How should we handle questions like this one where the question is "How do I get the software installer to work"? While this is partly related to ubuntu, it is not directly related, and is related to either some inconsistency with Wine or other programs running under Wine.
asked Jul 9, 2012 at 17:14
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3Personally I don't think they're valid on Ask Ubuntu, they would probably be better supported at WineHQ– Marco Ceppi ModCommented Jul 9, 2012 at 17:17
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1I agree, mind dumping that as an answer, @Marco? :) this is a discussion thread... :P– Thomas Ward ModCommented Jul 9, 2012 at 17:17
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HOw is it when I stuble over weird question instances like this one, i happen to spur a decent discussion?– Thomas Ward ModCommented Jul 10, 2012 at 12:03
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4 Answers
From my personal experience I know that depending on the Ubuntu release you can see some applications that are supported and have good ratings in WineHQ getting messed up or even not working.
Even WineHQ has different ideas for rankings depending on the distribution one tries to use the application, so there is something unique about distribution to distribution.
I remember when I tried to play Startcraft2 when it first came out, Wine supported it, people where playing it since beta! Me? Not a chance, if it was not for some obscure information on the net that explained that using fglrx and Ubuntu needed an extra kernel parameter I would had never had played the game at that time.
What is the harm of having these on the site? I see none. More than that we all know that "no" is always a valid answer to a question. Sure they clutter up sometimes but I dare saying that the rate of dupes about Wine is so low and they give so little work to manage it makes this discussion almost irrelevant.
I propose this:
- If a user asks something about Wine installation or the Wine PPA usage those are totally on topic;
- If a user asks if an application works or why can't he install X version of that application we give a polite short answer and redirect him to the WineHQ page supporting our information;
- If we see a question about Wine application installation that has no or little answers after a few weeks we can close it as too localized automatically.
Wine usage, installation and application support is not an issue for the site and can be proven to be useful. Don't flag them off topic just because. I know I have helped at least 5 or 6 users with my answers and I know that they are happy I did it!
If it relates to running a Windows program within Wine within Ubuntu, I think it should be allowed here. Most people don't know to check WineHQ so I don't think it's fair to them. If we close questions for Wine because they can be asked on WineHQ, are we going to close threads for Video Cards because they can be asked on the Nvidia/AMD/Intel forums as well?
This is just my opinion, but I think as long as the question involves using Ubuntu it should be allowed here.
Since wine is a third party app available for ubuntu ,question about wine is perfectly on topic here
But
wine does not give guarantee to run every windows apps in ubuntu. So it is better to create a canonical answer for ,what to do if wine installation stucked , winHQ already deals with these issues ,but it is not reason for closing wine related questions from askubuntu
The problem with asking how to install Windows software via WINE on Ubuntu is that if it doesn't work it should be considered a Bug of WINE and reported to WineHQ. Just as you would expect if we got a question about Thunderbird or Nautilus not working (they would likely need to be bug reports on LaunchPad).
However, for topics of How do I install Wine, How do I install software with Wine, and other such topics of use, I believe those are on-topic. I feel in order to provide the best line of service for users on the site we should be treating "I installed X on Wine and it doesn't work" as we would bug reports and shuffle them either to a Canonical Wine Problem question or directly to WineHQ.
answered Jul 10, 2012 at 13:02
