Yesterday, I discussed the possibility of Wine’s inclusion in Ubuntu. That possibility on its own is quite interesting, but it becomes even more interesting if you start thinking about the possibilities for migration from Windows. Imagine this:

A user uses Wubi to install Ubuntu. During the installation process, he is prompted to select documents and applications to copy over to the Linux side. After he is done, he reboots the computer and enters Ubuntu. Instead of just getting a fresh Ubuntu install, though, all of his files and Windows applications are already there for him. With this, he can go straight to work. If he decides to go back to Windows for a while, his updated files are there, since Wubi never actually made a copy, but instead just created links, so he can make changes to a document in one OS and then finish it up in the other OS. He goes on to use Ubuntu on and off for a few months like this.

As time goes by, the user decides he wants a full Ubuntu installation. He goes through a short wizard and then his Wubi installation is transferred into a full installation and actual copies of the files are made. Now the user has a full Ubuntu desktop, complete with his documents from Windows and his standard Windows applications.

Obviously, there are some issues with this idea. First, not all Windows applications work well with Wine. Second, you don’t know about the licensing of the applications. And third, this would be really hard to implement for many reasons.

The point is, though, that Wine’s inclusion would open up the possibility of allowing Windows users to migrate their applications, making it much easier for them to make the switch.