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Hey all,

I have been using PlayOnLinux for the last month or so and have been enjoying it! Good work!

Anyway, I have some suggestions that might make PlayOnLinux much more easy to use :p

Suggestion One: Crossover Style Prefix Management
Implement a Crossover style application management interface which allows you to easily install applications into existing prefixes and change their launcher settings.

For Example:


+ Internet Explorer (Treeview is closed)
- The Sims 3
* The Sims 3
* The Sims 3 Launcher
+ Microsoft Office
- uTorrent
* uTorrent


Also, the current way of adding new launchers (Applications Listed in the PlayOnLinux main window) is tedious, you have to click install, manually add new application, click current prefix, open a dummy app, close it, click add shortcut and then add it.
This is a longwinded process for a simple task and would be made faster if buttons were added to the bottom on the window for simple tasks like it.

Suggestion 2: File Associations
By default PlayOnLinux makes shortcuts in the ~/.PlayOnLinux/configurations/installed/ folder.
The default shortcut file might look like this:

#!/bin/bash
PATH="/home/max/.PlayOnLinux/WineVersions/1.1.30/usr/bin/:$PATH"
export WINEPREFIX="/home/max/.PlayOnLinux/wineprefix/MP3Tag"
export WINEDEBUG="-all"
cd "/home/max/.PlayOnLinux/wineprefix/MP3Tag/drive_c/Program Files/MP3Tag"
wine "/home/max/.PlayOnLinux/wineprefix/MP3Tag/drive_c/Program Files/MP3Tag/Mp3tag.exe" $@

This is good for launching applications but if a user wants to be able to double click a file (such as a word document) and have it open in the application (such as word), the application will simply open and throw an error message.

Therefore I propose, that PlayOnLinux creates shortcut files in this format (tested to work on KDE):

#!/bin/bash
PATH="/home/max/.PlayOnLinux/WineVersions/1.1.29/usr/bin/:$PATH"

# Paths
if [ "$*" ]; then
PARAM=`winepath -w "$*"`
else
PARAM="$*"
fi

export WINEPREFIX="/home/max/.PlayOnLinux/wineprefix/Office07"
export WINEDEBUG="-all"
cd "/home/max/.PlayOnLinux/wineprefix/Office07/drive_c/Program Files/Microsoft Office/Office12"
wine "/home/max/.PlayOnLinux/wineprefix/Office07/drive_c/Program Files/Microsoft Office/Office12/WINWORD.EXE" "$PARAM"

This would greatly improve PlayOnLinux and if any help is needed in implementing the above simply email me :p

Thanks, Max

Sorry to double post, but if you need an English Translator (I can't speak French but I can Google it and then make it into correct English), ask me :p

(Some of the English translations on this board are a little off :p )

For Example:


+ Internet Explorer (Treeview is closed)
- The Sims 3
* The Sims 3
* The Sims 3 Launcher
+ Microsoft Office
- uTorrent
* uTorrent

If times allow to do that I will do that.

Also, the current way of adding new launchers (Applications Listed in the PlayOnLinux main window) is tedious, you have to click install, manually add new application, click current prefix, open a dummy app, close it, click add shortcut and then add it.
This is a longwinded process for a simple task and would be made faster if buttons were added to the bottom on the window for simple tasks like it.

I made POL Helper plug-in which does that in simpler way.

Suggestion 2: File Associations
By default PlayOnLinux makes shortcuts in the ~/.PlayOnLinux/configurations/installed/ folder.
The default shortcut file might look like this:

#!/bin/bash
PATH="/home/max/.PlayOnLinux/WineVersions/1.1.30/usr/bin/:$PATH"
export WINEPREFIX="/home/max/.PlayOnLinux/wineprefix/MP3Tag"
export WINEDEBUG="-all"
cd "/home/max/.PlayOnLinux/wineprefix/MP3Tag/drive_c/Program Files/MP3Tag"
wine "/home/max/.PlayOnLinux/wineprefix/MP3Tag/drive_c/Program Files/MP3Tag/Mp3tag.exe" $@

This is good for launching applications but if a user wants to be able to double click a file (such as a word document) and have it open in the application (such as word), the application will simply open and throw an error message.

Therefore I propose, that PlayOnLinux creates shortcut files in this format (tested to work on KDE):

#!/bin/bash
PATH="/home/max/.PlayOnLinux/WineVersions/1.1.29/usr/bin/:$PATH"

# Paths
if [ "$*" ]; then
PARAM=`winepath -w "$*"`
else
PARAM="$*"
fi

export WINEPREFIX="/home/max/.PlayOnLinux/wineprefix/Office07"
export WINEDEBUG="-all"
cd "/home/max/.PlayOnLinux/wineprefix/Office07/drive_c/Program Files/Microsoft Office/Office12"
wine "/home/max/.PlayOnLinux/wineprefix/Office07/drive_c/Program Files/Microsoft Office/Office12/WINWORD.EXE" "$PARAM"

This would greatly improve PlayOnLinux and if any help is needed in implementing the above simply email me :p

I already did modifications to Office 2007 installer so it creates right launchers which allows me to do it as you described in GNOME environment.

I'm not very in favor of your fisrt suggestion.

In fact for you it will be clearer because you know what a prefix is. But don't forget that PlayOnLinux is designed for people who does not care about wine mechanism. They click, and it works. That's all ! In reality, we really should simplify the scripts and avoid question like 'Do you want to patch wine ?"

For the other suggestion, I agree with you

In reality, we really should simplify the scripts and avoid question like 'Do you want to patch wine ?"

I noticed that lately and made changes which removed such question from some scripts :)