Free Codeweavers Products!

October 28, 2008 6:35 PM

Codeweavers is offering their product line for free until midnight Central time tonight. They implement versions of WINE, which allows one to run Windows programs under Mac OSX and Linux, including implementations focused on running games.

This has been all over slashdot and digg today, and the traffic to the Codeweavers site has apparently been insane. I thought it might be a community service to post it here if you didn't catch it elsewhere.

posted by Kwine (40 comments total)

This is cool, but what are the differences between the two Mac versions?
posted by Science! at 6:41 PM on October 28, 2008

From Wikipedia:

CrossOver Games was introduced in March 2008 and is intended to allow gaming-related patches from Wine to be incorporated into CrossOver much faster. The CrossOver Pro product line will focus on stability and in-depth testing with supported productivity software, such as Microsoft Office, and will have a slower release cycle.

posted by macrone at 6:47 PM on October 28, 2008

thank you! =)
posted by girlthursday at 6:55 PM on October 28, 2008

Neat! Thanks!
posted by brundlefly at 6:57 PM on October 28, 2008

Domo arigato, Kwine. Snagged both of the Mac builds. . . .
posted by rdone at 6:57 PM on October 28, 2008

Some background information, if you're completely baffled as I was, even after watching that weird video. Apparently they're giving it away as a result of losing a sort of bet that gas wouldn't hit $2.79 before the end of Bush's term.

I've registered on the site - CrossOver is a great product, I bought Crossover Office years ago and was totally pleased with it, so I'm interested to see how things have improved since then.
posted by odinsdream at 6:59 PM on October 28, 2008

Has anyone gotten Visual Studio 2008 Express running in CrossOver?

P.S. Team Fortress 2 runs from CrossOver on a new 2.4 MacBook like butter (nicely)
posted by nomad at 6:59 PM on October 28, 2008

sweeeeeet
posted by jock@law at 7:01 PM on October 28, 2008

Are these going to install fine without the serial number, or do I need to wait to get that before I can use this? Also, will the number work for both Mac versions, or will I have to pick one?

Downloaded both, but can't install either today, so possibly stupid questions.
posted by paisley henosis at 7:04 PM on October 28, 2008

Thanks for sharing that. It was a public service to ME!
posted by spock at 7:05 PM on October 28, 2008

I'm gonna see if my Mac can run X-Wing Alliance. I might crap myself.
posted by Jon_Evil at 7:12 PM on October 28, 2008

Hunh! Awesome! Thanks!
posted by Sticherbeast at 7:26 PM on October 28, 2008

Very nice. Thanks for the heads up.
posted by tellurian at 7:29 PM on October 28, 2008

Excellent.
posted by SaintCynr at 7:38 PM on October 28, 2008

I'm a Parallels user but I'll give this a whirl. Thanks for the heads-up.
These apps will go nicely with my forthcoming free Dr Pepper thanks to G&R's Chinese Democracy.
posted by porn in the woods at 7:42 PM on October 28, 2008

paisley, it looks like the DMG files available on their site right now are unlocked. I just installed both Crossover and Crossover Games. I'm 33% into a Steam installation of Portal just minutes after installing it. It's fucking awesome.
posted by odinsdream at 7:52 PM on October 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

I got mine this morning. Good for them.
posted by unSane at 7:53 PM on October 28, 2008

paisley, it looks like the DMG files available on their site right now are unlocked.

Awesome! Thanks odinsdream, and thanks for the heads-up, Kwine.
posted by paisley henosis at 8:00 PM on October 28, 2008

I'm doing the exact same thing as odinsdream right now with the whole Orange Box. I'm surprised it hasn't asked for a SN, yet.
posted by brundlefly at 8:00 PM on October 28, 2008

Codeweavers got overloaded, so they made an unlocked version available. If you want updates you'll have to get a serial number and register it, though.
posted by jedicus at 8:04 PM on October 28, 2008

odinsdream/brundlefly

How do I download from steam on my Mac? Don't quite have the hang of this thing yet...
posted by slapshot57 at 8:05 PM on October 28, 2008

Once you get Crossover Games installed start it up. Click on the Install Software area and choose the option that isn't the CD installation... I can't remember what the wording was.

Anyway, from there you have a wizard-like option to install Steam by clicking through a few windows. After it downloads some of the prerequisites and fonts it'll prompt you to begin downloading Steam directly from Valve. Then you get the Steam application running just like on Windows, you enter your account information and use it from there just like normal.

Some online reviews of the Crossover Games product indicated that Portal plays very nicely in this setup. It also happens to be the only game I've purchased through Steam, so I'll give it a shot. 75% downloaded so far!
posted by odinsdream at 8:09 PM on October 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

Oh, man! Can't wait to check this out, and kudos to them! I sure hope they have some marketing people in place to follow up on this - GREAT publicity stunt. Yesterday, in my mind, there were two choices for Mac emulation. Tomorrow, there might be three. That is the essence of advertising.
posted by mwhybark at 8:14 PM on October 28, 2008

ehh, I'm not currently feeling the love. Neither Oblivion or BGII seem to work on my iMac (Oblivion runs but the screen is bleached) BGII can't detect the CD.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 8:17 PM on October 28, 2008

now this pairs very well with my new login to GOG... and I don't have to drop a hundred clams on a windows install.. .sweet!
posted by Sam.Burdick at 8:21 PM on October 28, 2008

slapshot57, unlike odinsdream, I'm installing from CD (been running the Orange Box from Boot Camp for a while). Other than selecting the "Steam Install From CD" option (or something like that), my install is pretty much the same as his.
posted by brundlefly at 8:25 PM on October 28, 2008

I have yet to buy my first Macbook (I'm hoping by the end of November), but I snagged these in anticipation, thanks!
posted by middleclasstool at 8:26 PM on October 28, 2008

Boo, it won't run Frets on Fire. Since the "experimental" FOF mac build doesn't run either, I'm still unable to rock out on my macbook. (It might be worth installing boot camp)
posted by Popular Ethics at 8:30 PM on October 28, 2008

Alas, Crossover only works with Intel chips. I am outta luck with my trusty 2x2.0 G5.
posted by rdone at 8:31 PM on October 28, 2008

Steam is the only reason I reboot my Ubuntu box and run Windows. Sweet.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 8:34 PM on October 28, 2008

Installed Foobar. The drag-and-drop aspect is lost, but using the "Add…" menu option (under File) let me add whatever I wanted. Pro-tip: to get to external drives I had to use the Volumes folder in the "/" HDD.

If this keeps working as well as it is right now, iTunes is dead to me.
posted by paisley henosis at 8:42 PM on October 28, 2008

Incompatible with my system? Ah, shit. Only with Intel chips. This sucks.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 8:42 PM on October 28, 2008

I might have spoken too soon. When I launch Steam it immediately minimizes, and I have no way of un-minimizing it so that I can complete my Steam registration. Anyone else having this issue?
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 8:44 PM on October 28, 2008

Got portal running - graphics are totally awesome on the Mac Pro - speed is much better than the Windows machine I played it on previously.
posted by odinsdream at 8:55 PM on October 28, 2008

slmtdahcjrm; I had already set up my Steam account on a Windows machine - perhaps the Registration step requires some weird window-handling? Try the Restore option from the Window item in the menubar.
posted by odinsdream at 8:57 PM on October 28, 2008

I think I'm sticking with boot camp for now. So far this evening I'm 1/4 games working.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 9:15 PM on October 28, 2008

huh... now I've got need of some good advice. I've got a copy of HALO (the original game) and during install its looking for a particular dll file thats sitting right in the install disc. In my time working with linux (where you had to coax EVERYTHING into place) that sort of behavior was automatic with me.

1) download file
2) check to see if everything is there
3) ???
4) Profit!

After working on a mac for over a year I'm a little lost, and years after I'd stopped trying to use Linux, as everything just installs without me massaging it into place.

Help?
posted by Sam.Burdick at 9:33 PM on October 28, 2008

Hm....I don't see a "restore" option when I right click on my menu bar (Ubuntu - Hardy). Bummer.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 9:44 PM on October 28, 2008

dammit, tonight = yesterday.
posted by BishopsLoveScifi at 3:15 AM on October 29, 2008

Well shit, looks like I missed my window.
posted by sciurus at 1:46 PM on October 29, 2008