Project Darling Is Still Trying To Run macOS/OSX Software On Linux

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Project Darling Is Still Trying To Run macOS/OSX Software On Linux

Back in 2012 I wrote about Project Darling as an effort to run Mac OS X software on Linux -- to Wine is for Windows software on Linux, Darling is for Mac software on Linux. Work on Darling seems to have picked up recently after a brief hiatus...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Darling-2016-Still-Going

[Brophen]

I'm not so much hoping for different software so much as hoping for better compatibility with macOS software than wine does with Windows, due to Linux being closer to Mac than Windows, but I know very little

[GizmoChicken]

Four years in it can't run too much software, but are you looking forward to it and one day having Mac GUI apps on Linux? Do you see any need for running Mac software on Linux when there is Wine for Windows software on Linux? Share your thoughts on Darling with us by commenting on this article in our forums.

If Daring could run software better than does WINE, then yes, having Daring would be great. But as pointed out, four years in, Darling still can't run much. Something tells me that a breakthrough in not imminent.

Given the rapid growth in Chromebook sales, and given that many Chromebooks now can run Android apps using Google's Arc++, we may see more software running as desktop-optimized Android apps on Chromebooks in the not-too-distant future.

What puzzles me is why no one seems interested in porting Google's Arc++, which is (mostly) open source, to run on traditional GNU/Linux distros, such as Arch, Fedora, Ubuntu, etc.

[Creak]

If only Apple would support the opened API, Vulkan, instead of their private techno, Metal.

[Auzy]

I used to think it would be a cool idea. But it's lost a lot of relevance these days because steam now exists in Linux, and Apple has fallen behind in some ways. Also, Apple will likely eventually use encryption long term to block the project if it ever succeeds.

If creative suite and Ms outlook are ported to Linux, I really couldn't see any valid reasons why anyone would use osx anymore (and Ms office at least is becoming likely with Microsoft's growing support for Linux).

[ssokolow]

It'd be nice to have it as a backup option in case I have a game that's for Windows and OSX and Wine doesn't get along with the Windows version.

The only Mac-only games that come to mind as things I'd want are games that are unlikely to show up DRM-free, like Ambrosia Software games or Spacestation Pheta, or old 68k Mac games where reviving development on Executor to squash the remaining compatibility bugs would be a more viable solution.

(Executor is basically "Wine for 68k Mac apps" that began as a paid product and was eventually open-sourced. You can run older versions inside DOSBox or the newest one natively on Linux, Windows, and x86 Macs... though, with a codebase that old, both approaches have their pros and cons.)

[thelongdivider]

A decent video and photo editing suite for Linux with GPU acceleration would completely my needs without any compatibility layer.

[ssokolow]

unlikely to show up DRM-free, like Ambrosia Software games or Spacestation Pheta

I should clarify. The older Ambrosia games and Spacestation Pheta predate DRM as we know it now, but the developers seem to still be interested in charging their old prices and selling exclusively via their websites and Ambrosia definitely went for the online activation with Escape Velocity: Nova.

[DMJC]

Linux already has professional video editing suites, just look into all the high end professional video compositing software. What you're really saying is you want high quality consumer level software, or free software versions of professional tools.

[uid313]

Sounds pretty uninteresting.

Linux have a great software ecosystem. macOS software ecosystem sucks, everything is commercial & proprietary. The only thing good about macOS is that lots of software from the Linux ecosystem is available.