# PlayOnLinux > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/PlayOnLinux > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/PlayOnLinux.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayOnLinux > Source revision: 1329884856 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Graphical front-end for the Wine software compatibility layer This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guidelines for products and services. Please help to demonstrate the notability of the topic by citing reliable secondary sources that are independent of the topic and provide significant coverage of it beyond a mere trivial mention. If notability cannot be shown, the article is likely to be merged, redirected, or deleted. 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You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. v t e (Learn how and when to remove this message) PlayOnLinux Play on Linux interface Developers Quentin Pâris[1] and Aymeric Petit Release 2007; 19 years ago (2007)[1] Stable release 4.4 / 17 May 2020; 6 years ago (2020-05-17) Preview release 5.0 Alpha 2[2] Written in PlayOnLinux 3/4[3] Python (wxPython) Bash PlayOnLinux 5[3] Java JavaScript Python Operating system Linux, FreeBSD,[4] macOS[5] Type Compatibility layer License GPL/LGPL Website www.playonlinux.com Repository github.com/PlayOnLinux/POL-POM-4 **PlayOnLinux** is a [graphical frontend](/source/Graphical_frontend) for the [Wine](/source/Wine_(software)) software [compatibility layer](/source/Compatibility_layer) which allows [Linux](/source/Linux) users to install [Windows](/source/Microsoft_Windows)-based [video games](/source/Video_games), [Microsoft Office](/source/Microsoft_Office) (2000 to 2016), Microsoft [Internet Explorer](/source/Internet_Explorer), as well as many other [applications](/source/Application_software) such as Apple [iTunes](/source/ITunes) and [Safari](/source/Safari_(web_browser)).[6][7] While initially developed for [Linux](/source/Linux)-based systems, it is also used on [macOS](/source/MacOS) and [FreeBSD](/source/FreeBSD) under the names [PlayOnMac](/source/PlayOnMac) and PlayOnBSD, respectively. It can also be used on other operating systems supported by [Wine](/source/Wine_(software)). ## Versions Version 4.0 (released in 2011[8]) is able to run on Mac and Linux. It used two separate source trees and was therefore called "POL" on Linux systems and "POM" on Mac. ### Version 5.0 Phoenicis Version 5.0 (first alpha build released in 2018[9]), uses the same codebase for Mac and Linux. It started development in 2015 and switched from being written in Python to being written in Java for portability across operating systems.[3] To reflect the development of a common codebase for operating systems, it has first been named POL-POM-5, later POL-POM, and is finally developed under the name **Phoenicis**.[9] ## Internals PlayOnLinux is developed using a combination of [Bash](/source/Bash_(Unix_shell)), [Python](/source/Python_(programming_language)) and [wxPython](/source/WxPython). The system provides wrapper [shell scripts](/source/Shell_script) that specify the configuration of Wine needed in order to install and run a particular application. It uses an online database of scripts to apply to different applications that need special configuration; if the game is not in the database, a manual installation can be performed.[10] [Programs](/source/Computer_program) can be installed and each one is put in a different container (WINEPREFIX) to prevent interference of one with another. This provides isolation in much the same way that [CrossOver](/source/CrossOver)'s bottles work. Thus, applications may use different versions and configurations of Wine as appropriate. The installation of these is managed by the PlayOnLinux software itself without the requirement to install Wine separately. The program also allows the user to create [virtual](/source/Platform_virtualization) [partitions](/source/Disk_partitioning), in which specific programs can be installed with different Wine versions and programs, similar to a [multi-boot](/source/Multi-booting) computer. ### Scripting language **PlayOnLinux** includes advanced functions in Bash allowing the community to make scripts easily by controlling the installation process.[11] Each supported program has its own script written in this language. For example, the simple following script will popup a setup window with the message *Hello World*: #!/bin/bash [ "$PLAYONLINUX" = "" ] && exit 0 source "$PLAYONLINUX/lib/sources" POL_SetupWindow_Init POL_SetupWindow_message "Hello World!" "My first message" POL_SetupWindow_Close exit ## See also - [Free and open-source software portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Free_and_open-source_software) - [Lutris](/source/Lutris) - [Wine](/source/Wine_(software)) - [WINE@Etersoft](/source/WINE%40Etersoft) - [Wine-Doors](/source/Wine-Doors) - [Proton (software)](/source/Proton_(software)) - [CrossOver (software)](/source/CrossOver_(software)) ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-elementaryOS-on-POL_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-elementaryOS-on-POL_1-1) ["PlayOnLinux - elementary OS"](https://www.elementaryos-fr.org/documentation/applications/wine/wine-playonlinux/). *elementary OS* (in French). Retrieved 9 July 2020. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Larabel, Michael (2019-01-01). ["PlayOnLinux 5.0 Alpha 2 Now Available"](https://www.phoronix.com/news/PlayOnLinux-5.0-Alpha-2-Release). *Phoronix*. Retrieved 2025-08-31. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-l758_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-l758_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-l758_3-2) Larabel, Michael (2015-06-04). ["PlayOnLinux 5 To Switch From Being Written In Python To Using Java"](https://www.phoronix.com/news/PlayOnLinux-Python-To-Java). *Phoronix*. Retrieved 2025-08-31. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["PlayOnBSD"](https://www.freshports.org/emulators/playonbsd/). *FreshPorts*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["PlayOnMac"](http://wiki.playonlinux.com/index.php/Installing_PlayOnMac). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Raggi, Emilio; Thomas, Keir; Channelle, Andy; Parsons, Trevor; Vugt, Sander van; Thomas, Adam (2011-01-10). *Beginning Ubuntu Linux*. New York: Apress. p. 410-412. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-4302-3040-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4302-3040-3). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Michael Mielewczik, "Gereifter Jahrgang. Windows-Programme unter Linux mit Wine 1.0.", *Linux Life*, vol. 5/2008, pp. 62–64 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Esselbach, Philipp (2011-08-20). ["PlayOnLinux 4.0 released"](https://www.linuxcompatible.org/story/playonlinux-40-released). *Linux Compatible*. Retrieved 2025-08-31. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-t574_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-t574_9-1) Larabel, Michael (2018-09-23). ["PlayOnLinux 5.0 Alpha Released With Redesigned UI, Phoenicis"](https://www.phoronix.com/news/PlayOnLinux-5.0-Alpha). *Phoronix*. Retrieved 2025-08-31. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Grant, Rickford (2012). *Ubuntu Made Easy*. San Francisco: No Starch Press. p. 331. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-59327-425-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-59327-425-2). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Documentation - PlayOnLinux"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160313040750/https://www.playonlinux.com/en/dev-documentation-1.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.playonlinux.com/en/dev-documentation-1.html) on 2016-03-13. ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [PlayOnLinux](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:PlayOnLinux). - [Official website](http://www.playonlinux.com) - [Supported software](https://www.playonlinux.com/en/supported_apps-1-0.html) at PlayOnLinux - ["Create a script for PlayOnLinux - Chapter 1: Getting to know Bash"](http://wiki.playonlinux.com/index.php/Scripting_-_Chapter_1:_Getting_to_know_Bash). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160313040750/https://www.playonlinux.com/en/dev-documentation-1.html) from the original on Mar 13, 2016. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [PlayOnLinux](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayOnLinux) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayOnLinux?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.