Linux Articles

[right winger]

I use XP and must admit I would love to see Linux take off and in some small way compete. I feel one thing that needs to happen is for more games to be able to be run on Linux. I notice here there have not been any new Linux articles since 2005, why? Cant we at least have a few new articles stating whats going on in the Linux world? I heard ATI has a program that can convert DirectX10 code to OpenGL, why cant this be used to make games that can run in Linux. I have personally played UT2004, Quake4, UT, Tribes2, Enemy Territory, Counterstrike Source (Wine), Half Life (wine), Descent 3, and a few others I forget at the moment. They all ran fine and it was a thrill to actually have an OS that was loaded with features, and FREE....

 

[Brazen]

Because not enough linux users (or would-be linux users) complain enough to the game developers about not having a linux port. I think there are a lot of people out there who would use linux if third party support was better, but as long as software makers can avoid spending the resources on developing linux ports without impacting their sales they will keep doing what they are doing.

 

[right winger]

Yeah I figured, I guess I dont understand why they cant use or modify to use the converter that can take DirectX and convert to OpenGL.. Seems like once it is converted it would be a piece of cake to make it work. I mean with my UT2004 install in Linux it used 90% of the same files on the CD's just a different executable. I believe the game is written in C++ and it has opengl so that's what made it easy to run in both. Why cant this happen more now that there is some sort of converter?

 

[drag]

You mean articles at anandtech?

Probably because anandtech doesn't do much in the way of operating system reviews. I expect that the main reason that they had linux articles anyways was because they figured readers wanted to see what the benifits were for 64bit computing and Windows hadn't released a stable operating system for it at the time.


But don't worry about Linux on a larger context.
For example:
Linux in embedded programming is having a upswing. Phones, media players, machine controllers, robots, etc etc. It's currently the 2nd most popular OS to use in that arena. Windows embedded versions are a distant 3rd place.

There was recently a new Top500 list release that had the top 500 most powerfull supercomputers in the world. 75% of them run Linux, including those BlueGene systems, which are the top ranking currently.

In the enterprise server arena, a area previously dominated by big-iron Unix machines and mainframes, Linux is enjoying a nice upswing. Quarter on quarter double digit growth for who knows how long. Expected 22% growth this year alone, in revenue. So that is people actually going out and buying Linux servers as opposed to building it themselves (which aren't being counted, it's not so much actual numbers of servers, but actual revenue from sales).
http://news.com.com/IDC+Linux+server+sa...llion+in+2008/2100-1010_3-5479681.html So Linux on the server is a 9.1billion dollar business.

etc etc etc.


Of course Linux-on-the-desktop is still lagging. Having lots of games would help a lot, but it's a bit of a chicken and the egg issue. Linux on the desktop for the home user isn't going to get popular unless it gets easy support for lots of games. But game makers aren't going to support Linux unless it gets popular first.

Catch 22.

So Linux gaming is a bit screwed in that respect. The idea that Linux companies have right now is to focus on business desktop and if they start getting good headway in that market then people will want to have Linux at home because it'll be easier to do their work without having to go to the office. Once people want to have Linux installed then they are going to want to have games to play on it. Once they start demanding then game makers will start making.


But in the meantime if your interested in gaming on linux news check out:
http://www.happypenguin.org/
http://www.linuxgames.com/
http://www.linux-gamers.net/

 

[drag]

Originally posted by: right winger
Yeah I figured, I guess I dont understand why they cant use or modify to use the converter that can take DirectX and convert to OpenGL.. Seems like once it is converted it would be a piece of cake to make it work. I mean with my UT2004 install in Linux it used 90% of the same files on the CD's just a different executable. I believe the game is written in C++ and it has opengl so that's what made it easy to run in both. Why cant this happen more now that there is some sort of converter?

Most games nowadays use commercial game engines. So the actual game logic programming-wise is mostly isolated from the actual platform the game runs on.. so it's actually mostly immaterial for most games weither or not the engine runs OpenGL or DirectX.

Most big game engines (the most notable exception is Halflife 2 engine) run on Linux already. SO it's not realy technical limitations so much, it's economic issues.

In other words nobody is going to spend a lot of time porting a game to Linux when they could be spending that time working on the next game.

 

[Brazen]

The fact that this linux users getting banned from WoW thing is getting so much attention, you would think would be a clue to game designers that linux users are good size of the market.

 

[pkme2]

For most newbies, Windows can be very complicated to the uninformed.
Many don't do backups, or do weekly scans for spyware and possible viruses.
Therein lies the majority of problems. I get their computers infested with trojans and the like.

Next come the huge bill to reinstall everything after a complete wipe.
The best solution? I recommend Linux Ubuntu because its ease of use and its free.

No viruses, no spyware and all software free. What a deal!
More articles like this would help a wealth of people who just email, write letters and surf the Internet.
The growing popularity of Ubuntu has many switching.

 

[greylica]

Originally posted by: Brazen
The fact that this linux users getting banned from WoW thing is getting so much attention, you would think would be a clue to game designers that linux users are good size of the market.

Haha, there is a kind of New Spyware/Adware provided from game industry, if you do not want them to bother yopu they will ban you.
The Next step is bring Anti-Vírus and Anti-Spywares for the Games world.
All running in Windows of course.

 

[right winger]

Thanks guys for all the great input! I just wish and hope that one day gaming in Linux will be a reality. That's the only reason I have not switched to Linux.

 

[right winger]

Thanks guys for all the great input! I just wish and hope that one day gaming in Linux will be a reality. That's the only reason I have not switched to Linux.

 

[right winger]

Thanks guys for all the great input! I just wish and hope that one day gaming in Linux will be a reality. That's the only reason I have not switched to Linux.

 

[gregor7777]

When I build a system for someone, and the thought of instaling Linux crosses my mind, you know what ALWAYS forces me to choose Windows?


That call 6 months down the road when they picked up some crappy CD with 60 games and 120 pieces of spyware that they want to install but can't figure out how.

Telling them they can't but that Linux has thousands of great games that are free does not cut it. They want that Dora the Explorer game to work and they want it now. lol

EDIT: I speel good

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: gregor7777
When I build a system for someone, and the thought of instaling Linux crosses my mind, you know what ALWAYS forces me to choose Windows?


That call 6 months down the road when they picked up some crappy CD with 60 games and 120 pieces of spyware that they want to install but can't figure out how.

Telling them they can't but that Linux has thousands of great games that are free does not cut it. They want that Dora the Explorer game to work and they want it now. lol

EDIT: I speel good

Yep, unfortunately, that's the exact problem I run in to, also.