How can I use Internet Explorer or MS Edge with Linux? Wine?

[James_Smith]

I'm aware of Wine. I've only used it once. It was a couple of years ago and I used it to Photoshop. It wasn't very stable. It crashed after a short time using it each time I tried. Maybe I had done something wrong, but I don't think so.

My company utilizes a website for maintenance that can only be used with IE or Edge. As it stands now, I have to use one of their dinosaur computers to use it. It would be far more handy for me to be able to use it with LM18 if that's possible. Can I somehow download IE or Edge and run it with Wine?

If so, please tell me how to do this step-by-step. Explain it to me as you would a child.

Thank you

[Mattyboy]

Its highly unlikely you'd ever be able to install Edge on a Linux OS. I'm willing to bet its deeply integrated into the Windows 10 OS. Using Internet explorer in wine may be a possibility, you could just download the exe and see if Wine installs it but, big but, I seriously wouldn't recommend doing so as its unlikely you'll be able to update, keep it updated and working. Given the fact you'll be using it "for maintenance" the security problems by not having an updated browser are to risky.

This is a bad idea.

I would recommend that you install Windows in a virtual machine for this but as you say its a "dinosaur computer" so its unlikely to be a viable solution ( depending on your hardware ).

Your best workable solution would probably be to set up a dual boot, Linux and Windows.

[FreedomTruth]

I think the program "winetricks" lets you install IE in wine.

[Cosmo.]

Using a Internet based program like a browser inside wine is one of the biggest security leaks for any Linux system. Besides that this might be a legal issue.

[phd21]

Hi "James_Smith"

I just read your post and the good replies to it. Here are my thoughts on this as well.

It would help to know more about your system setup. If you run "inxi -Fxzd" from the console terminal prompt, highlight the results, copy and paste them back here, that should provide enough information.

1.) Are you familiar with "user agent" switcher addons for browsers? These will basically tell whatever website that you visit that you are using a browser and or operating system that is different than the one you are actually using. For instance you can be using Firefox, Chrome, Opera, etc... in Linux Mint and click to change the "user agent switcher" to tell websites to think that you are using MS Windows and IE or Edge browsers ...

Example: I had a problem registering a new bank account because their account signup authentication required MS Windows or IE or Edge browser, so I changed the User Agent Switcher (UAS) settings to MS Windows and IE browser, and it worked perfectly; afterwards, I could access the bank's website and my account with the default UAS settings of Linux and Firefox for Linux.

In your case, you may have to use the UAS with IE or Edge always on to access your company's website.

"User Agent Switcher"
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... r-firefox/

UserAgentSwitcher1sm.jpg

2.) Virtualbox is another excellent way to install any version of MS Windows under Linux, and of course any MS Windows applications in that as well.
https://sites.google.com/site/easylinux ... ct/oldgrub

3.) FYI: There are also newer versions of wine version 2 and "wine staging" that might prove better to use, if you want to go that route ...

Hope this helps ...

[James_Smith]

Hi "James_Smith"

I just read your post and the good replies to it. Here are my thoughts on this as well.

It would help to know more about your system setup. If you run "inxi -Fxzd" from the console terminal prompt, highlight the results, copy and paste them back here, that should provide enough information.

1.) Are you familiar with "user agent" switcher addons for browsers? These will basically tell whatever website that you visit that you are using a browser and or operating system that is different than the one you are actually using. For instance you can be using Firefox, Chrome, Opera, etc... in Linux Mint and click to change the "user agent switcher" to tell websites to think that you are using MS Windows and IE or Edge browsers ...

Example: I had a problem registering a new bank account because their account signup authentication required MS Windows or IE or Edge browser, so I changed the User Agent Switcher (UAS) settings to MS Windows and IE browser, and it worked perfectly; afterwards, I could access the bank's website and my account with the default UAS settings of Linux and Firefox for Linux.

In your case, you may have to use the UAS with IE or Edge always on to access your company's website.

"User Agent Switcher"
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... r-firefox/

UserAgentSwitcher1sm.jpg

2.) Virtualbox is another excellent way to install any version of MS Windows under Linux, and of course any MS Windows applications in that as well.
https://sites.google.com/site/easylinux ... ct/oldgrub

3.) FYI: There are also newer versions of wine version 2 and "wine staging" that might prove better to use, if you want to go that route ...

Hope this helps ...

Thanks for the advice.

Here's my computer's info:

Code: Select all

mac@mac-Lenovo-Y50-70-Touch ~ $ inxi -Fxzd
System:    Host: mac-Lenovo-Y50-70-Touch Kernel: 4.4.0-78-generic x86_64 (64 bit gcc: 5.4.0)
           Desktop: Cinnamon 3.2.7 (Gtk 3.18.9) Distro: Linux Mint 18.1 Serena
Machine:   System: LENOVO product: 20349 v: Lenovo Y50-70 Touch
           Mobo: LENOVO model: Lenovo Y50-70 Touch v: 31900058Std
           Bios: LENOVO v: 9ECN43WW(V3.03) date: 08/12/2015
CPU:       Quad core Intel Core i7-4700HQ (-HT-MCP-) cache: 6144 KB
           flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx) bmips: 19155
           clock speeds: max: 3400 MHz 1: 2400 MHz 2: 2834 MHz 3: 2757 MHz
           4: 2449 MHz 5: 3130 MHz 6: 2548 MHz 7: 2648 MHz 8: 2596 MHz
Graphics:  Card-1: Intel 4th Gen Core Processor Integrated Graphics Controller
           bus-ID: 00:02.0
           Card-2: NVIDIA GM107M [GeForce GTX 860M] bus-ID: 01:00.0
           Display Server: X.Org 1.18.4 driver: nvidia
           Resolution: 3840x2160@48.00hz
           GLX Renderer: GeForce GTX 860M/PCIe/SSE2
           GLX Version: 4.5.0 NVIDIA 375.39 Direct Rendering: Yes
Audio:     Card-1 Intel 8 Series/C220 Series High Definition Audio Controller
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1b.0
           Card-2 Intel Xeon E3-1200 v3/4th Gen Core Processor HD Audio Controller
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:03.0
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k4.4.0-78-generic
Network:   Card-1: Intel Wireless 7260 driver: iwlwifi bus-ID: 08:00.0
           IF: wlp8s0 state: up mac: <filter>
           Card-2: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller
           driver: r8169 v: 2.3LK-NAPI port: 3000 bus-ID: 09:00.0
           IF: enp9s0 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
           Card-3: Atmel usb-ID: 003-003
           IF: null-if-id state: N/A speed: N/A duplex: N/A mac: N/A
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 1000.2GB (46.1% used)
           ID-1: /dev/sdb model: Crucial_CT1024MX size: 1000.2GB
           ID-2: /dev/mmcblk0 model: N/A size: 63.9GB
           Optical: No optical drives detected.
Partition: ID-1: / size: 442G used: 383G (92%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sdb5
           ID-2: swap-1 size: 17.09GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sdb6
RAID:      No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 57.0C mobo: N/A gpu: 0.0:50C
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info:      Processes: 255 Uptime: 1 day Memory: 8960.1/15963.7MB
           Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Gcc sys: 5.4.0
           Client: Shell (bash 4.3.461) inxi: 2.2.35 

[ralplpcr]

FYI - I have only ever been able to install up to IE 8 using Wine (as part of PlayOnLinux). Never been able to get IE 9-11 to install or work properly.... and truthfully, haven't needed them. It's been a while since I've tried - - can't say whether newer versions of Wine or CrossOver may work better.

Why would you want/need IE or Edge on Linux? The best option if you *really* need it would be either dual-booting with Windows or running a virtual instance of Windows inside Linux - - just my $0.02.

[rjmockler]

I would strongly suggest that you follow Cosmo's advice about using Wine to run an internet browser. You are truly flirting with a security disaster doing that. I would recommend that you use the user agent switcher as suggested by phd21. It is relatively simple to implement, and if it doesn't work forget it, and go on to something else that other contributors have suggested. I have used the UAS myself a few times with great success.
~Richard

[James_Smith]

Why would you want/need IE or Edge on Linux? The best option if you *really* need it would be either dual-booting with Windows or running a virtual instance of Windows inside Linux - - just my $0.02.

Because of what I said in the O/P. To wit...

My company utilizes a website for maintenance that can only be used with IE or Edge. As it stands now, I have to use one of their dinosaur computers to use it. It would be far more handy for me to be able to use it with LM18 if that's possible.

But, after trying a few recommendations here, I've decided that it's better, easier, and safer just to use my company's Windows computers.

[Pierre]

FYI - I have only ever been able to install up to IE 8 using Wine (as part of PlayOnLinux). Never been able to get IE 9-11 to install or work properly.... and truthfully, haven't needed them.

just to re-iterate that - - it seems that IE8 is for an XP environment - - and IE9 is for a win-7 environment.
as the IE versions above that, are more tightly integrated into the Windows System,
& thus are much harder to run in any ./wine environment.

[Hoser Rob]

Wine is simply unreliable because the underlying principle it uses is a ridiculous hack. It may work at first but I'd expect it to break at some point after an update. The only reliable way to do this in Linux would be in a Windows VM. Anything else would be unprofessional.

[BG405]

This thread may also prove useful for anyone involved in website design & creation, where the site needs to be tested with IE and Edge. Although I found IE to be a lousy and unstable browser in Windows .. and Edge was practically unuseable, on several different machines running Win8.1 & Win10. Good luck getting these working properly in a VM. In my experience they were flakey enough in Windows.

I too think the User Agent Switcher is the best way forward, if you do decide to have another go with your Linux system.

[ralplpcr]

This thread may also prove useful for anyone involved in website design & creation, where the site needs to be tested with IE and Edge.

That's precisely the reason why I tried with IE under Wine in the first place. My company has users with IE8 on Win7 all the way up to Edge, as well as Chrome & Firefox. I found that for the most part, it was best to have a VM with each version of IE installed just for the sake of testing. Although the user agent switcher works well for many things, verifying how it renders certain page elements & executes Java &/or Javascript is just something that can't be mimicked - - you need the real thing. So I slapped a 500GB drive in & set up multiple virtual systems (as small as I could get away with), and it does the trick. It's annoying, but since these VMs are never used for anything but testing, it's tolerable.... and better than having 5 physical systems set up with Windows!