New InstallAware Application Porting Toolkit Effortlessly Bridges Windows Applications to GNU/Linux and macOS.

"We've followed Apple's lead with their Game Porting Toolkit," says John Gaver, Director of InstallAware Skunkworks. "Instead of targeting only games, we figured we could support all kinds of applications. Instead of targeting only macOS, we figured we could support GNU/Linux, too. And instead of having a command line only kit which required programming skills, we figured we could build a fully graphical, guided process that could be utilized even by non-technical users. No software development skills are required to utilize our new InstallAware Application Porting Toolkit! Any lay GNU/Linux or macOS user may now take their favorite Windows application, and repackage it as native code setup for GNU/Linux or macOS. When these new InstallAware ported setups are run, they seamlessly install a Windows software translation layer, and the desired application itself – as a single atomic operation. It is even possible to add Web Updates to these apps, and repair/uninstallation options are already built in to the resulting packages."

Under the hood, the InstallAware Application Porting Toolkit first installs Wine, which is an open source and well-respected Windows compatibility layer that runs on top of GNU/Linux and macOS. If so desired, these Wine installations may also be compartmentalized between different applications – so no two applications share the same instance, preventing potential incompatibilities before they happen.

The InstallAware Application Porting Toolkit then translates the setup instructions found in the original Windows installers for the applications being ported to GNU/Linux and macOS. For example, where the original instructions refer to creating files inside "C:\Program Files", the Application Porting Toolkit seamlessly redirects those writes into "~/.wine/drive_c/Program Files". Similarly, where the original instructions target the Windows Registry – a feature which both GNU/Linux and macOS operating systems lack – these instructions are seamlessly forwarded to Wine's registry hives located at "~/.wine/system.reg" and "~/.wine/user.reg". This new technology is called Setup Virtualization, and is being pioneered by InstallAware Software.

Of course, software developers who already have their Windows setups built with InstallAware may directly inject Setup Virtualization into their existing installation scripts. Literally a single "Set Wine Bottle" script command is all it takes! All setup script commands following "Set Wine Bottle", such as "Read/Write Registry", "Install Files", and "Create Shortcut", seamlessly target a customizable Wine software translation layer when invoked after a "Set Wine Bottle" command. It is even possible to target more than one Wine layer through multiple invocations of the "Set Wine Bottle" command, or to revert to the underlying "physical" host operating system – turning Wine layer redirection on or off at will.

About InstallAware Software

InstallAware Software, founded in 2003, is the leading Cloud Infrastructure Company with its laser sharp focus on bullet-proof enterprise software deployment and repackaging – now supporting GNU/Linux and macOS targets as first-class citizens, in addition to Windows. InstallAware has been recognized by multiple awards coming from Microsoft, SDTimes "Leader of the Software Development Industry", and Visual Studio Magazine Reader's Choice Gold Award, among other recognition. InstallAware 2025 is available free for all open-source projects, and in paid editions with prices starting at $950. For a fully functional 14-day trial and more information, visit www.installaware.com/iamp.

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SOURCE InstallAware Software