Guide to Running SwordSearcher on Linux Operating Systems (Updated June 2024)

If I paste the Exec line from the desktop shortcut into the terminal, it works. But, if I paste the Exec line into a launcher dialog, it will not let me click the OK button. It says I have to use the \ escape character where there are spaces in the command.
 
I got it. I created a new item entry under the Other menu item. In the command I pasted:
env WINEPREFIX="/home/billy/.local/share/wineprefixes/swordsearcher" wine "C:\Program Files\SwordSearcher\SwordSearcher9.exe"l

I was trying to do it in the Wine menu entry. It wouldn't let me change it there.

Once it's in the Other menu I added it to the panel and gave it the SS icon.

That work saved me one mouse click to launch SS, but I learned a few things.
 
A lot of people are looking to jump off the Windows wagon now with its dystopian features.
You really need to consider making a proper Linux port Brandon. I know it is a LOT of work, but Visual Studio should have the plugins available to make it happen.
 
WHAMMO! said:
A lot of people are looking to jump off the Windows wagon now with its dystopian features.
You really need to consider making a proper Linux port Brandon. I know it is a LOT of work, but Visual Studio should have the plugins available to make it happen.
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Honestly, most people do not think about their technology at all, as long as it works. We're all carrying around tracking devices with cameras and microphones because it's convenient and 99% of us do not give any thought to it. If there is going to be any significant move away from Windows as the dominant desktop computing platform it is going to be driven by pricing and convenience, not because people are rationally scrutinizing features packed into the operating system.

A Linux version of SwordSearcher would be nice but I know from my own customer feedback that Linux is barely on anyone's radar, for a desktop OS.

I personally admin a Linux-based server, so it's nothing strange to me, but it will take a LOT of work from Linux distro maintainers to make it a viable replacement for Windows as a desktop OS. They are a LONG way away from the ease-of-use necessary for that.

As I tell people asking for a Mac version, the code base of SwordSearcher was started 30 years ago and is thoroughly based on Windows API. It's not developed in .NET or one of the other frameworks that can be relatively easily ported over, it's actual Win32 API, it's low-level (which is why SwordSearcher is the fastest and most responsive Bible application you can get on Windows), and that means any native support for other platforms would be a completely new project.

Sorry, but for now, if you want to use SwordSearcher on Linux, you'll have to jump through the Wine hoops to do it.

I'm actually hopeful that the work being done by Valve and Codeweavers to run Windows games on Linux desktops (which trickles down to Wine) may eventually make it so that SwordSearcher can run as well on a Linux distro as it does on Windows.
 
WHAMMO! said:
A lot of people are looking to jump off the Windows wagon now with its dystopian features.
You really need to consider making a proper Linux port Brandon. I know it is a LOT of work, but Visual Studio should have the plugins available to make it happen.
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I very highly doubt that this will happen. As of now, Windoze is the most used platform out there and as such, you reach the most people with a Windows program. There are not that many people using Linux at present. That number may escalate soon as things at Micro$oft continue to unravel or it may not. People have proven themselves to be mindless sheeple time and again and will bow to the will of corporate entities no matter the cost. Even if it means giving up privacy and personal freedom, they will do it if it means that it will be easier for them. This might be the straw that breaks the camel's back, though. Maybe enough people are broke enough and are looking at their still usable computer wondering why it is that they have to toss it and buy another just because Micro$oft says so. Maybe that will bring about a trend of people wanting to use Linux as an alternative. Time will tell. I am just very impressed that Brandon went out of his way and took the time and effort to give directions as to how to get his program to work in Linux the way that it is. That was a very cool thing.
 
Arcanemuse said:
I very highly doubt that this will happen. As of now, Windoze is the most used platform out there and as such, you reach the most people with a Windows program. There are not that many people using Linux at present. That number may escalate soon as things at Micro$oft continue to unravel or it may not. People have proven themselves to be mindless sheeple time and again and will bow to the will of corporate entities no matter the cost. Even if it means giving up privacy and personal freedom, they will do it if it means that it will be easier for them. This might be the straw that breaks the camel's back, though. Maybe enough people are broke enough and are looking at their still usable computer wondering why it is that they have to toss it and buy another just because Micro$oft says so. Maybe that will bring about a trend of people wanting to use Linux as an alternative. Time will tell. I am just very impressed that Brandon went out of his way and took the time and effort to give directions as to how to get his program to work in Linux the way that it is. That was a very cool thing.
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Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto Linux, and few there be that find it.
Matthew 7:14 (KJV)
 
Just for clarification, I didn't start this thread to proselytize for Linux. I really don't recommend Linux for "normal people" who just want to use their computer to get stuff done. Using Linux is like working under the hood of your own car. For most people, it's just not feasible or desirable. I just wanted to show people who do want to work under the hood of their own, er, computer, who are already using Linux for whatever reason, how to get going with SwordSearcher on Linux.
 
