Desura Acquired By Linden Lab

[jaggers]

I am not sure when you did the lst compile, but the current state allows you to compile it with two or one command fully. I've worked on the cmake port of desurium and got the feeling it is much better than what was there before.

But you are right with your first point. There isn't any developer support from desura. So the community (which is nearly me only) can't do much stuff, because they have other things to do, as I am working full time 40h a week I can't find much time for desurium.

If I would had this time, I'd implemted much stuff, but this counts for everybody involved in desruium.

You're work is awesome, Karol. I use the RC almost exclusively now, and just having the crash-on-download bugs fixed is wonderful. I'd be pretty happy if we could get that version out there, as it's enormously better already. I only wish that the directory structure hadn't changed at all so that it's easy to switch back and forth (and to update from one version to another), but as it stands, there would need to be some kind of migration utility.

[jaggers]

Though nothing prevents them to work on some ports like Humble Bundle did - they have resources to do it.

Well, nothing preventing them except for Shaddim, trolling that GOG thread so hard it's almost painful to visit it

Sometimes I wonder how much of GOG's attitude is them truly uncertain about how to do it right & in a profitable way, and how much is them visiting that thread, reading his BS and thinking that we're all a bunch of crazy people...

[karolherbst]

Which is their second ruined chance - they opened the code and stopped developing it by themselves counting on the community to do all the work. And the code is a mess of wxwidgets and loads of dependencies, just compiling it is a chore not to mention coding anything.

I am not sure when you did the lst compile, but the current state allows you to compile it with two or one command fully. I've worked on the cmake port of desurium and got the feeling it is much better than what was there before.

But you are right with your first point. There isn't any developer support from desura. So the community (which is nearly me only) can't do much stuff, because they have other things to do, as I am working full time 40h a week I can't find much time for desurium.

If I would had this time, I'd implemted much stuff, but this counts for everybody involved in desruium.

[shmerl]

If GOG ever does get into Linux, it will certainly be for a small subset of games. They aren't going to port over their entire library, that is completely unfeasible for such a small team.

Obviously they won't port their whole (Windows games) library. They'll just start selling games with existing Linux ports. Though nothing prevents them to work on some ports like Humble Bundle did - they have resources to do it. But in this aspect (a small subset) they aren't any different than Steam, which also has only a very tiny subset of their catalog available in native Linux versions.

[smitty3268]

The second biggest after Steam (and completely DRM free with that) is really GOG. So when they'll start selling Linux games they'll become the leader in this aspect. So far, they aren't rushing to do it, but I think they might do it during this year, and that would be a real game changer.

If GOG ever does get into Linux, it will certainly be for a small subset of games. They aren't going to port over their entire library, that is completely unfeasible for such a small team.

[Cyber Killer]

Which is strange since there is an open source client for it. https://github.com/desura/Desurium

Which is their second ruined chance - they opened the code and stopped developing it by themselves counting on the community to do all the work. And the code is a mess of wxwidgets and loads of dependencies, just compiling it is a chore not to mention coding anything.

I do like Desura, I think it's a really good service for indie games, where they don't have to be accepted by some convoluted approval process, but its lack of progress is really keeping it back. I hope now something will change for the better.

[Kivada]

Desura was a great promise!
They was on Linux before Steam and had potential to establish themselves but ruined it.

It never was packaged and readily available in the distribution repositories, and still is not.
Look in the Debian and Ubuntu repositories, it is not there.

What a loss of opportunity.

Which is strange since there is an open source client for it. https://github.com/desura/Desurium

[shmerl]

Does it specify whether some games require to run Steam client to play them (when it's so)?

[Kristian Joensen]

", and if the game does happen to have DRM from developers, they warn you BEFORE you buy it. I.e. on the game info page. Nothing like that is available on Steam."

Valve does this too with Steam, check out the Steam page for Dirt 2 for example:

Other Requirements: Online play requires log-in to Games For Windows - Live. Click here for a list of countries/regions with service.

(Source)

or Far Cry 3:

Requires a UPlay account

(Source)

[shmerl]

I have nothing against Desura but Steam is where it's at. Not only for the games themselves, but also for the huge Community features, workshop, guides, sales, and lots more.

Not really, until Valve's tolerant approach to DRM is reversed. Desura are at least opposed to it themselves (they allow you to download the installer), and if the game does happen to have DRM from developers, they warn you BEFORE you buy it. I.e. on the game info page. Nothing like that is available on Steam.

I hope this acquisition won't change Desura for the worse. I agree though, that Desura is way smaller than Steam. The second biggest after Steam (and completely DRM free with that) is really GOG. So when they'll start selling Linux games they'll become the leader in this aspect. So far, they aren't rushing to do it, but I think they might do it during this year, and that would be a real game changer.