RPM files Won't Install and Wine does not run Windows programs.

[FLUDD]

Whenever I download an RPM file it says my current back end does not support installing files. How can I fix this?

The majority of programs I used require windows so I try to use wine, but wine crashes and I'm never able to use the program. Some of the few that do run freeze on start up and slow down my computer.

I would get Windows XP and run it on VirtualBox but it's illegal to download the 11 year old operating system for free and costs $60 to use legally. I honestly don't see why people use linux if nothing runs on it even with wine. Unless there is some trick to get these programs to run?

[Snowhog]

RPM packages are not for *buntu Linux. See RPM-based for the list of Linux distributions that use rpm packages. This is a Kubuntu Linux forum. Are you using Kubuntu?

[jpenguin]

sometimes you can use alien to convert rpm to deb

How did you install WINE? From the Muon Software center, right? For us to help, you need to atleast rune WINE from the terminal and post the output... Did you check your app on winehq? Does GLXGEARS run?

[FLUDD]

Being new to linux I have no idea what you are talking about... How do I run wine from the terminal?

@Snowhog: For the program I'm trying to install there is also a tar.gz file but when I open that, I just get files. How do I install that(if I can)?

[jpenguin]

Sorry, I should have explained

Open Konsole
type, 'wine /path/to/program.exe'


To install the RPM or TAR.GZ (binaries)
http://taufanlubis.wordpress.com/200...or-deb-to-rpm/

if the tar.gz is a source archive, we can walk you through the compiling process

To Run GLXGEARS
'sudo aptitude install mesa-utills'
'glxgears'

[vinnywright]

Being new to linux I have no idea what you are talking about... How do I run wine from the terminal?

@Snowhog: For the program I'm trying to install there is also a tar.gz file but when I open that, I just get files. How do I install that(if I can)?

perhaps you could tell us what the program is that you are trying to install ..................their may be a better way to get it !!

VINNY

[claydoh]

I second vinny on this:
tell us what linux package or program you are trying to install?
Most likely they are readily available in our Muon Software Center or Muon Package Manager.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Sw...20Applications
and
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallingSoftware
have some basic info on this subject - the concepts are accurate, but the applications used may be inaccurate for the current Kubuntu.

Installing software in Linux is a completely different animal - a phone's app store is very much based on how it is handled.

Now as to Wine, that is a useful tool but it does not work everywhere for everyone every time.
Giving us some examples of Win software you want to run may help with some pointers, and winehq.com has a database of applications that work.
I will be up front,though. If you are verily heavily invested in Win software, it can be hard trying all the alternatives or messing with wine. Dual-booting and use of virtual machines can lessen this, though.

[HalationEffect]

I honestly don't see why people use linux if nothing runs on it even with wine.

That's a really odd complaint. Software that is written for Linux runs just fine on Linux. Imagine the scenario of a long-time Linux user who switched to windows, and then complained on a Windows forum that he couldn't get his favourite Linux programs to run, even with Cygwin/X...

When I switched from Windows to Linux about 9 years ago, I didn't expect to be able to keep on using all the same programs that I was used to. I didn't want to use Windows in a virtual machine, so I knew that my main options were as follows:

1) Find Linux-native versions of the programs I want to use.
2) Failing that, try to make my favourite Windows programs run in Wine.
3) Failing that, find Linux-native programs that do the same job as the Windows programs. (websites such as http://www.osalt.com were helpful with that)

[SteveRiley]

Fludd, welcome to the forum. My read of your post makes me think that you're new to the *buntu world. One of the challenges of learning Linux is that it is not Windows. It will take some time to learn the *buntu way. May I suggest you begin with the Kubuntu Guide, maintained by our very own Perspectoff.

[FLUDD]

@jpenguin When I enter those commands into Konsole, I got "wine cannot find: 'path/to/program.exe'" and "sudo : aptitude: command not found"...:/

The two programs I'm trying to install are Java SDK and Autodesk Maya 2013(Student). I'm pretty sure Maya cannot run in linux which i why I asked if it was possible to run Windows XP without having to pay $100 just to run a free program(without going to jail for "pirating"). I need this program for school so I cannot use any alternative programs. I know Java is compatible with Linux but neither the tar.gz or rpm files will work for me.


@HalationEffect: When I got Linux I was promised a experience better than Windows and that I can run Windows programs easily with Wine. So far the only thing good from it I have gotten is that it runs faster and has no viruses.

[SteveRiley]

Wine can run some, but not all, Windows programs. The place to check compatibility is the Wine Application Database. The page for AutoDesk Maya lists older versions, but doesn't list 2013. The only thing we can intuit from that is no one has reported an experience so far.

Also, "path/to/program.exe" is not the literal thing to type. Instead, replace that with the actual path and program name of the Maya executable. I'm unfamiliar with Maya so I can't tell you what to look for, but one way to find the file to use the Linux locate command:

sudo updatedb
locate *.exe

[HalationEffect]

@HalationEffect: When I got Linux I was promised a experience better than Windows and that I can run Windows programs easily with Wine. So far the only thing good from it I have gotten is that it runs faster and has no viruses.

Yikes, who makes promises like that? On the occasions that I've evangelised Linux, I was careful not to make promises of that nature.

While I personally do find the Linux experience to be better than that of Windows, I'm quite aware that it is a very subjective thing... "One man's meat and drink is another man's poison" as the saying goes. It's a matter of individual preference. The operating system that is unambiguously best for everyone has yet to be coded, and I very much doubt that it ever will be.

As for Wine, the only promise I'd make about it is that you can use it to run *some* Windows programs easily. Some Windows programs can be made to run in Wine with varying degrees of effort (ranging from 'trivial' to 'herculean'), and yet others simply can't be made to run at all.