92 is half of 99

Windows apps on Linux with WinBoat: Finally without compromise!

The two biggest hurdles for Linux on the desktop? Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office. With WinBoat, this problem is a thing of the past.

Imagine: You sit at your Linux machine, start Photoshop CC with one click, parallel to Excel, maybe still Acrobat and everything runs as if it were native Linux software. No more dual boot fricking, no more annoying rebooting in Windows. Sounds too good to be true? Welcome to WinBoat, the open source project that is currently disrupting the Linux community.

What is WinBoat?

WinBoat is a free open source solution that seamlessly integrates Windows applications into your Linux desktop. The special feature: It does not try to emulate Windows APIs, but runs a full Windows with KVM, encapsulates it in Docker and integrates the windows into your Linux session via FreeRDP (RemoteApp).

In other words: You have a real Windows 11 running in a slim container, but without the typical VM overhead and with perfect integration into your Linux desktop.

The installation: Surprisingly simple

It's exciting here, because WinBoat does a lot better than the competition. The installation is so simple that you cannot believe that nothing has been forgotten. Just start the installer, click a few times, done.

What you need before:

  • Docker and Docker Compose v2
  • FreeRDP v3
  • KVM virtualization (enabled in BIOS/UEFI)
  • AppImage Support (FUSE2)

The installation step by step:

1. Install preconditions

For Arch-based systems (Manjaro, EndeavourOS, CachyOS):

sudo pacman -S --needed docker docker-compose freerdp

For Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose freerdp3-x11

2. Enable Docker service

sudo systemctl enable --now docker.service sudo usermod -aG docker "$USER" newgrp docker

3. Kernel Modules for File System Sharing

echo -e "ip_tables\niptable_nat"  ⁇  sudo tee /etc/modules-load.d/iptables.conf

4. Download WinBoat

Get the AppImage from the official website or from GitHub repository. Makes it executable, it starts. The rest is automatic!

WinBoat gets the Windows installation files officially from Microsoft servers, modifies them so that unnecessary ballast is not installed, and automatically creates a local user. The whole process is graphic and self-explanatory.

During the installation, you will be guided through a graphical installation wizard, but you should leave the English version of Windows 11 for the installation and later change the language in the new Win11, otherwise an error message will appear in German as a selection.

The comparison: WinBoat vs. the competition

Wine/CrossOver: The API emulation

Wine and its commercial offshoot CrossOver Try to recreate Windows APIs. This works well for many applications, but:

  • Adobe Creative Suite doesn't work well with Wine
  • Microsoft Office is often a problem.
  • DRM-protected software (Adobe uses copy protection mechanisms that interfere deeply with the system) often does not run at all
  • Constant hack with prefix configurations

WinBoat advantage: You can run software that doesn't work with CrossOver or Wine and have a full Windows desktop at the same time. If it runs on Windows, it runs on WinBoat.

WinApps: The direct competitor

WinApps also works with Docker and the Dockur project. With WinApps, you do most of the setup manually, there's no coherent interface, just a simple TUI, a taskbar widget, and CLI commands. The installation as a whole is also a bit fiddly.

WinBoat benefits:

  • WinBoat takes over the entire setup automatically as soon as the requirements are met
  • Everything is presented in a clear interface
  • It feels like a complete experience – no configuration files, no CLI commands to memorise
  • In tests, WinBoat ran more stable and faster than WinApps

Proton/Steam: Gaming only

Valves Proton is fantastic for games. It is not designed for office software, creative tools or specialized business applications. WinBoat fills this gap perfectly.

The features: What WinBoat has on it

Seamless integration

Windows applications appear as standalone windows at the OS level in your Linux session. No cumbersome desktop-in-desktop – Windows programs sit right next to your Linux apps in the taskbar.

File system sharing

Your home directory is built into Windows, so you can easily share files between both systems. You can find your Linux files at \\Host.lan\Data in Windows.

USB passthrough

Starting with version 0.8.0, WinBoat supports USB passthrough as an experimental feature. This means: Peripheral devices that need Windows software for configuration work directly.

Automated Windows installation

The installation process is fully automated through the graphical interface – you choose your preferences and specifications, and WinBoat does the rest.

Resource monitoring

You can see live how much CPU, RAM and memory your Windows VM consumes – and dynamically adjust resources.

Performance: How fast is it going?

That is, of course, the million-dollar question. Tests on an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D with 32 GB RAM (16 CPU cores and 12 GB RAM for WinBoat) showed: The Firefox benchmark Speedometer 3.1 ran only slightly slower in the VM than natively on Linux.

Geekbench results were about 9 percent worse for single-core and 13 percent worse for multi-core compared to native Linux. That's fucking impressive!

The reason: WinBoat uses the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) instead of VNC, which runs much more smoothly. And unlike traditional VM or remote access solutions, there are no visible compression artifacts.

