Emulation

Revision 6.0

October 2024

Versions of WordPerfect for Windows

Another way of using WordPerfect on a Linux system is to install and run WordPerfect for Windows using the CrossOver or Wine emulation layer from CodeWeavers.

It is necessary to select a suitable version of WordPerfect for Windows and a compatible version of CrossOver or Wine.

It is possible to install WordPerfect 12 or X3 on Crossover 20.0.4 (the version current in March 2021). It is also possible to install Paradox 9 for Windows on Crossover.

So far as is known, it is not possible to install WordPerfect for Windows X4-X9 or 2020-2021 on Crossover.

WordPerfect for Windows 12 or X3 on Crossover 20

After installing CrossOver Linux 20 on a Linux distro, one can install WordPerfect for Windows 12 or X3 in a Windows XP bottle as an unlisted application.

WPwin 12

In the case of WPwin 12, one should perform a normal installation of WordPerfect and Quattro from the WordPerfect 12 CD, using its "setup.exe". But optional elements of WordPerfect Office 12 (such as Internet Explorer 6) should be unselected. After the registration code has been entered and accepted, and the installer has copied the files, it will report that setup is complete. So click "Finish". The installer will then appear to get stuck. So click "Cancel". It will report that installation has failed. So close the installer.

Despite this report, in fact the bottle will have been created and will contain the desired WordPerfect and Quattro code. But there will not be any menu-links to the WP programs. Such links can, however be created by means of Crossover's run command. One needs to navigate to and select the "wpwin12.exe" file (or, for Quattro, the "QPW.exe" file), and click "Create launcher".

When WordPerfect is run for the first time, it will probably be necessary to re-enter the registration code. It is also essential to configure WordPerfect so as not to use the enhanced file open/save dialogues.

Two deficiencies which existed under some earlier versions of Crossover have now been cured. (1) Once installed, the initial loading of WordPerfect 12 would fail, but a second loading would succeed, so that it was always necessary to load WordPerfect twice. This is no longer necessary under Crossover 20. (2) A successful loading would produce a window which was wide but not deep. This could be resized, but the resizing had to be repeated on every successful loading. Under Crossover 20, the sizing of the WordPerfect window operates in a normal manner.

Most features of WordPerfect 12 should work, including printing and saving to other file formats. Moreover MS Word 2003 .doc documents can be imported successfully. But macros do not work.

With Crossover 20, it is no longer difficult to configure the WP keyboard without crashing the program. This is a marked improvement over some earlier versions of Crossover. More generally, WP 12 seems generally to run better on Crossover 20 than on some older versions.

This section reflects the author's experience with Crossover 20, running on Linux Mint 18.3 or 20.

WPwin X3

In the case of WordPerfect for Windows X3, one should first copy the files from the WordPerfect CDs to (or extract them from the ISOs to) a single working directory, from which the "setup.exe" is to be run under Crossover.

Then, under Crossover, one should create a bottle and install into it the Crossover Core Fonts. Next, into that bottle one should install WPwin X3 using the "setup.exe" in the said working directory.

When the WP installer proceeds, one should unselect the optional additions, such as Pinnacle. When the WP files are being copied in, one should dismiss the "inadequate memory" message, and the copying will proceed to completion.

When the WP installer finishes, Crossover will unsuccessfully attempt to create launchers and menu items. So you should "cancel" the installation. The WP files will have been installed, but you will need (using Crossover) to create launchers and install them as links in your main Linux menu. When running the launcher for “wpwin13.exe” for the first time, you will need to cancel the offer to install updates.

WPwin X3 will run successfully in much the same way as WPwin 12, but (similarly) the macros function will not work.

This section reflects the author's experience with WPwin X3 Home Edition and Crossover 20, running on Linux Mint 20.

WordPerfect 9/2000 Office for Linux

WordPerfect 9 for Linux is part of the suite entitled WordPerfect Office 2000 for Linux, once marketed by Corel. The suite includes Quattro and also, in the Deluxe version, Paradox.

The programs contained in the suite are not native Linux applications, but versions of those contained in WordPerfect Office 9/2000 for Windows, adapted to run on Corel's own version of the Wine emulator, known as Corelwine.

Unfortunately no-one has succeeded in using Corelwine on any Linux distro which uses glibc (or libc6) in a version higher than 2.3.1. Thus one would need a distro issued not later than 2003, such as Libranet 2.8.1, Slackware 8.1, Redhat 8, or Mandrake 9.0. The sole known exception is Xandros 2, which uses libc6 v. 2.3.2, but for which some compatibility packages were once available. No current distro would be suitable.

It is difficult to believe that anyone not already using WordPerfect 9 for Linux on an elderly distro would wish to attempt to do so.

It can, however, be reported that it is possible to install and run WordPerfect 9 for Linux on Slackware 8.1 or Redhat 8, running as a guest in a virtualbox. Not only WordPerfect 9, but also Quattro 9 and Paradox 9, can be so installed and run. Installation requires the script installer, released by Corel in 2001, which may still be available from the Corel website. WordPerfect 9 runs slowly in this context. Difficulty may be experienced in printing from Slackware 8.1 or Redhat 8, running as a guest in a virtualbox, whatever program (including WordPerfect 9) is used.

WordPerfect for DOS on DOSEMU or DOSBOX

(1) It is possible to install and run WordPerfect for DOS on a Linux system, using the DOSemu emulation package. This should work with any version of WordPerfect for DOS from 5.0 to 6.2.

Useful information is available on the Linux page at the site on WordPerfect for DOS Updated, at Columbia University.

(2) It is also possible to install and run WordPerfect for DOS on a Linux system, using the DOSBox emulation package. But printing is not possible under DOSBox.

Under DOSBox one can also install Windows 3.1 and WordPerfect 6.1 for Windows.

(3) There is also a character-based version of WordPerfect 8 for Linux, which resembles WordPerfect 5.1+ for MSDOS. Recent work by Tavis Ormandy has enabled this to be easily installed and successfully run on current versions of Linux. This is helpfully explained on the Unix page at Edward Mendelson's wpdos website.

WordPerfect for Mac on Linux

(1) It may still be possible to install and run WP 3.5e for Mac on a current Linux distro, using MacOS 9.0.4 in the Sheepshaver emulator. This was last successfully tested by the present writer in December 2013, and is probably still possible on a distro current in 2021.

Useful information is available from the WordPerfect Mac group pages, now on groups.io.

A particularly useful program available there is a Droplets utility, enabling the conversion of WordPerfect documents from normal WP 6.1 format to WPMac format.

(2) Another method of running WPmac on Linux is to use the Windows version of the WPMacApp appliance provided on the mac-intel.htm page on the Columbia WPdos site. The appliance uses Sheepshaver, but needs to be installed and run under Crossover. This method definitely works on current distros.

Paradox on Linux

It is possible to install Paradox 9 for Windows on a current Linux distro using Crossover. The Paradox setup program will complete, but Crossover may not recognise that it has done so. One must then close the Crossover operation. The bottle will exist, and will contain the desired Paradox code, but it will be necessary to create a menu entry for Paradox by means of Crossover's Manage Bottles function.

The editing of existing Paradox tables can also be achieved by means of a Windows utility named Paradox Data Editor, which can be installed and run on Linux under Crossover. The Paradox Data Editor is available from MiTeC at www.mitec.cz/pde.html.

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Last updated in October 2024.