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Linux Wasn't Too Popular At GDC 2014

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  • #11
    Originally posted by DanLamb View Post
    Most people pick their OS for work/school first, and game on that.

    Finally, I expect, and even hope that Windows gaming will fade away and be replaced by Android/iOS gaming. I also hope that we see more PC like Android devices with netbook form factors.


    Honestly I can't disagree any more. Seriously, Android is actually not much less worse than Windows is.
    I very much hope of a clean completely Open Source Linux variant for gaming.

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    • #12
      isn't this normal? the fact it was presented matters more than amount. last GDC presence 0%, this one infinite increase.

      on one side developers started jumping on board after last GDC, so there is very little hope they could have finished products. and if you don't have products, why mention it in the first place since all you get is questions you don't want to answer.
      on the other presentation would be problematic a bit since not all pieces are already there (they are if you know how, which is not to be expected from someone who just jumped ship).

      next year when more puzzle pieces are down, there will probably be increase. but, right now the fact it was recognized is achievement

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      • #13
        Originally posted by DanLamb View Post
        Most people pick their OS for work/school first, and game on that.

        If people prefer Word, Excel, point-and-click everything, and Visual Studio, Linux is terrible. LibreOffice is a crappy version of MS Office. All the GTK Gnome GUI stuff is crap next to a Windows or Apple GUI. That crowd wouldn't and shouldn't use Linux.

        It's when you realize the power of the shell, that Linux becomes a completely better choice in every way. If tech savvy people can get over a small learning curve they understand how much better Markdown is over Word, R is over Excel for data crunching and plots, and LaTeX for more serious docs, and see how much better zsh or even bash is over Windows shells, and the elegance of the Linux package repo system. Then, Linux is a dramatically more powerful environment, and people will switch to that, and figure out how to game on it.

        Finally, I expect, and even hope that Windows gaming will fade away and be replaced by Android/iOS gaming. I also hope that we see more PC like Android devices with netbook form factors.
        You do know how windows became top dog don't you? One word "Games" Kids like me wanted windows to play games the parents learned windows because of us. Now if you can game on linux it will no longer matter what OS kids pick Parents will spend less and learn to use linux just like the generation before. I would almost bet the farm on linux taking 20%-30% of the desktop market by 2020. Not very many people like win 8 and I personally think it is not going to get any better for MS.

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        • #14
          Originally posted by vaudevillian View Post
          You do know how windows became top dog don't you? One word "Games" Kids like me wanted windows to play games the parents learned windows because of us. Now if you can game on linux it will no longer matter what OS kids pick Parents will spend less and learn to use linux just like the generation before. I would almost bet the farm on linux taking 20%-30% of the desktop market by 2020. Not very many people like win 8 and I personally think it is not going to get any better for MS.
          How nice is this farm of yours? I might be interested...

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          • #15
            Originally posted by vaudevillian View Post
            You do know how windows became top dog don't you? One word "Games" Kids like me wanted windows to play games the parents learned windows because of us. Now if you can game on linux it will no longer matter what OS kids pick Parents will spend less and learn to use linux just like the generation before. I would almost bet the farm on linux taking 20%-30% of the desktop market by 2020. Not very many people like win 8 and I personally think it is not going to get any better for MS.
            Umm... actually Windows became top dog because it was the cheapest option there was. My father introduced me to Windows as a "prettier" way of using my computer. Windows was "top dog" in the general user space while most games were still being played from a DOS command line (Doom, Quake, RIse of the Triad, Tomb Raider). I don't remember any major game titles playing out of Windows until Cyan decided to port Myst to Windows, then from there I really don't recall any major gaming inside of a Windows environment until '95-'96, and that was because Microsoft was forcing everyone into a GUI. I don't have any idea how old you are so I don't want to sound like a condescending old fart (if a thirty-one year old can be that) but I believe your statement is gravely misinformed.

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            • #16
              I agree, it would have been totally unrealistic to think that it is going to be the #1 topic or whatever. We got more great news this week than I expected. SteamOS/Steam Machines are not even out yet. Let's wait a year and then look at how much interest there is when things are actually starting to get serious. We have gone from "it would be cool to have a game on Linux" to "omg the next-gen CryEngine with its OpenGL 4.3 renderer might not be perfectly ported".

