Options for Using Accordance on Linux

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

I am creating a separate thread for these instructions to ensure Accordance users have a quick way to read the various options for using Accordance on Linux without needing to scroll around other threads for the instructions. Rick and the Accordance staff have my full permission to use these instructions anywhere they are needed.

 

Options for Using Accordance on Linux

 

Linux users who wish to use Accordance Bible Software have a few options available, each with various pros and cons.

 

These options are provided "as is" for the benefit of the Accordance community. These instructions are considered "unofficial" and "community-contributed" instructions and are not official support instructions from Accordance Support. Accordance users should expect some additional setup required to fulfill any of these options, and Accordance users should not expect technical support from Accordance Support for running Accordance on an unsupported system (such as running Accordance 10 on CrossOver or WINE) or for assistance for setup outside the scope of the Accordance application itself (such as setting up a dual boot of Linux and Windows or setting up a Windows virtual machine). Users will need some form of technical knowledge to complete any of the below options.

 

Option 1: Dual Boot Linux and Windows and Run Accordance 13 on Windows

 

Pros:

• Allows Accordance users to run the latest version of Accordance
• Accordance runs at native speeds
• Accordance users have full technical support options available for the Accordance app (not for creating the dual boot or installing Windows)

 

Cons:

• Requires rebooting PC in order to switch between Linux and Windows
• Requires the purchase of a Windows license
• Requires additional hard drive partitioning setup to allow for the dual boot
• Windows 11 may not boot off of some hardware, Windows 10 is recommended for the time being

 

Accordance users can purchase a Windows license and setup a dual boot of Linux and Windows on the same PC. Users simply need to boot into Windows to install and run Accordance 13, in which Accordance 13 will install and run identically to any other Windows PC.

 

Setting up a dual boot of Linux and Windows varies depending on the PC. Here is a sample article for setting up a dual boot using System76 hardware. Users will need to refer to their PC manufacturer for specific instructions on creating a dual boot of Linux and Windows.

 

Option 2: Setup a Windows Virtual Machine and Run Accordance 13 on Windows

 

Pros:

• Allows Accordance users to run the latest version of Accordance
• Allows Accordance users to run Accordance at the same time as other Linux apps
• Accordance users have full technical support options available for the Accordance app (not for creating the virtual machine or installing Windows)

 

Cons:

• Requires the purchase of a Windows license
• Requires additional setup of creating a virtual machine
• Running the Windows virtual machine may not run at full native speed (depending on the PC hardware), but should run fast enough for Accordance on most hardware configurations
• Windows 11 may not be compatible with some virtual machine apps at the moment, Windows 10 is recommended for the time being

 

Accordance users can purchase a Windows license and run Windows in a virtual machine instead of a dual boot environment. This allows both the Linux and Windows operating systems to run at the same time and allow Accordance to run at the same time as other Linux apps. Users simply need to boot into the Windows virtual machine to install and run Accordance 13, and while there is somewhat of a performance hit when running a virtual machine, Accordance generally runs fast enough on most hardware configurations due to its light use of system resources overall.

 

Two popular virtual machine apps for Linux are VirtualBox (free) and VMware Workstation (free and paid versions). This sample article provides some additional instructions concerning creating a Windows virtual machine on System76 hardware. Users will need to refer to their PC manufacturer or Linux distro provider for specific instructions on choosing a recommended virtual machine app and creating a Windows virtual machine.

 

Option 3: Run Accordance 10 on WINE or CrossOver

 

Pros:

• Allows Accordance users to run Accordance without the purchase of a Windows license
• Allows Accordance to run at the same time as other Linux apps

 

Cons:

• Currently limited to Accordance 10, an older version of Accordance. Accordance 11-13 is not compatible. Users are limited to the feature set of Accordance 10, as well as access to books compatible with Accordance 10 (which is a large portion of Accordance books, although some newer/major titles require newer versions of Accordance)
• Very limited support options from Accordance technical support concerning the Accordance app itself. Most users will need to rely on the Accordance Forums for technical support. Accordance Support also can not provide support for setting up WINE or CrossOver.

 

Accordance users who do not wish to purchase a Windows license and dual boot Linux and Windows or create a Windows virtual machine can install Accordance 10 on Linux using WINE or CrossOver. Accordance users are currently limited to Accordance 10 (Accordance 11-13 is not compatible) and its features and books available for Accordance 10. Accordance users will also receive very limited support for Accordance on WINE or CrossOver and need to utilize the Accordance Forums for most support-related issues. Accordance 10 runs decently enough on WINE or CrossOver for general, everyday Bible study.

