pool of open source software that can be run natively within Linux.

I will be experimenting with Wine as time goes by and will provide updates when there is more to report.

References:

• “HowTo: Install Photoshop in Ubuntu” The Pinoy Geek, 1 November 2006
• WINE HQ - http://www.winehq.org/
• Wine Application Database - Examples and information on application compatibility with Wine

This post originally started as part and parcel to “Ubuntu Linux Experiences“, but would have resulted in an exceptionally long piece covering two distinctly different topics. So I’ve split them in two.

Despite my love for open source software, there are certain things that I prefer to do - or can only do - on proprietary systems. For example as far as I’m concerned nobody beats Mac’s digital media production capabilities (such as audio and video editing).

Additionally, like it or not Windows is still one of the main focal points for software developers. So it’s an unfortunate reality that development house’s often code to the Windows spec at the exclusion of other platforms. Most proprietary software packages do have an open source equivalent, but not all of them.

There may be ways of configuring Linux to run these applications - but at this stage that’s above my skill set.

[NB: If you know of a way of configuring Ubuntu to run virtual systems please let me know.]

Therefore personally speaking, the prospect of switching exclusively to Ubuntu just isn’t realistic. However I have found a way to enjoy cross-platform functionality from a single laptop, and that is through the miracle of the virtual machine.

One of the greatest asset allocations I’ve been assigned at work is my Intel-core MacBook. Yes it’s an exceptionally fast machine, but it’s the switch from PPC to Intel that has made it a phenomenal piece of machinery.

This switch has opened the door to running Windows XP virtually within the Mac, and with it the ability to run all the Windows software that doesn’t exist on any other platform. It also enables Ubuntu installations, along with a slew of other operating systems.

As far as I’m concerned, if you can afford to go this route, this is the ideal solution for any computer user.

I’ve already outlined the installation instructions and component requirements in “VMware Delivers OS Trifecta“, so I won’t repeat myself here. What I’d like to emphasise though is the installation process is exceptionally easy and is literally a matter of following the prompts and answering the basic questions you’re asked.

If you’re a disgruntled PC user looking for a reason to go Mac or Linux but don’t want to see all your PC software go to waste I strongly recommend considering this avenue.

Late this afternoon I received a comment on my post “XP to be euthanised despite poor Vista sales“, which discusses how the Windows XP operating system will become largely unavailable as of 30 June 2008, thereby forcing all new PC users to adopt Vista.

Rohesia commented:

“Bugger! Looks like I really will have to try and learn Linux :(”

I started to respond via comment but quickly realised I had a full-fledged train of thought going that warranted proper elaboration.

Up until about 9 months ago I’d never touched Linux, thinking it was a distribution well above my skill level and better left for computer science wizards who could speak command line as eloquently as Shakespeare. Though over time I became more and more curious and eventually installed Ubuntu Fiesty Fawn on a test bed to see what this open source stuff was all about.

My logic for choosing Ubuntu over the other Linux distro’s was influenced greatly by Ubuntu’s slogan “Linux for Human Beings.” I’d seen screen shots of the GUI and found the introductory documentation to be exceptionally straightforward, all of which combined to build my confidence.

Factoring in the fact that descriptions of the distro I’d read elsewhere reinforced this concept, I was inspired to give Ubuntu a try.

For example, according to Wikipedia:

“Ubuntu aims to use only free software to provide an up-to-date yet stable operating system for the average user, and features a strong focus on usability, regular releases, and ease of installation at the expense of platform diversity.”

On the average day I switch primarily between Mac OS X and Windows XP, so relatively speaking there is still only occasional time left for Ubuntu; however my experiences with the distro so far have been extremely positive.

It has required forays into command line programming via the terminal, however the amount of resources and support forums available online these days is phenomenal. So the information is definitely out there to help overcome most obstacles. As a result Ubuntu has not proven to be the ominous and frightening technical challenge than I had previously anticipated, but rather an exceptionally positive learning experience.

In fact the most time consuming tasks I’ve had to deal with have been learning what code to enter in the terminal. Once the information is located it’s incredible how transparent Ubuntu processes are under the bonnet.

It’s called open source for a reason after all.

For example, the first time I installed MediaWiki on a Windows 2000 Server it took me a week of painful frustration - this included research time into configurations and settings, but also an equal amount of time spent fighting and swearing to get Windows to play nicely with open source software.

Fast forward to the same task on Ubuntu and it took me only a matter of hours to set-up everything, including all the configurations of Apache, PHP, MySQL and finally MediaWiki. More importantly it was an extremely pleasant experience in which most of the work I did was to locate the terminal commands and occasionally enter a line of code. The rest of the time was letting Ubuntu work its magic.

Furthermore, all subsequent installations of web applications that run on the same frameworks - such as Drupal, Elgg and Wordpress - have been completed in 30 minutes or less. It’s lightning quick.

I now use open source as often as I possibly can. The fact it’s free is certainly attractive, but its real value lay in its flexibility and straightforward nature. Open source fans often pontificate about freedom in software, and I now see why.

With that said though I’m beginning to realise that open source software runs best when it’s installed on open source operating systems. The fact it will run on Windows and Mac machines as well is a sign of the movement’s willingness to maintain open lines of communication with proprietary software.

What does it say about non-open source programs when you realise this isn’t a two-way street?

This OS triple-play was not nearly as difficult to pull off as you might think.
Ingredients

1) Intel-based MacBook
2) VMWare Fusion
3) Windows XP Professional
4) Ubuntu Feisty Fawn
Steps to Implementation

1) Download VMWare Fusion and install on Mac OS X.

URL: http://www.vmware.com/products/fusion/features.html

Installation directions are exceptionally easy to follow and require only 10 to 20 minutes to complete including reading time. 30-day evaluation licenses are available for those interested in preliminary inquiry only. Retail price for a single license is USD$80.

2) Launch VMware Fusion Library

Select New and follow the prompts. You will first be asked to Choose an Operating System, followed by a series of prompts that configure the settings. If you’ve read the instructions there won’t be any surprises; nor is there anything particularly complex.

NB: Be sure to have the installation disc/s ready for the virtual machine you intend to set up.

3) Install OS as per normal

When you reach the end of the set-up prompts in the VMware Fusion Virtual Machine Library you will begin the installation of your virtual OS. At this point the process becomes exactly the same as though it were a fresh install on a brand new machine.

NB: At the end of the Windows XP installation most drivers and hardware were detected automatically, though I have so far been unable to get either Ubuntu or Win XP to see the internal Mac web camera. Everything else has been smooth sailing.

4) To install another OS repeat steps one through 3.

You can do this as many times as your harddrive space permits.

Note though that running multiple virtual machines - as I have in the first picture - is not advisable as the system resources required to run it are likely more than your machine can handle. My laptop spat the dummy shortly after this screenshot was taken.
Additional Screenshots

Installing Ubuntu on Mac OS X

Windows XP Professional on Mac OS X