"Kick The Tires"

The first step in any porting project is to assess what work needs to be done. Many customers will have taken the opportunity to use our evaluation software to see how well their application runs. However, we often find that our customers need us to probe further than they are able to go themselves. Perhaps a particular application won't install or run, or has a major flaw, or a particular technology needs to be researched. This can often represent a nasty Catch-22. Logically enough, you'd like to know what it will cost to make your application run in Linux or Mac OS X. Unfortunately, we often can't tell what it will cost until it starts running and broadly works, so that we can take a look at it. In these cases, we will usually request a 'Kick The Tires' service engagement.

'Kicking The Tires' means sticking a Wine engineer on your application for a few hours and 1) making the thing install (if we can) and/or 2) evaluating how well it runs. We will then provide instructions and/or a custom CrossOver build back to you so that you can replicate what we did, and evaluate how well it runs. Barring that, we aim to at least have a more complete understanding of why the application won't run or what the show-stopping issues are.

This is generally a loss leader for us, but often allows us to break through that impasse and get you at least a rough scope for an overall project. A typical 'Kick The Tires' service includes the following:

• Installation Test
  
  We start by trying to get your application to install under CrossOver. Surprisingly, this is often a critical obstacle. If you've already tried this step using our free trial version of CrossOver, and it worked for you, that's great — you're one step ahead of the game. However, if the "vanilla" CrossOver installation process doesn't work, we will proceed to throw our arsenal of installation tricks at the problem and see if we can get the application running. Typically, we are able to do so.

• Major Bug Diagnosis
  
  If we're successful in getting the application to install, we will proceed to document any instances of obvious functional or visual defects. This allows us to assess the likely level of difficulty associated with correcting any remaining errors.

• Customer Evaluation
  
  If we're successful in getting the application to install, we will provide you the application in a format that allows you to evaluate for yourself how well the app actually runs under Wine. This is critical for enabling you to accurately gauge the amount of work that may be required to get the application running in a true production environment.

• Deliverables
  
  The results of the analysis, including any tips/tricks to get the application to install under CrossOver, are presented in a written format. In some cases, a custom CrossOver build that runs the application can be provided as well.

• Cost
  
  The cost of this basic engagement is typically between $2,000 - $4,000.

Please Note: A copy of all necessary software components must be provided for a full evaluation to occur.

For more information on how we Kick the Tires, or to request a quote, please contact James Ramey, VP Sales, at sales@codeweavers.com, or at 651-523-9302.