Originally posted by Yfrwlf
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1) A GUI for terminating games which lock up. Switching VTs is not a solution for those who don't know the command line, i.e. normal computer users. System Monitor popping up as just another window may not be good enough if the program won't minimize. The Windows solution is to overlay the controls over the entire screen, over whatever is there regardless of if it's full screen or not. But perhaps it's just an issue with control-alt-delete not reaching the system and instead the game absorbing the keystroke, not sure.
2) Standardized installation/removal system. Installers don't provide a way for removal many times, and don't integrate with the program manager to allow users to remove (or install) them the same way they do other packages. Packages themselves are not standardized, but could be. Every Linux project could push for standard packages of their programs, or the package system could be told where to get the special package from, there's just a lot of solutions for every issue here but few seem to care because most of the developers are stuck in the "oh they can just compile it" mindset, not giving a damn about binaries or normal computer users who can't compile. I feel this is the largest issue right now as I don't want a proprietary "appliance", I want standards, and all Linux users would appreciate that freedom.
Now as for Linux... If you use the distribution packaging system (some brave souls at studios do this right at the moment... ) you have uninstall pretty much handled. If you use Loki/LGP Install, you have a consistent, clean uninstall. If you use MojoInstaller, it's the same story, as it is with InstallJammer, BitRock, and a host of other binary installers. Only Autopackage really doesn't provide good clean uninstall capabilities.
3) Monolithic kernel making any graphics glitches fatal. Yes, the process of the way Linux is debugged and how tight things are may help with bugs, but it also means graphics issues means that I have to hit the reset button when a game has graphics issues instead of just the game itself crashing or the kernel killing it. Whatever happened to Linux being uncrashable? Where are the failsafe mechanisms to prevent it, to restart a hosed graphics driver, or whatever it takes to deal with this kind of crashing? Better graphics drivers is one thing but Linux should be more bulletproof than to rely on that.
We won't get into what Microsoft's answer does for things. And before you remark that I don't know about that or I've got bias...I used to work for one of the Big Two and I do know that it's not all roses there either- and people still develop for that platform.
4) Audio problems. Galore. But oh, Pulse Audio is the BEST EVAR. Maybe it is the whole Linux audio system though, but regardless, there's a lot of problems here. Things are slowly getting a bit better though at least.
Considering that FMOD, IrrKlang, Miles, OpenAL, SDL/SDL_mixer all work largely okay once you've found what the right config is, and then just largely work on all systems once you do, I have difficulty accepting your remarks as being as big a problem as you're making it out to be- much like your graphics remarks.
5) Lag, with everything. Audio lag, mouse lag, you name it, Linux has always had this problem. Some of you may be used to it by now, but try running a Windows game sometime to remind yourself of the tight responsiveness that Linux is missing. I don't need to tell anyone how horrible this is for gaming. Luckily, I think this may be improving as well, but it's still noticeable in many games. In any case, Linux audio is still really lacking in basic things. In another year, I think many of these will be solved though, hopefully.
6) Gaming while multitasking. You can't. Disk I/O kills everything else. Try installing a program while gaming sometime. Linux is very bad at multitasking, or doing it in a way that desktop users need, i.e. not completely freezing up everything else and dedicating every CPU cycle to an I/O process.
Currently, Windows offers solutions to all these issues, while Linux still has a ways to go. This is very bad. While Windows is not perfect with some of these things, in general it's in a lot better shape than Linux is.
Which Installer? There's dozens- and they don't all clean up after themselves nicely.
Sound subsystem? DirectSound? OpenAL? Others?
Graphics? Heh...don't kid yourself.
Lag? There's lag in Windows too. You might just be used to it.
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