Mactel plans move CodeWeavers to add Windows-to-Mac porting
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Jun 22, 2005 at 12:55am
CodeWeavers, a Windows-to-Linux software developer, has announced a major expansion of its software porting capabilities to include support for Windows-to-Macintosh application porting. The new capabilities is made possible by Apple’s eventual move to Intel x86 chips, according to CodeWeavers CEO Jeremy White.
It promises to significantly reduce the time and cost of developing Mac versions of Windows software, opening new possibilities for mid-tier Windows software companies, he says. In fact, Apple’s decision to shift to Intel chips is good news for many Windows developers who, for reasons of time and/or expense, have never created Mac versions of their key applications, he added.
CodeWeavers is best known for its CrossOver and CrossOver Office productivity tools that let Windows applications run natively on Linux. Until now, however, despite the fact that both CrossOver and the Mac operating system are built atop UNIX, CrossOver was restricted to Windows-to-Linux application porting because the tool requires Intel CPUs for optimal operation, and Apple desktops have historically used IBM PowerPC chipsets, White says. However, with Apple’s announcement of its intention to move to Intel chips in 2006, developers will soon be able to use CrossOver Office to port their Windows applications to the Mac OS without incurring the sizable time and expense of creating a separate, Mac-centric application, he adds..
What’s more, by installing CrossOver Office on Intel-based Macs, many Windows-only applications, including Windows-based games, utilities, and business applications, will run, White says.
Software companies and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) who wish to license CrossOver technology can gain an installation and support framework that will ensure native use on the Mac OS, with no re-writing of the application itself, according to theCodeWeavers. In situations where a full license of CrossOver isn’t needed, developers can also retain CodeWeavers to create custom Mac versions of their apps using portions of CrossOver.
Leave a comment ⇒
Please post the article topic & comment in our forums. No registration required.
Article Information
Comment on this Article Print this Article Email this Article Digg This
Contributor
Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
