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As the Linux operating system gains more acceptance as a viable desktop environment, the desire to run Windows apps ( like gmax ) has grown. What is described below is what worked, and what didn't, over the six weeks I spent researching how to make Gmax run in my Linux system. Some caveats: As there are about half a dozen popular distributions of Linux out there, what worked for me may not necessarily work for you. As of this date ( May, 2003 ) the Wine and Winex3 programs I discuss below didn't work, but as both are under constant revision and updating, they might work by the time you are reading this. Be sure to visit Transgaming , Wine HQ and Codeweavers to check for news and updates.

My system specs:

RedHat Linux 9, fully updated via Synaptic / 256 mg ram / Nvidia GForce 4 MX running Nvidia's Linux drivers / P4 1.4 / On board sound

Software Tested:

Gmax 1.2 / Quake 3 Arena / Tempest gamepack / NeTraverse Win4Lin 4.0 / Transgaming Winex3 / Codeweaver's Crossover Office 2.0

What worked: The NeTraverse Win4Lin package loaded with Windows 98 SE loaded and ran Gmax without any errors, and seems to run at full ( as compared to a straight Windows installation) speed.

Here are some shots of the gmax workspace in Linux, and with the window reduced to show my Gnome desktop.

Win4Lin loads Windows 95/98/98SE or WinME in to your Linux environment from a Windows installation CD, and creates a secondary desktop environment for you to run your Windows apps from. It works pretty well, with the only weak points being a somewhat cryptic configuration utility and questionable modem and printer support. The other downside is that it is not a free program. Plan on spending around $80 USD to buy a license, plus the cost of a Windows CD if you don't already own one. Is this a lot of cash just to run gmax? Maybe, but if you are a Linux user looking to avoid a dual boot and get maximum Windows / Linux app mileage, it's the best of the options currently available.

What didn't work:

Transgaming's Winex3: This was really my best hope for getting it to run and completely sidestep any Windows OS's... it looked like it came pretty close. Winex3 would run the setup.exe, the cab files would unpack and the installer would begin. However, once it got to the point where it was looking for previously installed versions of gmax, the installer would hang and eventually crash. I don't know enough about installers to change how it works ( might be illegal to tamper with it too ) and bypass the check process, but in the end, it didn't work. Bummer. BTW: Winex3 isn't free either, it's $15. Well worth the money though as it will run a couple of hundred Windows games directly in Linux. I like this program and can see it getting better and better in time.

Codeweaver's CrossOver Office: This was actually the first thing I tried, as it successfully loads and runs a host of Microsoft, Adobe and other common office apps in Linux, using it's own modified version of the Wine program. Sadly, the gmax installer completely barfed and spewed pages of errors before crashing like the Hindenburg.It was a long shot, I guess. I do recommend a visit to the Codeweaver website to sample their free CrossOver Office plugins. They will add a lot of functionality and compatibility to your Linux browsers. The plugins are free, but the CrossOver Office CD will cost around $70 USD.