PlayOnMac is a free
compatibility layer
In software engineering, a compatibility layer is an interface that allows binaries for a legacy or foreign system to run on a host system. This translates system calls for the foreign system into native system calls for the host system. With som ...
and
emulator
In computing, an emulator is Computer hardware, hardware or software that enables one computer system (called the ''host'') to behave like another computer system (called the ''guest''). An emulator typically enables the host system to run so ...
for
macOS
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...
that allows installation and usage of video games and other software initially designed to run exclusively on
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
. PlayOnMac is based on the open-source
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
project and therefore creates and uses virtual drives much like Wineskin wrappers (the virtual drives are essentially Wineskin wrappers operating on a particular version of Wine).
Furthermore, it uses an online database of installers (called scripts) that are applied to different applications that need special configuration. The scripts act as installers for the desired software. If the video game or software that must be installed is not in the online database of PlayOnMac, a manual installation can be performed but the positive result cannot be guaranteed.
Aside from video games, any other program can be installed and each one is put in a different container to prevent interference of one program with another.
Therefore, PlayOnMac allows users to install some of the most popular Windows programs and many video games as well.
As with Wine, the use of PlayOnMac does not require nor use a Windows license.
Lastly, PlayOnMac has been developed using a combination of two
programming language
A programming language is a system of notation for writing computer programs. Most programming languages are text-based formal languages, but they may also be graphical. They are a kind of computer language.
The description of a programming ...
s, more specifically
Bash
Bash or BASH may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Bash!'' (Rockapella album), 1992
* ''Bash!'' (Dave Bailey album), 1961
* '' Bash: Latter-Day Plays'', a dramatic triptych
* ''BASH!'' (role-playing game), a 2005 superhero game
* "Bash" ('' ...
and
Python
Python may refer to:
Snakes
* Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia
** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia
* Python (mythology), a mythical serpent
Computing
* Python (pro ...
. In addition, it also uses the wrapper/toolkit
wxPython
wxPython is a wrapper for the cross-platform GUI API (often referred to as a "toolkit") wxWidgets (which is written in C++) for the Python programming language. It is one of the alternatives to Tkinter. It is implemented as a Python extension mod ...
.
See also
*
WINE@Etersoft
WINE@Etersoft is a Microsoft Windows compatibility layer available for Linux, FreeBSD. This compatibility layer enables many Windows-based applications to run on Linux operating systems, or FreeBSD.
WINE@Etersoft is developed by Etersoft and b ...
*
Parallels Desktop for Mac
Parallels Desktop for Mac is software providing hardware virtualization for Macintosh computers with Intel processors, and since version 16.5 also for Apple silicon-based Macintosh computers. It is developed by Parallels, since 2018 a subsidiary ...
*
CrossOver (software)
CrossOver is a Microsoft Windows compatibility layer available for Linux, macOS, and ChromeOS. This compatibility layer enables many Windows-based applications to run on Linux operating systems, macOS, or ChromeOS.
CrossOver is developed by Code ...
*
Darwine
Wine (formerly a recursive backronym for ''Wine Is Not an Emulator'', now just "Wine") is a free and open-source compatibility layer that aims to allow application software and computer games developed for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like o ...
*
PlayOnLinux
PlayOnLinux is a graphical frontend for the Wine (software), Wine software compatibility layer which allows Linux users to install Microsoft Windows, Windows-based video games, Microsoft Office (2000 to 2010), Microsoft Internet Explorer, as well ...
*
Wine (software)
Wine (formerly a recursive backronym for ''Wine Is Not an Emulator'', now just "Wine") is a free and open-source compatibility layer that aims to allow application software and computer games developed for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like ...
*
Wine-Doors
Wine (formerly a recursive backronym for ''Wine Is Not an Emulator'', now just "Wine") is a free and open-source compatibility layer that aims to allow application software and computer games developed for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like o ...
References
External links
* {{Official website, www.playonmac.com/en/
Supported software
Free software
MacOS software
Compatibility layers
macOS emulation software
Software derived from or incorporating Wine
Software that uses wxPython