Editing Wine (software) (section)

==Reception==
The Wine project has received a number of technical and philosophical complaints and concerns over the years.

===Security===
Because of Wine's ability to run Windows binary code, concerns have been raised over native Windows viruses and malware affecting Unix-like operating systems<ref>{{cite newsgroup
 |url          = http://archive09.linux.com/feature/42031
 |title        = Running Windows viruses with Wine
 |author       = Matt Moen
 |date         = 26 January 2005
 |access-date  = 23 October 2009
 |archive-date = 7 January 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130107055305/http://archive09.linux.com/feature/42031
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref> as Wine can run limited  malware made for Windows. A 2018 security analysis found that 5 out of 30 malware samples were able to successfully run through Wine, a relatively low rate that nevertheless posed a security risk.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Duncan|first1=Rory|last2=Schreuders|first2=Z. Cliffe|date=1 March 2019|title=Security implications of running windows software on a Linux system using Wine: a malware analysis study|journal=Journal of Computer Virology and Hacking Techniques|language=en|volume=15|issue=1|pages=39–60|doi=10.1007/s11416-018-0319-9|issn=2263-8733|doi-access=free}}</ref> For this reason the developers of Wine recommend never running it as the [[superuser]].<ref>{{cite web
 | url          = https://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ?action=recall&rev=312#head-96bebfa287b4288974de0df23351f278b0d41014
 | title        = Should I run Wine as root?
 | work         = Wine Wiki FAQ
 | publisher    = Official Wine Wiki
 | date         = 7 August 2009
 | access-date   = 24 August 2009
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110621230323/http://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ?action=recall&rev=312#head-96bebfa287b4288974de0df23351f278b0d41014#head-96bebfa287b4288974de0df23351f278b0d41014
 | archive-date = 21 June 2011
 | url-status   = dead}}</ref> Malware research software such as [[ZeroWine]]<ref>{{cite web
 | url   = http://zerowine.sourceforge.net/
 | title   = ZeroWine project home page
 | access-date   = 11 December 2011
 | archive-date   = 5 November 2011
 | archive-url   = https://web.archive.org/web/20111105094451/http://zerowine.sourceforge.net/
 | url-status   = live
 }}</ref> runs Wine on Linux in a [[virtual machine]], to keep the malware completely isolated from the host system. An alternative to improve the security without the performance cost of using a virtual machine, is to run Wine in an [[LXC]] container, as [[Anbox]] software is doing by default with [[Android (operating system)|Android]].

Another security concern is when the implemented specifications are ill-designed and allow for security compromise. Because Wine implements these specifications, it will likely also implement any security vulnerabilities they contain. One instance of this problem was the 2006 [[Windows Metafile vulnerability]], which saw Wine implementing the vulnerable SETABORTPROC escape.<ref>{{cite web | title=Linux/BSD still exposed to WMF exploit through WINE! | website=[[ZDNet]] | url=http://www.zdnet.com/blog/ou/linuxbsd-still-exposed-to-wmf-exploit-through-wine/146 | date=5 January 2006 | access-date=16 October 2011 | archive-date=11 August 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811000606/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/ou/linuxbsd-still-exposed-to-wmf-exploit-through-wine/146 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=CVE-2006-0106 - gdi/driver.c and gdi/printdrv.c in Wine 20050930, and other versions, implement the SETABORTPROC GDI - CVE-Search |url=http://cve.circl.lu/cve/CVE-2006-0106 |access-date=9 July 2019 |archive-date=9 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709002903/http://cve.circl.lu/cve/CVE-2006-0106 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Wine vs. native Unix applications===
A common concern about Wine is that its existence means that vendors are less likely to write native Linux, macOS, and BSD applications. As an example of this, it is worth considering IBM's 1994 operating system, [[OS/2 Warp]].{{Original research inline|date=September 2020}} An article describes the weaknesses of OS/2 which killed it, the first one being:

