It’s just the way it is with tech; once you write about a topic, something changes or is called to your attention. As I mentioned in my post, the good news about Ubuntu Linux is the way in which you can simply and easily download and install applications; the bad news is, there are many Windows-only software packages that are must-haves for lawyers. What I did not mention was a product called Wine, which allows Windows applications to run on Linux. As Wine itself is an acronym for “Wine Is Not an Emulator,” it uses a compatibility layer, providing alternative implementations of the library files (DLLs) that Windows programs call, as well as processes to substitute for the Windows versions. Translated from Geek-Speak, this means that Wine provides Linux versions of the Windows underpinnings for its apps, thus allowing the programs to run more directly without being slowed down by an emulator “middleman.” I did not mention it in my previous post because I always considered Wine to be a work-around (although a good one) that was not to be implemented by anyone not well versed in Linux (which is most of us!) It does provide access to a vast library of Windows apps, but it is not something installed with Ubuntu that adds to the “out of the box” experience.
Shortly after my post on whether Linux is ready for the lawyer’s desktop, however, I read a post in an Ubuntu blog about a Linux package called Wine Doors. This product combines the benefits of Wine (Windows apps in Linux) with the convenience of Ubuntu. Put simply, it installs Windows apps in its library just as easily as it does Linux apps. This is certainly a plus for Linux, but I do not think it gets it on the lawyer’s desktop just yet. In order for that to take place, two things would have to happen first:
- Wine and Wine Doors would have to come with the Ubuntu distribution and install “out of the box.” Although you can install them using the Ubuntu “Add/Remove” Software installer, I would prefer to see it as a standard feature until enough applications port to Linux from Windows.
- The lawyer’s must-have apps like Timeslips, QuickBooks, and Time Matters would have to be available in Linux download libraries easily found by Ubuntu and Wine Doors.
This may well be in our future, but it remains to be seen. Ubuntu updates every six months, so it may not be that far off. As I said before, while 2007 may not be the “Year of Linux,” that year is not that far off.
July 13, 2007 at 8:35 am
Hey Steven, I’d be interested to hear about the kind of free software apps a lawyer can run in Linux!
July 13, 2007 at 11:35 am
I do not yet know of any lawfirm-specific software that is free in the open source community, but that would be worth looking into for a future post, as it would make Linux systems more economical for lawyers. I do plan to investigate which Windows programs for lawyers run under Wine as a follow-up post. Thanks for visiting!
July 13, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Hey there! I’m the developer of wine-doors and am very interested in your post especially this.
“The lawyer’s must-have apps like Timeslips, QuickBooks, and Time Matters would have to be available in Linux download libraries easily found by Ubuntu and Wine Doors.”
Would you like to send me a licensed copy of all the software you want, and I’ll see if I can get them working with wine-doors
July 13, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Thanks for your post! As an attorney, however, I am reticent to send you the software without checking the EULA to be sure I can, as I believe I would probably be violating it by doing so. In other words, I doubt I can continue to use my licensed copy after sending it to you, and I do not have any extras.
With the Intuit products like Quicken and QuickBooks that are more “off the shelf,” I would think you and the developers of Wine would already be looking at this (or that there would be open source equivalents). I am more concerned with vertical market products for case management, litigation support, and time and billing that have probably not been matched in open source or through Wine. You might want to contact the vendors of these products to see if you can get the info you need from them. I would think they would be happy to have their products run on another platform without any extra effort on their part, as it would increase their sales. Any advances you make in this area I would be happy to blog on in the future, so please keep me posted.
July 19, 2007 at 1:49 pm
I was wondering if you have any idea of how to make Timeslips 10.5 work in a Vista operating environment. I just upgraded to Vista, and found that this program, which costs about $600 to replace, doesn’t work. Sage’s unhelpful response is to advise that no version lower than 2007 will work with Vista, and that I should pay them the money and upgrade to version 2008. NOT!
July 19, 2007 at 11:06 pm
John: You point out another example of the hidden costs of a Vista upgrade that I discussed in a previous post in which QuickBooks was th example. See http://lawtech.wordpress.com/2007/04/10/quickbooks-vista-upgrade/
Unfortunately I do not know how to get it to work, as it is not an emulation issue or something that is solved by an app line Wine. As I understand it, it is an API issue in how the code is written to the operating system, but I am not an authority in that area.
July 16, 2008 at 6:20 pm
[...] Windows applications through WINE on Linux (see my post on [...]
February 3, 2009 at 3:54 am
Hi Steven,
I enjoyed reading your blog on this topics. I have one concern regarding Office, wine and linux.
Is it ok with Office EULA for one to install and run in Linux system? (provided we purchase a legal copy of MS Office)
February 23, 2009 at 10:47 pm
[...] seen how it can really replace Windows or Mac in the law office (outside the server) without using Wine, Crossover, or VMWare for verticle market legal apps like case management or bankruptcy software. [...]