How to Run SoundSlides Plus on Linux
By first installing Wine you can run Soundslides Plus on Linux.This CyberKenBlog post tells how to install SoundSlides Plus using Wine.
An Introduction to SoundSlides
First, a brief intro. Soundslides has been a favorite software of photojournalists for at least a decade. It allows them to quickly put together a short slideshow and perfectly synchronize the timing of each slide to shifts in music or narration by dragging the edges of each slide along the Soundslides timeline. When a project is finished, Soundslides exports a flash show folder which can then be uploaded by FTP to the public html level of a server. Internet viewers can then view the show in their web browsers by typing in the url of that folder.
Soundslides can be set to display slides at various sizes, even full screen if you’re adept at coding (not covered in this post.) I like to set my shows large. This makes slides about half the area of my 14″ screen with a black border all around.
You can download SoundSlides Plus for Mac or Windows, but you’ll have to use Wine to run it on Linux.
Options for Installing Wine on Linux
Here are two options:
1. It’s best to use the software manager of your Linux distribution.
2. Or, type into your terminal window:
sudo su Then enter your password when prompted.
then type: add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-wine/ppa -y
then type: apt-get update
finally, type: apt-get install wine
Either method installs wine and all the files which it depends upon.
Configuring Wine on Linux
Next, you have to configue Wine to accept Windows program files. Open a terminal window and type into it: winecfg
This puts the folder, .wine, into your Linux home folder. To make that .wine folder visible, double left click on your home folder in your file system and under the View menu select “show hidden files”. This allows you to see all folders that begin with a dot.
Now double left click on the .wine folder unside your home folder. Next, double left click on the drive_c folder, and then double left click on the Program Files folder. Leave that window open. Its path is: /home/your user name/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/.
Now go to the SoundSlides official website and download a demo copy of SoundSlides for Windows. You will receive in your Downloads folder a file named SoundslidesPlusinstaller.exe. Put that file into the window you left open of the Program Files folder.
Right click on the Program Files folder, hover over the “open with” choice and select “Open with ‘Wine Windows Program Loader”. Then follow the setup instructions. It’s good to check the box entitled “Launch Soundslides” because otherwise it may be difficult for you to know how to launch it the first time.
Click on “install”.
How to Display a Soundslides Plus Show
If you have followed the above steps correctly, Soundslides should launch. The demo copy will allow you to create and export a Soundslides show. When you export a soundslides show its folder always has the name, “publish to web”. You will find that folder inside the Program Files folder in this path: /home/your user name/.wine/drive_c/Program Files.
It’s a good idea to rename the “publish to web” folder, because subsequent Soundslides exports will also have that name, and you don’t want to get them mixed up. When you rename, use all small letters, and add an underscore between words. Try to keep the name short because it will be easier to remember. When you have renamed the folder, upload it by FTP to the public_html level of your server. Here’s an example: http://cyberkenblog.com/returning_to_vietnam.
Registering Soundslides Plus
To register Soundslides Plus you will either need to buy your demo copy, or, if you have already registered a Windows copy of Soundslides, have Soundslides reset your registration key under the heading “Lost your licenses from a previous order?” on this page: http://support.soundslides.com/.
After you close SoundSlides Plus how do you find its .exe file to launch it again? Go back to the Program Files folder in this path: /home/your user name/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/. You will find the SoundSlidesPlus.exe file there. By double clicking on it you can Launch SoundSlides Plus. My Mint installation of Wine automatically placed a shortcut to SoundSlidesPlus in my start menu when I installed Wine. Maybe your distribution of Linux will do the same. At any rate, you can place an alius of that .exe file wherever you find it most convenient.
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