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              • #17
                Originally posted by d2kx View Post
                We have gone from "it would be cool to have a game on Linux" to "omg the next-gen CryEngine with its OpenGL 4.3 renderer might not be perfectly ported".
                ok, fhat should become official meme for achievement description

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                • #18
                  Originally posted by Robsteady View Post
                  Umm... actually Windows became top dog because it was the cheapest option there was.
                  Windows is top because "normal people" don't install operating systems. They buy pre-installed systems from the store. And due to economies of scale, off-the-shelf hardware is generally cheaper when it comes from large corporations that make and sell millions of units, rather than bespoke little computer stores. Buyers also have more trust for systems built by large manufacturers due to better branding. So the market naturally becomes dominated by a few large manufacturers. These manufacturers can be easily controlled by Microsoft - by using OEM contracts to literally force them into offering Windows-only systems, or by imposing severe financial penalties for any manufacturer who might consider shipping a non-Windows system.

                  Android is the commercially successful Linux. What did it have that others didn't? It was a) pre-installed on devices (normal people buy devices, not operating systems), and b) had the Google brand, which most people like, and c) was open source, so there was an escape route for manufacturers (unlike the PC desktop). Large companies like Samsung realised that in the event of Google trying to screw them over MS style, and taking the majority of the profits, they could break away and still sell phones with the Android stack (except for Google apps, which they could replace with their own). Ceding control of the platform to any individual part that comes from only one supplier leads ultimately to the vast majority of profits flowing to that supplier, rather than to the system manufacturer (the PC desktop industry). Over the long term that leads to stagnation of the market, since manufacturers are unable to generate sufficient profit margins to justify a high investment in research, development and design - which is why Intel & MS, who make the most profit from sales of PCs, have realised they must contribute to the costs of product development, or else the market will continue to stagnate, while manufacturers on other platforms can take more of the profit, and hence invest more heavily in product design and development.

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                  • #19
                    Originally posted by chrisb View Post
                    Windows is top because "normal people" don't install operating systems. They buy pre-installed systems from the store.
                    A very simple example of this problem: where can I buy a Red Hat or Ubuntu laptop that is supported (all hardware works, updates don't break etc.)? You can't. You can buy a laptop from a third party, but they have no control over the distribution, Red Hat and Ubuntu won't test new software on that hardware, and updates might break on it. The solution to this problem is to establish store.ubuntu.com and store.redhat.com and sell hardware, and make sure that everything works - tasks like playing mp3s, video, web browsing on popular sites (YouTube, Facebook etc.), it all needs to work without any issues. Test continually, make sure that updates never, ever cause a regression on supported hardware. When customers have issues, fix those issues. Make hardware that your developers are actually going to use - they are the ones who will likely notice any issues first, and the motivation to fix will be much higher when the issue affects them. Don't make crap hardware - make stuff that people actually want to own. (If you sell hardware with your own operating system, but all your developers are using OS X on Macbooks, then you're doing something wrong). When I say make hardware, I don't mean that Red Hat and Canonical need to actually build their own systems, they can subcontract it out, design it themselves or hold a competition, or approve existing hardware, it doesn't matter - what matters is that a user can go to the store, and buy hardware that will work without any issues, and know that it will be supported with working updates and that any problems will get quickly fixed.

                    Chrome OS got 21% of US laptop sales last year, so it's not impossible to introduce a new operating system and be a success, even now. If Red Hat or Ubuntu had done the same thing years ago, perhaps we'd be reading now that they had 21% of the market (or likely higher, given that desktop Linux is more functional offline than Chrome OS).

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                    • #20
                      Originally posted by FourDMusic View Post
                      I disagree. I have been able to get many of my non-technical friends to switch to Linux or at least dual boot with <Linux> as their primary distro. This include my sister, who has a Psychology degree and teaches english to non-english speaks; I have a friend who advises local governments on environmental issues. They use Arch and Kubuntu, respectively. I want to emphasize that they are completely comfortable with using Linux.
                      I have installed Ubuntu in over 50 laptops and PCs and most of them single boot. For the vast majority of the average user Linux offers much more than they will ever need. It doesn't matter though. It is still a forbidden word for 90% of the people.

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