Dead Horse? Scrivener for Linux Mint?

Scrivener Wish List
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Is there any plan or work already underway to produce a verson of Scrivener 3.x that will install and run under Linux (especially Linu Mint)? Thre are a heck of a lot of prople who use Linux and detest both Windows and Mac. Is this even under consideation for a large portion of us who are desperately trying to stay away from the usual suspect OSs? I alredy have Scrivener 3 latest version for Windows and i can’t handle all the crap in Windows anymore (which is why i installed Linux to begin with). Linux is a calm oasis compared to Windows. Should i even bother holding mybreath or should i download a free Scrivener linux alternative and just abandon Scrivener?

Yes, i feel that strongly about it. (uggghhh - Edge)

Some of you will now what i mean.

And i’ve tried running Scrivener 3 in Linux under a Windows Emulator, but that’s yet another horror novel.

So, a Linux native Scrivener alternative or , never mind. I think i already know the answer.

Alternative it is.

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Have you searched the forum? As far as I know (which ain’t much as far as Linux is concerned, but still…), Scrivener runs fine under Linux.

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There are enough people on the forum successfully running the Win version under WINE.

There was a beta V1 version, but I’m guessing there just wasn’t the commercial case for it.

Linux, unfortunately, is a bit like Android in the sense of there being an apparent inbuilt resistance to paying for anything in so many of its adherents. Yes, there were those on this forum who expected a free Android version which might encourage them to buy a Win or Mac version.

That makes it more difficult to make a commercial case for investing a year or two in developing something.

I’ve seen so many make the ‘give me what I want or I’ll use an alternative’ threat here and on other forums, but never seen that result in any more than a shrug and ‘we wish you well’.

NOTE: Just my view and not that of L&L!

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There is a Scrivener for Linux subcategory in the forum.

Category > Scrivener> “Scrivener for Linux (unofficial)”

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Given how long it took for a) an iOS version to be released, b) version 3 for Windows to be released, and c) still waiting for an Android version to be available I would not hold out for a pure Linux version anytime soon. If it eventually were available then I’d want it for Raspberry Pi running what ever version Debain had been ported there (currenetly Bookworm). All these disparate platforms, of course, increase the support effort expenentially.

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First of all, my apologies to everyone reading this thread as i didn’t mention that i was looking for paid version of Scrivener for Linux.

I bought the Windows version of Scrivener and even though i prefer to run Linux, I am not one of those demanding or expecting that because i use Linux, all software should be free. I bought the Windows version of Scrivener to get started on my novel, even though i did not see a Linux version. I was hoping that since there is so much interest in Scrivener, that a Linux version would be forthcoming relatively soon by it creators. I’ve seen this before with other popular software.

I have been trying to find a paid version of Scrivener for Linux and i would gladly pay for it. I just don’t want the hassle of setting up Wine (a complicated process which is fraught with issues) and then attempting to install Scrivener under it (which i’ve tried to do unsuccessfully several times already). Wine has so many dependencies and if you don’t install it just the right way, it is a major pain to uninstall it and try to install it again. I am not a software engineer, i just want to be free of both Windows and MacOS (and Android!). I like the environment of Linux when writing - no interruptions, no ads, no Edge taking over the system regularly for stupid reasons.

Thus, the reason for my original post. I want to buy a paid Linux version of Scrivener. Yes, Linux is nice because a lot of the usual programs and utilities come for free with it or can be downloaded for free, but when trying to use a great program like Scrivener, i have absolutely no issues with paying for it. In fact, i want to! But it doesn’t exist.

After my many unsuccessful attempts at installing Wine, i was forced to go back to Windoze… arrrrgggghhhh

I saw the V1 beta version mentioned for Linux, but i also read that V1 does not have many of the features of V3.x. And, yes, i have also heard of a few people who were successful in running Scrivener under WIne, which is the reason why i tried to install Wine in the first place and spent hours and hours trying to get it to work with Scrivener - all to no avail.

Which brings me to my conclusion in my first post: It seems that there is no intention on the part of the developers to create an up to date Linux version, and so, having tried Wine with all the hassles that accompanied that effort, i came to the conclusion that if i want to get out from under the Windows environment, i will need to find an alternative (paid or otherwise) to Scrivener under Linux.

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Are you sure you like Linux? (You don’t actually sound like you do.) :wink:
. . . . . . .

Windows doesn’t do that !!

I might be talking through my hat, but it feels like your perception of other OSs is inaccurate or something.

(If you have an issue with Edge, just don’t have it as your default browser. …And that’s it.)

Scrivener is a standalone app anyways… (??)

. . . . . . . .
(All of this said with friendly intentions. Even though it might not be obvious.)

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On which planet? I guess you don’t need operating systems on which to run apps where you live. Convenient.

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It is amazing that with such high credentials you can’t install wine.

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Ahem. Please take arguments about operating system behavior to a Microsoft (or Apple, or Linux) support forum. Also please refrain from personal attacks.

I’m going to put this thread in slow mode for a bit to help lower the temperature.

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You still don’t kow what you’re taling about. Found a quote somewhere, did we? Do you even know where an operating system sits within the heirarchy a computer and its realtionship to the application? …Thought so.

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I was merely trying to clarify what I meant.

(It is true. – Just because you feel attacked doesn’t mean that I am attacking you.)

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Doesn’t that explain this ? :

Why I failed to see the connection Scrivener → Edge ?

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Hi! I totally agree with the user. In fact, I registered on this forum a year ago with that same intention. Thinking that Linux users want everything for free is a myth; a quite offensive myth to tell the truth.

