14 DAY TRIAL // CodeWeavers has announced version 9.0 of its powerful Wine-based solution for running software on unsupported platforms, CrossOver. The program bridges directly between Windows software and OS X, unlike similar products that run the Windows operating system inside a virtual machine. This, according to CodeWeavers, allows applications to run at greater speeds on a user's Mac. CrossOver is also available on Linux.
“I am happy to announce that we have just released version 9.0 of CrossOver Mac and CrossOver Linux,” Jeremy White, CodeWeavers CEO, says. “This release, code named 'Snow Mallard,' is the first major overhaul of CrossOver since version 1.0. It includes a completely new user interface for Linux and a revamped user interface for the Mac, which should make everything faster and more intuitive.”
White adds, “Further, this release includes over a year's work on Wine (over 7,500 individual patches), so you'll find a wide variety of other miscellaneous fixes and improvements. Notable changes include support for macros in Excel, as well as some improvements in Internet Explorer 7.”
The CEO proceeds with offering a list of highlights for the 9.0 release of CrossOver, outlining a number of key changes like a “bold new look,” an entirely redesigned application install process, and much faster bottle creation and manipulation times. White claims the app installation process is now guided by 'C4 Profiles.' These are XML files that should allow the process to be extended by anyone, according to the CEO.
As far as application support is concerned, some maintenance has been done in this area as well. White mentions improvements in Internet Explorer, particularly IE7, and some major improvements in Microsoft Office (notably, Word clipart), and Excel Macros (they should now just work, according to the release notes). Outlook should also be more stable, the changelog suggests. There is still limited support for Quicken 2010.
CrossOver 9.0 has been merged with Wine version 1.1.34, CodeWeavers claims, noting that the move brings a year's work in Wine, with 7,578 patches in all - “far too many to describe,” the company says. Use the link below to download the latest version of CrossOver for Mac.