RegiStax6 under Linux (wine)

[JonCarleton]

There are a lot of good software programs for Linux for image pre-processing, but few seem to have as smooth and intuitive a workflow as RegiStax 6, a Windows program.  Fortunately...nearly...it will install and run under Linux using the Wine windows emulator.  Unfortunately, there are a few issues to deal with.  There are many tutorials on how to install Windows programs using the Wine emulator for Linux, so I will not go there except to say that it is a very quick and easy typical install.  I run Linux Ubuntu and the issues below are for that platform, but should be rather generic.  These are a few I have slammed into:

1.  You will be running in 32 bit mode.  Sad, but unavoidable presently.

2.  Trying to open or select files in the file manager does not work initially.  What you must do to shake it into submission is open the file manager, TAB until the folder selection is highlighted, then press up or down arrow.  In other words, the file manager doesn't respect the mouse initially.  Once you have done this, the file manager works with the mouse as expected.  Odd, but manageable.

3.  You must take your time and be patient.  As it is in 32 bit mode, things don't move as fast, even if you have a really quick 64 bit quad processor.  If you click too many operations in a row, it will get "behind the power curve" and seem locked up.  It isn't locked up, merely "overwhelmed" by the load.  In time, it will return to normal.  Avoid letting this happen, as it really slows things down in the long run.  Let it finish one process before you click the next.  If it starts to become sluggish, give it a moment or three.

The good news is that it DOES work and the results are identical to the result on a Windows platform.  I'd prefer a native Linux alternative, but so far, what I have found in native Linux requires several programs to do the same job.  I am a hobbyist imager.  I am sure that if I became more serious and processing speed became an issue I would learn to manage or perhaps script the native fiddly bits together for better performance, but for now, this works for the little bit I do.

Edited March 3, 2020 by JonCarleton