{{blockquote|OS/2 offered excellent compatibility with DOS and Windows 3.1 applications. No, this is not an error. Many application vendors argued that by developing a DOS or Windows app, they would reach the OS/2 market in addition to DOS/Windows markets and they didn't develop native OS/2 applications.<ref>{{cite web
 | url         = http://pages.prodigy.net/michaln/history/os2warp/index.html
 | title       = OS/2 Warp history
 | author      = Michal Necasek
 | url-status  = dead
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100412042723/http://pages.prodigy.net/michaln/history/os2warp/index.html
 | archive-date = 12 April 2010}}</ref>}}

However, OS/2 had many problems with end user acceptance. Perhaps the most serious was that most computers sold already came with DOS and Windows, and many people didn't bother to evaluate OS/2 on its merits due to already having an operating system. "Bundling" of DOS and Windows and the chilling effect this had on the operating system market frequently came up in ''[[United States v. Microsoft Corp.|United States v. Microsoft Corporation]]''.

The Wine project itself responds to the specific complaint of "encouraging" the continued development for the Windows API on one of its [[wiki]] pages:
{{blockquote|For most people there remain a handful of programs locking them in to Windows. It's obvious there will never be a Microsoft Office ported to Linux, however older versions of programs like TurboTax won't be ported either. Similarly, there are tens of thousands of games and internal corporate applications which will never be ported. If you want to use Linux and rely on any legacy Windows application, something like Wine is essential... Wine makes Linux more useful and allows for millions of users to switch who couldn't otherwise. This greatly raises Linux marketshare, drawing more commercial and community developers to Linux.<ref>{{cite web
 | url          = https://wiki.winehq.org/Debunking_Wine_Myths#head-9af2c83644754ac9805dc929403ca0440c96c383
 | title        = Debunking Wine Myths
 | author       = Bernhard Rosenkraenzer
 | access-date  = 21 October 2016
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20160111004546/http://wiki.winehq.org/Debunking_Wine_Myths#head-9af2c83644754ac9805dc929403ca0440c96c383#head-9af2c83644754ac9805dc929403ca0440c96c383
 | archive-date = 11 January 2016
 | url-status   = dead}}</ref>}}

Also, the Wine Wiki page claims that Wine can help break the [[Chicken or the egg|chicken-and-egg problem]] for [[Desktop Linux|Linux on the desktop]]:<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = https://wiki.winehq.org/ImportanceOfWine
 | title        = Why Wine is so important
 | access-date        = 11 December 2011
 | archive-date        = 22 December 2011
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20111222142220/http://wiki.winehq.org/ImportanceOfWine
 | url-status        = live
 }}</ref>
{{blockquote|This brings us to the chicken and egg issue of Linux on the desktop. Until Linux can provide equivalents for the above applications, its market share on the desktop will stagnate. But until the market share of Linux on the desktop rises, no vendor will develop applications for Linux. How does one break this vicious circle?
Again, Wine can provide an answer. By letting users reuse the Windows applications they have invested time and money in, Wine dramatically lowers the barrier that prevents users from switching to Linux. This then makes it possible for Linux to take off on the desktop, which increases its market share in that segment. In turn, this makes it viable for companies to produce Linux versions of their applications, and for new products to come out just for the Linux market.
This reasoning could be dismissed easily if Wine was only capable of running Solitaire. However, now it can run Microsoft Office, multimedia applications such as QuickTime and Windows Media Player, and even games such as Max Payne or Unreal Tournament 3. Almost any other complex application can be made to run well given a bit of time. And each time that work is done to add one application to this list, many other applications benefit from this work and become usable too.
Have a look at our Application Database to get an idea on what can be run under Wine.}}

