Wine 11.0 Release Candidate 1 released
Wine developers have released version 11.0-rc1 for your testing. Think of this as the first checkpoint leading into what's generally known as the final preparation phase for the upcoming Wine release; that is, the period where everyone focuses on getting everything ready before launch.
This release is one of several steps towards completing Wine 11.0, so let’s take a look at some highlights from 11.0-rc1. The Wine developers integrated a newer Mono engine (version 10.4.0) and refreshed the locale data to Unicode CLDR version 48 for better international support. For users on systems with plenty of memory, they added experimental scanner support through the TWAINDSM module, though this version isn't enabled by default yet.
Needless to say, there's also been a good deal of work behind the scenes in this release candidate aimed at smoothing things out. Developers have implemented numerous bug fixes, which is always welcome news for users encountering issues with Windows programs on Linux.
For those wanting to dive into testing, you can grab the source code from here. Once prepared and ready for wider testing, binary builds optimized for various distributions should follow.
Information on using Wine remains just as accessible; naturally, the documentation wiki is a solid resource. And while it wouldn't be here without community feedback driving improvements, it's also worth acknowledging that this release wouldn't exist at all without the countless hours poured into Wine by its dedicated contributors. You can always explore who has helped shape Wine in their own way through the AUTHORS file bundled with any source release.
Speaking of fixes, let's call out a few specific issues addressed since they impact certain applications directly:
There’s an update needed for users wanting to play The King's Quest: Mask of Eternity; this requires MCIWndCreate to properly handle creating child windows when the parent is explicitly provided. That should hopefully clear up some gameplay hiccups.
Similarly, HeapSize(GetProcessHeap(), 0, GlobalLock(hGlobal)) now reliably succeeds for a variety of applications that depend on it. This problem isn't just minor; fixing these core Windows API interactions makes a real difference in how well other programs run under Wine.
Also resolved was an issue causing Gramps 5.2.0 to display empty windows. That’s another one ticked off the list, definitely worthwhile for genealogy enthusiasts.
The team continues working hard on integrating Windows features effectively into the Linux environment, and this release shows progress across multiple fronts. Performance improvements aren't always immediately noticeable, but they often translate to better stability for demanding tasks as well. The focus here is largely about ironing out wrinkles and ensuring compatibility with common software setups.
Some of the key faces behind these changes include:
Matteo Bruni has refined graphics processing capabilities, Rémi Bernon has tackled window management and graphics rendering challenges head-on, and Piotr Caban has contributed significantly to database-related functionality. These are just examples; many other developers have also left their mark on this release candidate.
In total, 107 distinct contributors helped shape Wine's progress with their code submissions for this version. Many more individuals provided smaller fixes or improvements based on user feedback; the ongoing strength of Wine really rests on this collective effort and shared knowledge base.