The basic idea of ​​GNU / Linux is free (libre) software, this also means that the user always has the freedom to use what he wants. GNU/Linux places user freedom above commercial or political agendas.

I have been using different Linux distros for 10 years, especially Linux Mint. Thanks to these systems I have learned a lot about computing and now I’m starting to be a junior developer.

I would also like a native version for Linux. I haven’t mastered C++ or Qt yet (I still have a lot to learn), but starting from the version created for Windows it shouldn’t be something really complicated for a senior programmer nor would it require a huge investment like porting it to platforms like Android.

As already mentioned at the time, the real challenge is in user support. And this could be solved if a Scrivener release were limited to Ubuntu and its derivatives (they are the same base system and Qt takes care of the graphical aspect).

All the best.

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Dear @Cymatics,

Welcome to the forums.

What a kerfluffle. What a lot of huffing and puffing over a misunderstanding.

I can only assume that you missed the concluding comment of @Vincent_Vincent’s post above, so here it is again:

He meant it sincerely. I can say that confidently because I’ve read many of his posts here, in which he has directly helped thousands of users with Scrivener, and undoubtedly helped tens of thousands indirectly. Sincerity and helping others is how he conducts himself on these forums.

You may already be done with this discussion. But if you’re not, I am hopeful you are now aware that you misunderstood the intent and tone of his post, and better understand the person you’re interacting with. Hopefully that leads to a more productive and civil conversation.

Best,
Jim

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Here are a few links to previous discussions:

As for my thoughts on the matter, they are best phrased in the second thread above. But the short and sweet: I use Linux as well, I find both Windows and macOS to be intolerable these days. Hopefully some day we can find the time to flesh out our support again.

For myself, I’ve trended toward using VirtualBox more than Wine over the past year or two. It started with needing a more accurate frame of reference for QA purposes, but after a while I didn’t mind using it that way in general. With Win10 and Scrivener running, and nothing else, you don’t need much more than 2.5gb of RAM and a single core set aside. I leave the machine detached from the internet entirely, so I don’t really have to worry about it.

Otherwise, as a moderator: I’m not calling anyone out specifically, but as you can see in this thread and others, there is too little of the old maxim being deployed: if you don’t have anything good to say or contribute, aren’t a Linux user and don’t understand why someone would be, maybe the next thread in the list is a better one to put your time into? Just a thought.

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All the same.

I’ve been working exclusively with Linux for 20 years.
It’s an excellent OS and I have no intention of changing.
I also like good software tools, and Scrivener was one of them… until I couldn’t use it any more.

Of course it’s offensive to claim that Linux users want everything for free.
Generally, we pay a lot of our own way by supporting many projects for free.

Secondly, we’re no dumber than anyone else and we know that good tools require work and that work deserves an income.

I’ve been paying for some of my tools since I switched to Debian.
Scrivener would have suited me perfectly if I had paid for it.

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To answer the original topic: Yes, you’re flogging a dead horse.

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Yeah, I don’t know why that keeps getting trotted out, even after it has been pointed out to this very same individual that it is a rude thing to say. I pay for plenty of Linux software, and like you say, with donated help as well; and Ubuntu even has a store so people can sell their software more easily. I think these stereotypes come from old corporate “grass roots” campaigns to try and portray the whole platform as “anarchistic” and so forth.

But anyway, it’s not a dead horse (do I need to repeat myself? Find a new thread to talk in if you have nothing constructive to say). Our Windows software is made with Qt, it’s a compile away from being a real thing (with a few bumps like activation). It’s more the logistics that have held us back, not whether or not it is “financially sound”. That isn’t the kind of company we are. If it only makes a little on the side, oh well, we have Scapple after all. That isn’t a major source of income, but we think it’s a good tool for writers.

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I’ve been in for 40+ years and have used every desktop OS in that time (Yes, including DRDOS/GEM, OS2 and a few even more minor ones) and Cobol, Fortran etc.

I have also used every major Linux distro since the beginning of time. (love-hate relationship quickly developed) I have many friends and business colleagues who use/have used Linux, so my original comment about ‘want for free’ is based on that interaction with hundreds of users, both person and business. Stating that fact is not offensive.

You and no doubt others sound willing to pay (pay a lot of our own way by… doesn’t equate to actually paying), but the sad reality (and this is also reflected in the Android market with the example I gave) is that it appears (repeat, appears) at first and second glance that the percentage of those prepared to pay is significantly less than in the Win/Mac ecos. Stating that fact is also not offensive.

I have no particular axe to grind in this discussion, other than to repeat - it is all about business case. (As well as being an IT idiot, I’ve also been a Divisional and General Manager and CEO so economics dictates many decisions) Perhaps some of the core of the Win version could be used in a Linux version as it was developed on a cross-platform development app, however if you look at the initial win development time and the obviously significant additional work since its release, I’d have to guess a Linux version would need a couple of years to bring to market. Is the market large enough to pay for those resources for that period, plus the significant support investment that comes with any new release? As stated, the base of the Win version developed on QT platform could serve as the basis of Android and Linux versions. Perhaps that would significantly reduce the time/effort. Someone more familiar with the Win project would have to comment on that.

L&L isn’t a large company and have a limited number of developers. It was tough enough for them to find resources to develop and support the iOS and Win versions, both of which have a potential market in the hundreds of thousands if not millions.

IF (big if) there is a business case I think we’d all love to see a Linux version, but somebody would need to get busy on the abacus to prove the case.

Again - personal post, not in any way connected with L&L.

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