The use of Wine for gaming has proved specifically controversial in the Linux community, as some feel it is preventing, or at least hindering, the further growth of native [[Linux gaming]] on the platform.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010511055620/http://www.gamespy.com/articles/may01/wine/ |archive-date=11 May 2001 |url-status=dead |title=Ports vs. Wine |website=[[GameSpy]] |first=James |last=Hills |url=http://www.gamespy.com/articles/may01/wine/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=linux_gaming_frank&num=3 |title=An Interview With A Linux Game Porter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701175921/http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=linux_gaming_frank&num=3 |archive-date=1 July 2016 |url-status=live |website=[[Phoronix]] |date=3 July 2009 |first=Michael |last=Larabel |author-link=Michael Larabel}}</ref> One quirk however is that Wine is now able to run [[16-bit]] and even certain [[32-bit]] applications and games that do not launch on current [[64-bit]] Windows versions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vulcanhammer.info/2020/05/11/is-the-best-place-to-run-old-windows-software-on-linux-or-a-mac/|title=Is the Best Place to Run Old Windows Software... on Linux or a Mac?|website=Vulcan Hammer|first=Don|last=Warrington|date=11 May 2020|access-date=16 February 2023|archive-date=17 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217003013/https://vulcanhammer.info/2020/05/11/is-the-best-place-to-run-old-windows-software-on-linux-or-a-mac/|url-status=live}}</ref> This use-case has led to running Wine on Windows itself via [[Windows Subsystem for Linux]] or third-party [[virtual machines]],{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} as well as encapsulated by means such as BoxedWine<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.xda-developers.com/boxedwine-emulate-windows-applications-web-browsers/|title=Boxedwine can emulate Windows applications in web browsers|first=Corbin|last=Davenport|website=[[XDA Developers]]|date=3 October 2021|access-date=17 February 2023|archive-date=18 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230218001730/https://www.xda-developers.com/boxedwine-emulate-windows-applications-web-browsers/|url-status=live}}</ref> and Otvdm.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/otvdm.html|title=Otvdm/winevdm: run old Windows software in 64-bit Windows|first=Edward|last=Mendelson|date=12 January 2023|website=[[Columbia University]]|access-date=17 February 2023|archive-date=9 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209051159/http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/otvdm.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Microsoft===
Until 2020, [[Microsoft]] had not made any public statements about Wine. However, the [[Windows Update]] online service will block updates to Microsoft applications running in Wine. On 16 February 2005, Ivan Leo Puoti discovered that Microsoft had started checking the [[Windows Registry]] for the Wine configuration key and would block the Windows Update for any component.<ref>{{cite mailing list
 |first        = Ivan Leo
 |last         = Puoti
 |url          = https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-devel/2005-February/033868.html
 |title        = Microsoft genuine downloads looking for Wine
 |date         = 18 February 2005
 |mailing-list = wine-devel
 |access-date  = 23 January 2006
 |archive-date = 7 April 2009
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090407002920/http://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-devel/2005-February/033868.html
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> As Puoti noted: "It's also the first time Microsoft acknowledges the existence of Wine."

In January 2020, Microsoft cited Wine as a positive consequence of being able to reimplement APIs, in its [[amicus curiae]] brief for ''[[Google LLC v. Oracle America, Inc.]]''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tung|first=Liam|title=Wine for running Windows 10 apps on Linux gets big upgrade|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/wine-for-running-windows-10-apps-on-linux-gets-big-upgrade/|access-date=26 November 2020|website=ZDNet|language=en|archive-date=25 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025165041/https://www.zdnet.com/article/wine-for-running-windows-10-apps-on-linux-gets-big-upgrade/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In August 2024, Microsoft donated the [[Mono (software)|Mono Project]], a reimplementation of the [[.NET Framework]], to the developers of Wine.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Larabie |first=Michael |date=27 August 2024 |title=Microsoft Offloads The Mono Project To Wine |url=https://www.phoronix.com/news/Microsoft-Gives-Mono-To-Wine |access-date=28 August 2024 |website=[[Phoronix]]}}</ref>