Family Historian User Group

Mervyn

Thanks for that suggestion but unfortunately I had already tried that without success.

I created my install with WineBottler and even selecting the correct bottle and browsing to the C drive I cannot even copy in the update file. If I copy it in using the Mac Finder it does not show in the c drive file list.

I will give PlayOnMac a go later in the week.

Colin,

Ah, Winebottler has its own approaches from what I remember from a brief exploration when I believe it was the first to successfully succeed with FH5 installation. One of it's peculiarities seems to be that it creates the original application as a template on first install, but all changes and updates are then directed to a second of the app copy resulting in a substantial increase in the disk space used!

This link to its FAQ pages might help: http://winebottler.kronenberg.org/wp/fa ... nebottler/ - Have a look at item 6 & 7.

Mervyn

Mervyn

Thanks for that. I eventually got it to update using the instructions in the second half of item 6 on that link. I had to choose the correct template as the obvious one did not work and crashed part way through the install.

There is no doubt that Winebottler is the least successful variant of Wine for performing updates on.

I tried PlayOnMac and that now gets my vote as the easiest way to install Family Historian on a Mac.

Colin,

Glad the transition was successful. I'm with you on 'ease of use', once you get used to the program and where it installs everything. It's also easy to add and test the new Wine Engines for improvements very shortly after release.

Unfortunately, so far, I haven't managed a really reliable install of Ancestral Sources, which I presume is down to the (miss-)handling of Net Framework 3.5 installation under WINE, so am still relying on VirtualBox/Windows 10 for the use of Ancestral Sources until I can get that sorted.

Mervyn

Mervyn

I have successfully installed Ancestral Sources within the Family Historian 'playground' but I must admit I haven't yet tried inputting any data. I will have a go and update you in due course.

tatewise wrote:Tony, could you be more explicit than: "just ran the process inside the application".
What process and what application?
Please specify explicitly what commands and programs you used.

Do you mean you ran an earlier version of the FH application program and used its Help > Check for Updates process to install the latest free download?
Colin says he tried that method and it did not succeed because FH & Wine closed and the install failed.

Mervyn, your explicit advice would be welcome here.

I started FH, it said there was an update available, I clicked and it installed. I have since done the same to get the 6.2.4 updgrade, it just worked as though I was on Windows

Thanks Tony, but exactly what Wine/Crossover/PlayOnMac/etc, configuration are you running on your Mac?

tatewise wrote:Thanks Tony, but exactly what Wine/Crossover/PlayOnMac/etc, configuration are you running on your Mac?

I've never heard of Crossover or Play on Mac. I installed last October by following the instructions on this forum and paid no attention beyond 'install wine and do x/y/z'. It worked first time and has stayed working. From a re-read of the Knowledge Base I think I would have done the winetricks / native wine route. I genuinely don't remember, I'm afraid. I also have Xcode installed (and up to date). My Mac is a Mac Book Pro Retina and MacOs is fully up to date

I use homebrew and keep my configuration updated / upgraded regularly

I click a desktop icon to run FH

Mike,

I believe the process Tony is describing is the standard Family Historian update procedure, i.e. waiting for Family Historian to self-check for updates and choosing to allow it to download and install the update. This process behaves in just the same way as a native Windows installation would under the same circumstances. You can even locate the update file within the Family Historian Wine.app (in the same AppData Folder as on Windows) and move/save it to a 'safer' backup location for later re-use if ever required.

Mervyn

Yes, I understand the Windows FH usual upgrade process.
But earlier Colin Valkrider could not get that to work with a 'plain vanilla' Wine installation.
Whereas, with Crossover and PlayOnMac he reports much success.
Tony Jones has never clarified his Wine environment, so was asking which of them he was using.

Ideally, I am looking to put the best advice for others to follow in how_to:family_historian_v6_on_crossover_wine|> Family Historian V6 & Ancestral Sources V5 on Crossover, PlayOnLinux/Mac & Wine.
We know Crossover works well for both FH and AS, and have details for its use, but it is becoming more costly.
The details for PlayOnMac are still very vague, but it is free.
Does a 'plain vanilla' Wine installation work or not?
Remember we need to know about both FH and AS and all FH features such as Plugins, Diagrams, Mapping, etc.

Mike

I can confirm that I never got FH to update successfully using Wine and Winetricks and gave up trying.

I have got the update to work in PlayOnMac. Like Mervyn I cannot get AS to work in PlayOnMac.

The only solution I have had success with for both FH and AS is Crossover. However, don't have FH open if you are running AS as if you update the same project you cannot return to FH without quitting it first.

That is not to say that the other flavours of Wine don't run AS just I have not been able to get them to work properly.

My advice is if you just want FH use PlayOnMac if you want both use Crossover.