Wine
Technology & Computing abbreviation · Software
| Stands for | Wine Is Not an Emulator |
|---|---|
| Categories | Technology & Computing |
Wine stands for Wine Is Not an Emulator, a software abbreviation.
Compatibility layer that runs Windows applications on Linux, macOS and other Unix-like systems by translating Windows API calls into native ones, with no Windows license or virtual machine required.
Example: The old accounting app runs fine under Wine on my Linux desktop.
Usage notes
Started in 1993, Wine reached version 1.0 only in 2008. Valve's Proton, which lets thousands of Windows games run on the Steam Deck and Linux, is built on it, as is CodeWeavers' commercial CrossOver. The recursive name was originally explained as "WINdows Emulator". Current documentation writes it as "Wine" rather than all capitals.
Related abbreviations
More software abbreviations
- ADB – Android Debug Bridge
- AGPL – GNU Affero General Public License
- AOSP – Android Open Source Project
- APT – Advanced Package Tool
- ASF – Apache Software Foundation
- BSD – Berkeley Software Distribution
- BSL – Business Source License
- BT – BitTorrent
- CAL – Client Access License
- CC – Creative Commons
- CC BY – Creative Commons Attribution License
- CC0 – Creative Commons Zero