I have seen many discussions here on the problems using WINE and Linux. I understand the complexities of trying to build a program for several different OSs. On this porgram, Even the Installer script for Linux fails when I run it on Linux Mint 21.1. Beyond frustration here. That should not happen if a software package is ready for release.
Look at other programs out there. FLDIGI and WFVIEW just to name a couple. Both work on ALL platforms without trying to emulate WINDOWS!
Perhaps changing the approach is in order.
I would like to try the program but I will spend more time pounding my head against the keyboard rather than operating with it. Is that the goal of your group? As hams, I am open to new things. I am not a full fledged computer programmer, however. I am an electronic technician by trade and have been using Linux for at least 10 years. I have my whole station working on Linux. FLDIGI, FLRIG, WFView, jtdx, wsjtx, SDRConnect All are working on Linux. I can go on about logging software and other like Hamclock..... Please get your act together.
From what I see, C# is apparently pretty good on Linux these days. So, in theory, it now might be quite possible to recompile the C# sources natively under Linux...
I would love to see a native Linux VarAC client, but I understand the reasons why Irad won't do that at the moment. My VarAC-Wine attempts have been rather unsatisfactory and are anything but stable. So I will stick with Windows.
I'd like to update my reply and happily now report that most of my crashes seem to be "off-Windows" WINE related. It seems the crashes, accompanied by "serious error/VarAC needs to close messages", are most likely to occur when I use a VarAC feature that that has a behavior outside of the WINE box/environment. For example, if I attempt to access PskReporter or QRZ via the buttons within the VarAC program that launch Firefox under MX-Linux on my system, a crash is more likely. The solution, or at least my mitigation, is to launch Firefox and access the desired websites manually and outside of VarAC.
Crashes are occurring much less frequently since I learned to avoid using features that don't stay in the WINE sandbox!
VarAC is now no less stable than JS8Call for me, which also crashes occasionally on all my platforms ranging from arm64 Pi 4 and arm64 Quadra and Pinebook Pro to AMD/Intel x86-64 laptops running Linux distros.
BTW, I have no reason to believe any of my infrequent crashes are due to HF in the shack. I am careful to use common mode coax filters and the crashes don't seem to correlate with operating power levels (QRP to near-full legal limit) or any particular band, antenna or operations. fldigi, wsjt-x and various pat Winlink operations (ardopc, direwolf AGWPE, NucleoTNC ax25, Vara FM) are very stable. JS8Call (Linux binaries) and VarAC under WINE--just a bit less so.
Again, thank you so much for your significant contribution to ham radio, Irad. VarAC is really fun!
73,
Cal -- AD8Q
For what it is worth, I have VarAC and VARA Modem working great on a Dell running LINUX Mint and using WINE.
Wow what an arrogant post! So how much effort have you put forth in this project? Why do you feel everyone should comply with your way of thinking? This is ham radio and is for fun with developers doing this for fun, your attitude is why developers get fed up and stop some great work. Maybe you should move on to something else!
Unlike all the other softwares you mentioned, varac is written in C#. Why ? because this is my specialty. It's a hobby. Not a day job. So as the developer I get to choose how I spend my spare time. Not sure why you think you can criticize.
If you are so upset, then feel free to develop a new varac of your own using Java or C. I have put 3 years of spare time into this.
Good luck.
73s