WinBoat — Run Windows Apps on Linux, Seamlessly

General Discussions
1

I came across WinBoat: a new open-source project aiming to make running Windows applications on Linux feel native.

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WinBoat offers a polished UI that integrates Windows apps into your Linux desktop, automated setup: pick your preferences, and WinBoat handles the installation and configuration. Filesystem integration: your Linux home directory is mounted inside the Windows side, so sharing files is straightforward, USB passthrough (experimental) so Windows-only peripherals may work, and support for many apps that struggle under Wine or CrossOver, including parts of the Adobe suite, Office, etc.

Note: It’s in beta No GPU acceleration yet (they mention plans for paravirtualized drivers in the future).

For Linux users who occasionally need a Windows-only app, WinBoat might bridge that gap more cleanly than Wine or heavy VM setups. If the project gains traction and the GPU/acceleration features land, it could become a practical option rather than just an experiment.

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2

I tried Winboat briefly. I was hoping to revive some old VST plugins. But latency is far too high. Maybe with a better PC.

3

Well I went down the rabbit hole and gave up. I had to install a bunch of things, to include fuse. and then it required me to use flatpack, which I’d have to install (nope) and figure out that command structure (double nope). Maybe one day they can get added to the Debian repos, until then, that’s enough of that. :nerd_face: