Running Windows Programs on Mac OS X

mac-erelie · 06-06-2009, 08:16 PM

This is going to sound really stupid, but is there anyway to run programs with the ending ".exe" on a Macintosh? I have a Mac OS X 10.5.6 with an Intel processor. I know little about Mac Ports and haven't been able to figure out how to set one up to run it properly with the applications and settings I have. Also, another stupid question, are programs such as Wine and Darwin legal? Is there anyway to be able to run these programs efficiently on my computer? I have not been able to find anything yet.

Thank you.

sinclair_tm · 06-06-2009, 10:59 PM

There are 4 basic ways to do it, three of which require a copy of Windows. Bootcamp (I have set up on my Mac.), Parallels, Fusion (The one I use most of the time.), and Crossover (The one that doesn't require Windows.).
Darwin is just part of the OS core (OS X is a version of Darwin.), and has nothing to do with this, and Crossover is based off of Wine. As for legality, there is nothing that makes Wine illegal. I am not sure if you can get Wine to run on a Mac, as I have never looked in to it. MacPorts is just for getting open source *nix software to run on your Mac, not Windows software.

doh123 · 06-10-2009, 11:49 PM

I think the OP meant Darwine, not Darwin, which is a Mac port of Wine.

Darwine and Wine are harder to use, and not illegal, but CrossOver is much easier to use. It doesn't always work perfectly by default, sometimes you have to install a lot of things, and basically jump through some hoops to get stuff working. They have an application database, can work well to read through it, see tips from other users on how to get things working... I mess with the stuff a lot, mainly for games.

06-06-2009, 08:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
mac-erelie Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 1 OS: Mac OS X 10.5.6	Running Windows Programs on Mac OS X This is going to sound really stupid, but is there anyway to run programs with the ending ".exe" on a Macintosh? I have a Mac OS X 10.5.6 with an Intel processor. I know little about Mac Ports and haven't been able to figure out how to set one up to run it properly with the applications and settings I have. Also, another stupid question, are programs such as Wine and Darwin legal? Is there anyway to be able to run these programs efficiently on my computer? I have not been able to find anything yet. Thank you.

06-10-2009, 11:49 PM	#3 (permalink)
doh123 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 5 OS: .	Re: Running Windows Programs on Mac OS X I think the OP meant Darwine, not Darwin, which is a Mac port of Wine. Darwine and Wine are harder to use, and not illegal, but CrossOver is much easier to use. It doesn't always work perfectly by default, sometimes you have to install a lot of things, and basically jump through some hoops to get stuff working. They have an application database, can work well to read through it, see tips from other users on how to get things working... I mess with the stuff a lot, mainly for games.