Today we've seen an update for two translation layers. Wine has development release 8.2 available, and there's an update for Proton Experimental too.
As a reminder: Wine is a translation layer that runs Windows apps and games on other platforms including Linux. Proton is what Valve use on Linux Desktop and Steam Deck to run many thousands of games and Wine is part of Proton!
For Wine 8.2 here's the release highlights:
- Better debug information in Wow64 mode.
- Wow64 thunks in the WPCAP library.
- Indeo IV50 codec support.
- Monitor names set from EDID data.
- Various bug fixes.
The Wine developers also noted 22 bugs fixed including issues with Visual Studio, GOG Heroes of Might and Magic IV, Final Fantasy XI, various vbscript memory leaks and various other miscellaneous improvements.
Want help managing Wine on Linux? You can try Bottles, Lutris and the Heroic Launcher.
On the Proton Experimental side, there's been two small updates since I last wrote about it. For the update on February 10th the single noted fix was for "Arabic fonts in FIFA 21 and 22". While today's Proton Experimental update also notes:
- Fix multiplayer in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition.
- Improve monitor names visible in settings in Hogwart Legacy and other games. (X11 only)
- Fix Wild Hearts keyboard input issues.
The Proton changelog can be found here. At some point this year I expect Valve will rebase Proton on the Wine 8.x series but no word as to when that will happen.
To change the version of Proton used by games on Linux Desktop and Steam Deck:
Steam Deck
- Open a game in your Steam Library.
- Go to the settings icon on the far right and click it.
- Select Properties.
- Compatibility menu -> tick the box -> select from the dropdown box.
Linux Desktop
- Right click any game in your Steam Library.
- Select Properties.
- Compatibility menu -> tick the box -> select from the dropdown box.
Here's a video too:
Direct Link
Caldathras Feb 24, 2023
Quoting: dziadulewiczNowadays i don't know should i install this normal Wine, or should i use Lutris? But, when i tried Lutris: there is no "normal Wine" available to choose from at all but all kinds of customised or "unofficial" Wines.
There is no flatpak or a snap for Wine either (if there was, users could run Wine happily in a sandbox without any fear?)
I can't see the need to sandbox WINE itself. WINE is a translation layer, not an application, after all.
WINE offers the ability to create prefixes within which to run Windows applications. Tools like Lutris, Heroic, Bottles or PlayOnLinux exploit this feature by creating individual prefixes for each Windows program. Using tools such as Winetricks (under Change Settings) or Winecfg (Desktop Integration tab), it is possible to further sandbox those prefixes, which should achieve the goal your looking for.
Lutris also has a configuration switch to sandbox its prefixes but that does not completely isolate the prefix as it leaves access to your Downloads and Templates folders open. I use Winecfg from within Lutris to disable those mappings.
I haven't played much with flatpaks, but it is my understanding that if you've installed the game launcher via flatpak, it is, by default, sandboxed already. In theory, any prefixes it creates should also be within that flatpak's sandbox.
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