When double clicking on an .exe-file in a newly installed Ubuntu system, the archive manager will show up with an error message.

There are two points:
- New users don't know that Wine exists.
- The current model breaks the work flow and gives no information on how to proceed.

The suggested infobox would give the average user the opportunity to install the selected Windows program easily using Wine, and inform him about how software is usually installed.

This might be a stroke of genius or an utter idiocy, you judge.

I seem to understand that the major shortcomings of wine are with the dlls because not all the libraries are emulated and not all are emulated seamlessly (no guilt whatsoever, I realize that the wine guys are doing their best).

So here is the idea.
When installing wine, or from the libraries configuration menu at a later time, there could be an "import original libraries" option, I choose it and I supply an original Windows cd/dvd that I have lying around (we probably all have a couple, even if we just use them as glass coasters).
Then wine runs trough the cd, borrows what it needs to run smooth with direcx and everything else and configures itself.
Final step, playing that damn brand new game or that damn cad application we need so desperately.

It would not exactly be the ideal solution to bug #1 but for somebody it would be way better than dual-booting.

Like it?

P.S. I do not even know if this would be completely legal, if not perhaps it could be implemented as a separate script.

Many users HAVE to use Windows-software (sadly).

I found that they just don't know about the existence of wine. I speak of users who even don't know that it is not possible to install Windows software directly in Ubuntu (without wine).

It would be helpful and easy for those users if they would see a message dialog, when they double-click an exe-file. This dialog could explain that they want to open a Windows program and that they could try this by using wine.

Then they should have the possibility to cancel or to install wine. After the installation the exe-file should be started with wine automatically.

UPDATE: In the dialog there should be a brief explanation that not all Windows-software will work in wine and that there might be a better linux alternative. Maybe also a link to the wine website.