Brandon Staggs said:
Just for clarification, I didn't start this thread to proselytize for Linux. I really don't recommend Linux for "normal people" who just want to use their computer to get stuff done. Using Linux is like working under the hood of your own car. For most people, it's just not feasible or desirable. I just wanted to show people who do want to work under the hood of their own, er, computer, who are already using Linux for whatever reason, how to get going with SwordSearcher on Linux.
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I wonder if the changes we can foresee coming to Windows might encourage us to change...
 
wsbones said:
I would like to create a SS9 launcher on the bottom panel. I am not sure what to enter for the command box so it uses the PREFIX correctly. I tried the EXEC line in the desktop shortcut, but there must be a different format for the launcher. It would not let me click the OK button.
View attachment 2271
Any ideas?
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Hey.
You can do two things.
First - this command line starts SwordSearcher (replace [user] with your username):
Bash: 
env WINEPREFIX="/home/[user]/.local/share/wineprefixes/Swordsearcher9" wine C:\\Program\ Files\\SwordSearcher\\SwordSearcher9.exe &> /dev/null &

So with that you can do what you want. For instance, create a shortcut - I did that "System Settings" > "Keyboard" > "Shortcuts", where I Added a new "Command or Script" entry, and chose a shortcut key i.e. S for SwordSearcher.

Or you can make a bash script for a desktop shortcut. I did this:
Bash: 
#!/bin/bash
env WINEPREFIX="/home/[user]/.local/share/wineprefixes/Swordsearcher9" wine C:\\Program\ Files\\SwordSearcher\\SwordSearcher9.exe &> /dev/null &

And the desktop file in ~/.local/share/applications

Code: 
[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Name=SwordSearcher 9
Exec=[path to bach script]
Icon=[path to SwordSearcher .ico file]
Type=Application
StartupNotify=true

Jesus is coming soon - so hurry :D
 
Roderick said:
Brandon, thanks for this post on using SwordSearcher on Linux. I would like eventually to switch from Windows to Linux, but I would miss certain software - mostly Swordsearcher. One in our Bible study donated a copy of Crossover and I was able to get version 8 running fairly well - no Hebrew fonts of course but the search worked. I use it often. I want to try your method here with wine and see if I can get version 9 to work on Linux. Thankyou again for the post. Rod Porteous
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Thank you Brandon - I really appreciate the detailed directions of loading wine and winetricks, making a prefix and installing SwordSearcher 9.1 into the prefix. But I think the most important thing i learned was to place the correct path in the desktop link to make Swordsearcher load and run smoothly.
Then today I took one of my Bible Studies and imported it into Libre Writer and saved it as a template. Now I can make my bible studies look just like the ones in MS Word. I can now not depend on Microsoft OS to study or teach the Bible.
 
Since WINE also runs on a Mac, would these instructions also work on a Mac?

I own both an Intel and Apple Silicon Mac, so I'm willing to test anything if need be!
 
parkernathan said:
Since WINE also runs on a Mac, would these instructions also work on a Mac?

I own both an Intel and Apple Silicon Mac, so I'm willing to test anything if need be!
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It's more complicated on Mac due to needing to install Macports or Homebrew. But if you can swing that you should be able to make it work. The real key is making sure to use Winetricks to install IE8 into the Wine prefix for SwordSearcher (as stated in the original post for Linux).

You're welcome to try it. I was going to do it myself at some point, just haven't got around to it. Also, most Mac users are just not going to want to mess around on the command line, so I am in no rush to work up a tutorial.
 
Thanks, Brandon, your instructions were helpful. I just recently switched back to Linux after several years on Windows. I had never installed a Windows app on Wine before, though -- this was my first attempt. So your step-by-step guide made it a fairly simple process.

The only real issue I ran into was that SwordSearcher launched with extremely tiny fonts and buttons on my TV that I use as a monitor due to the high resolution. To remedy:

- Launch Winetricks again
- Select swordsearcher (important!)
- Run winecfg
- Select the Graphics tab
- Adjust the screen resolution slider (in my case to 336)
- Click OK and restart SwordSearcher

EDIT: After that, going into the app preferences to tweak font sizes and such got me where I needed to be. Maybe even better than it was in Windows.

To manually remove default modules you may not need, go to the same directory given for the shortcut:

/home/<userdir>/.local/share/wineprefixes/swordsearcher/dosdevices/c:/Program Files/SwordSearcher/Modules

The installation created the SwordSearcher User Modules folder in the Linux /home/<user>/Documents folder, so that was pretty convenient. I copied one into that folder to see if it appeared in SwordSearcher and it worked (I viewed it to make sure it worked normally).
 
crboone said:
The installation created the SwordSearcher User Modules folder in the Linux /home/<user>/Documents folder, so that was pretty convenient. I copied one into that folder to see if it appeared in SwordSearcher and it worked (I viewed it to make sure it worked normally).
Click to expand...

Oops, I see where someone already mentioned the user module placement in a previous thread -- I was late to the discussion. :) Anyway, I was also duplicate the instructions on a laptop with the same distro.
 
Brandon Staggs said:
It's more complicated on Mac due to needing to install Macports or Homebrew. But if you can swing that you should be able to make it work. The real key is making sure to use Winetricks to install IE8 into the Wine prefix for SwordSearcher (as stated in the original post for Linux).

You're welcome to try it. I was going to do it myself at some point, just haven't got around to it. Also, most Mac users are just not going to want to mess around on the command line, so I am in no rush to work up a tutorial.
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Sounds good. I'm comfortable with a command line since I also spent quality time on Linux.

Want me to try on Intel or Apple Silicon first (or do you have a preference)?
 
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