Bottles, an open-source software tool built on top of Wine, designed to help users manage and run Windows applications and games on Linux systems by providing a user-friendly GUI, has just released its latest version, 51.18.
First and foremost, the command-line interface no longer encounters issues when starting a Bottle. This update ensures a more stable and straightforward workflow for anyone who prefers to operate from the terminal.
Additionally, the donate button has been switched to a more polished format, and a newly introduced keyboard shortcuts dialog makes everything feel more intuitive for those seeking a quick and easy way to access commands. A pre-commit setup is now also in place to maintain code consistency across the project.
In another improvement, all file and path pickers have been unified under a single file dialog type. This standardization helps streamline the user experience by offering a consistent approach to file picking across the application.
Meanwhile, removing certain sandbox and runtime elements also declutters the directory structure, making Bottles easier to navigate and maintain.
Bottles 51.18 also includes several smaller but equally meaningful fixes. A missing combo letter bug when removing a drive has been addressed, and pre- and post-script paths are now reset properly to ensure a clean slate rather than leaving empty strings behind.
In addition, mnemonics were added to the primary menu, making it simpler to access common tasks through keyboard shortcuts. The “New Bottle” dialog underwent a revamp to streamline setup, and a broken forums link was corrected to keep users well-connected to community resources.
For those who rely on shortcuts, the “Add Shortcuts” dialog now conveniently starts at the root of the Bottle, reducing unnecessary navigation. The Environment Variables dialog also received a rework to ensure a more straightforward way of editing and managing variables.
Rounding out the changes, a helpful user interface tweak was implemented by porting the bottle-row feature to a wrap box design, giving the interface a cleaner look and improved layout.
For more information on all changes in Bottles 51.18, visit the changelog.
