Desura Game Client Is Now Open-Source

[JanC]

Is that why it's closed? Or is it closed for the sake of maintaining sales profits and to avoid fracturing the distribution channel?

We've got too much fragmentation already, between PSN, XBL, Steam, Android Market, iOS/OSX App Store, Windows Marketplace, Ubuntu One, iTunes, Amazon, Desura, EA's custom store, Ubisoft's custom store, etc. Most of these services are entirely redundant. Originally they existed separately as they targeted different platforms, but with the multi-platform stores being common-ish now, most of the rest only exist solely because some asshat marketeer wants to have access to user information that the other stores don't share or to better "control" market prices and the like.

The end result for actual users is almost entirely negative. Users want one place to buy apps/games, preferably with a Steam-like "one purchase, all platforms" approach. Users want a single list of all their friends, achievements, high scores, saved game backups, avatar customizations, etc. Users want to have just one account to remember and log in to. Users want only one entity responsible for securing their payment details. The community aspects of a fragmented "market marketplace" are hurt heavily, and the usability aspects of that fragmentation just frustrate users.

Releasing the server as FOSS has a myriad of user-oriented benefits inline with the tenets of GNU Manifesto and the OSI Mission, naturally. Releasing it so that the Astronaut can make his own fucked up fork does nobody except the Astronaut any good at all.

So, you want only one service selling you games? Be prepared to pay at least 100 USD for any simple game, and 500 USD for an AAA-game then... :P

Seriously, competition between "game shops", "app shops", "music download shops", etc. is a Good Thing?. What we need though, is a way to prevent the "big players" in "virtual shop"-land from monopolizing the profitable content and killing off all the other shops (which is close to what is happening right now, unfortunately).

If you go to the supermarket behind the corner, you expect to be able to buy Coca Cola, and not find a sign "sorry, Coca Cola does not want to sell to us anymore because they signed an exclusivity contract with Wallmart, which now sells it at 5 USD / can".

[JanC]

Wouldn't be too sure about it... at least for Ubuntu this is a direct competitor for sales in the Ubuntu app store, thus they might be highly reluctant to include it in the repositories.

Get it into Debian, and you get it in Ubuntu too.

(And I don't see what's different between this or youtube-dl when it comes to "open source client used to access a proprietary service"?)

[JanC]

To my knowledge, package managers are able to create separate users for different things.. For example, when I install pulseaudio, my package manager creates a user "pulse" which I have to add myself to if I want to hear anything. I assume the same can be done for games

If you run PulseAudio as your own user (which is the default & recommended behaviour), there is no need for that...

[renkin]

No need for root access

I think having to install it locally for each user is the way to go. Giving proprietary games root access is dangerous, and they don't really need it anyway. Desura is it's own standalone manager for the games anyway, so it can keep proprietary stuff out of the system.

That said, I love Desura and use it all the time. I think the way they do things now makes sense.

To my knowledge, package managers are able to create separate users for different things.. For example, when I install pulseaudio, my package manager creates a user "pulse" which I have to add myself to if I want to hear anything. I assume the same can be done for games

[leif81]

Wouldn't be too sure about it... at least for Ubuntu this is a direct competitor for sales in the Ubuntu app store, thus they might be highly reluctant to include it in the repositories.

There aren't Apple-grade politics going on in Ubuntu.

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PackagingGuide/Complete#Requirements_for_New_Ubuntu_Packages

[Julius]

I believe by open sourcing the client, Desura will find it's way to many linux distros and will be available via package manager. That will make it easier to purchase titles using their platform.

Wouldn't be too sure about it... at least for Ubuntu this is a direct competitor for sales in the Ubuntu app store, thus they might be highly reluctant to include it in the repositories.

[dagger]

Current build process is less than optimal. Let's hope that will chance in the future.

I believe by open sourcing the client, Desura will find it's way to many linux distros and will be available via package manager. That will make it easier to purchase titles using their platform.

[Adarion]

Nice. I already have it installed on Windoze. Lots of indie game stuff. And a good bunch is cross platform. Also not much DRM to spot which is a fine thing.

But Michael, where is the much anticipated and talked about Steam on Linux? ;-)

[FreeBooteR69]

We've got too much fragmentation already, between PSN, XBL, Steam, Android Market, iOS/OSX App Store, Windows Marketplace, Ubuntu One, iTunes, Amazon, Desura, EA's custom store, Ubisoft's custom store, etc. Most of these services are entirely redundant.

I disagree with your assessment. Many of those product markets you brought up are a monopoly on their platform and or have virtually 99% market share. More choices the better, and hopefully we can drag away some of Window's and Steam's monopoly share in the PC platform area. I for one hate having to activate a game from the control freak Steam platform, sure would be nice to see somebody else on the box we would have to activate through. Of course i would prefer to deal with game companies directly rather than through a third party.

[Dorsai!]

Generally, I think open sourcing user frontends to propriatary channels is a great idea. I am only not so sure if it is the best for desura.

Steam is seeing a lot of hacks for their clients targeting to decrypt games you do not actually own. With desura, not applying that harsh sort of DRM, I think it will be very easy to hack the client to throw out stuff for free.

And dont tell me "Nah, the indie folks are not like that" considering the abuse the last HIBs got although they are almost giving the games away for free.

I hope this is the right choice and I would hate to see such a friendly move being ultimately turned into the demise of the desura platform.