 

Users should choose CrossOver (when possible) which is a paid app that is based on the same technology as WINE. The small fee will allow for an overall simpler installation of Accordance 10, potentially allow for Accordance 11-13 to be compatible with future versions of CrossOver, offer greater technical support from CrossOver's technical support team, and also helps to contribute to further development of CrossOver and WINE. For users who have made a substantial investment in their Accordance libraries, it is a small price to pay for a simple way to install Accordance 10 on Linux for users who do not wish to run Accordance on Windows.

 

Users can install Accordance using the automated installer in CrossOver. These sample instructions outline the process. It is usually as simple as installing CrossOver, launching CrossOver, selecting Install Windows Software, searching for Accordance, selecting Accordance 10.4.5, then clicking Continue through the prompts until Accordance is installed (I recommend naming the "bottle" that CrossOver asks to install Accordance into as Accordance).

 

Known Issues/Limitations:

 

The following are current known issues/limitations with running Accordance 10.4.5 on Linux using CrossOver. These are the results of a test using a System76 Galago Pro notebook running Pop!_OS 20.04 LTS with CrossOver 21.1.0.

 

1. Occasionally when downloading/installing modules using Easy Install, one needs to click the download and install buttons a second time for the installation of modules to take, especially when starting Accordance from a fresh startup. The same is true when updating modules.
2. Accordance needs to be restarted after installing/updating modules, otherwise the library pane will display strangely.
3. Users who own a license for both the older Accordance Timeline module and the newer Accordance Timeline Expanded Edition will need to call or email Accordance Support to be provided a manual installation copy of the Accordance Timeline (as Easy Install will only see the license for the newer Accordance Timeline Expanded Edition). This file will need to go into: C:\ProgramData\Accordance which can be accessed by launching CrossOver and going to the Accordance bottle and selecting the Bottle menu, then Open C : Drive.
4. Accordance Timeline layers cannot be customized in Preferences or on the menu choices in the Timelines pane. The full Accordance Timeline with all layers will successfully load, however.
5. The Customize Toolbar function does not work. Users will need to use the stock Accordance toolbar options.
6. Resting the mouse cursor over menu bar options or filter library categories can occasionally "blur" the text for a moment.
7. When launching the Daily Devotional window, at times the user may need to manually insert the current date into the Daily Devotional window to read the daily devotional.
8. If a printer is not added to Linux, the diagramming and word chart panels will occasionally throw error messages or "flash" the user interface until a printer is added to Linux.

 

Users will also need to keep in mind that user files created in versions of Accordance after Accordance 10 may not be compatible with Accordance 10, in which users will need to manually re-import the data to some user files (such as user notes) or re-create some user files (such as workspaces and groups).

 

For users who wish to attempt to install Accordance via the free version of WINE instead of CrossOver, users can download WINE, then manually download Accordance 10 and install Accordance 10 via WINE. Here are some sample instructions on how to install apps using WINE. It is recommended to create a separate "prefix" just for installing Accordance (such as .wineaccordance). Instructions on creating WINE prefixes can be found here.

Edited March 6, 2022 by Nathan Parker

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

Future updates regarding running Accordance on WINE/CrossOver can be found here:

 

 

[Dr. Nathan Parker]

I managed to install Accordance 13 in a Windows 10 Virtual Machine using GNOME Boxes on a System76 Galago Pro notebook running Pop!_OS 20.04 LTS. Overall, GNOME Boxes is a simple solution for creating a Windows VM (Just create a new VM and point it to the Windows installer ISO. I chose not to do the Express Setup so I could customize my Windows installation). For those who only need to run Accordance or Accordance plus a few light Windows apps in a Virtual Machine, GNOME Boxes is quick and easy. I recommend setting the Windows 10 Virtual Machine to at least 8GB RAM and 100GB Virtual Hard Drive space.

 

I am having two issues with Accordance 13 on Windows 10 on GNOME Boxes that anyone who attempts to run Accordance 13 on Windows 10 on GNOME Boxes should be aware of. Both of these may be due to my machine having overall lower-specs (especially only Intel integrated graphics) than some machines. I plan to eventually test the Virtual Machine on a Thelio Massive with a higher-end NVIDIA Graphics Card.

 

1. 3D Atlas does not load (Accordance 13 freezes). However, I can successfully load 3D Atlas in Accordance 10 on CrossOver 21, so no biggie here.
2. Rebuilding the Research Cache crashes Accordance 13 due to an "Out of Memory" error. I managed to build the Research Cache on my Mac and copy it over to the Windows Virtual Machine. Once I did that, Research itself works without issues.

I also successfully spun up a Windows 11 Virtual Machine using GNOME Boxes by adding the Bypass Secure Boot and TPM Check registry keys, but I tossed it afterward since Windows 10 seems to still run better in a Virtual Machine at the moment.

 

So here is another option for Linux users wishing to install Accordance 13 on a Windows Virtual Machine.