Video tips on the topic

Too much text and no desire to read on what goes and what doesn't? Keno from ct3003 posted a video about it last week:

I would also like to recommend this video to you.

Practice test: The problematic candidates

Let's take a look at how software runs, which has been a nightmare under Linux so far:

Adobe Photoshop CC

The complete Adobe Suite works under WinBoat. Photoshop starts with a warning about the lack of a compatible GPU, but is still usable.

Best practice: Photoshop should be used over the full Windows desktop, not as a single window in Linux, otherwise there will be problems with menus and buttons.

Operation scenario: Performance is sufficient for occasional editing and moving layers. Professional full-day photo editing could be a bit sluggish – but it works!

Adobe Premiere Pro

With 1080p videos Premiere runs really smoothly and is quite usable. With 4K material, however, it starts to jerk.

Here, too, the following applies: Start from the Windows desktop for best results.

Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

The office suite runs smoothly, even as a single window directly in Linux. Simple programs such as Word or Excel work without any problems via the desktop directly in a window in Linux.

Adobe Acrobat

PDFs with signatures and special functions that only work with the real Acrobat run smoothly. That used to be a major reason to boot into Windows? Yay, that's no longer necessary!

Paint Tool Sai, AeroChat & Co.

Numerous niche applications that didn't run at all under Wine now work flawlessly. If it runs on Windows, it runs on WinBoat.

Affinity photo

The Photoshop alternative from Serif is also running, another software that was not usable under Wine.

The limitations: What can't be done?

Let's be honest: WinBoat is also not perfect:

No GPU passthrough (not yet)

GPU passthrough is currently not supported, but is planned. The team is working on solutions with paravirtualized drivers. So WinBoat is not (yet) optimal for gaming or GPU-intensive 3D work.

Anti-cheat games

Games with kernel-level anti-cheat do not work because they block virtualization. Fortnite, Valorant, Call of Duty? Only the native Windows boot remains here.

Hardware requirements

You need a reasonably powerful computer. On a system with Ryzen 5 9600X (6 cores instead of 16) and 32 GB of RAM, WinBoat ran okay, but noticeably less smoothly, especially for apps outside the desktop.

Recommendation: At least 8 CPU cores, 16 GB RAM (12 GB for the host, 4+ GB for WinBoat), and an SSD.

Beta status

WinBoat is currently in beta, so you should expect occasional issues and bugs and bring some troubleshooting readiness.

Is that legal?

I'm sure the question burns under your nails. The Dockur developers say clearly: The project contains only open source code and no copyrighted material.

But: Windows in WinBoat is not enabled. Although it does not show a watermark and works, a Windows license is recommended for long-term use. Cheap OEM keys are available from about 4-5 euros, and so you are legally on the safe side.

Practical tips for everyday life

Workflow optimization

  1. Easy office work: Starts Word, Excel etc. directly as individual windows
  2. Adobe Creative Suite: Uses full Windows desktop for Photoshop and Premiere
  3. File exchange: Put all work files in your Linux home directory – both systems can access them
  4. Adjust resources: Give WinBoat at least half of your CPU cores and about 40-50% the RAM

Troubleshooting

  • VNC as Fallback: If RDP is causing problems, you can also reach Windows via http://127.0.0.1:8006 in the browser
  • Performance issues: Reduces screen resolution in Windows or launches certain apps in desktop mode instead of as individual windows
  • Updates: WinBoat updates itself, you can maintain the Docker Windows as usual via Windows Update

Outlook for the future

The WinBoat team is working on:

  • Podman support as a Docker alternative
  • GPU acceleration via paravirtualized drivers
  • Flatpak package for easier installation
  • Looking Glass integration for better graphics performance

Conclusion: Is WinBoat worth it?

Who is WinBoat ideal for?

  • Linux enthusiasts, which can not do without Adobe or Office
  • changeover, Take the last step to 100.% Want to do Linux
  • professionals, which occasionally need Windows software
  • tinkerer, Trying out new technologies

For whom not?

  • gamers (uses Proton/Steam or native Windows boot)
  • 3D artists GPU-intensive workflows
  • Users of weak hardware (< 8 cores, < 16 GB RAM)

TL:DR

WinBoat is not an absolute game changer for the Linux community. It finally solves the Adobe and Office problem elegantly and with surprisingly good performance. Linux on the desktop is becoming more and more popular, but Adobe software and Microsoft Office were the two biggest hurdles. WinBoat brings both to the Linux desktop.

Installation is child's play, integration is seamless, and performance is more than adequate for most use cases. Yes, it's beta software. Yes, GPU passthrough is still missing. But what works today is impressive.

Try it out! WinBoat is free, open source (MIT license), and the community on Discord is helpful. The future of Linux on the desktop looks damn good.

Links: WinBoat Website | GitHub Repository | Dockur Project | WinBoat Discord Community

Stephan
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