The Linux community is one full of passion. From the outside it may seem strange why a small percentage of people around the world care so much about an operating system, after all it's merely a tool or set of tools used to complete certain tasks.
For many of us it isn’t that simple however, and we have a multitude and wide variety of reasons which drive us to support Linux in the way we do. Be it contributing code, running websites like this one or simply advocating the OS and showing its greatness to others.
Some have different views to others, some may insist on calling it GNU/Linux and may insist on only using free software, while others may be less ideologically inclined and simply use Linux because it's the best operating system out there. What unites all these people is the operating system and the desire for it to succeed, seeing it widely adopted or improving in many areas.
In fact, this desire for success and to show the world that we exist has led many of us to take regrettable actions, ranging from abusiveness in forums to insulting the CEO of a major game development company or even going as far as threatening developers who aren’t supporting the platform.
In the gaming world, what often makes many of us flip out most (or the more level headed among us, respond in a constructive manner) is when two simple facts are stated:
1 - Linux only accounts for a small percentage of the desktop market.
2 - Many Linux gamers dual boot or have access to a Windows machine.
While there is not a huge amount we can do about the first of these two points, the second is one which always perplexes me considering it's so simple to amend. If there are so many of us who care so greatly about Linux succeeding (often to the point where we act immaturely) then why do so many of us commit the “cardinal sin” of the Linux world and use Windows?
When I set out to do the GOL survey, one of the things I expected was the number of dual booters to slowly decline as more games come out. In June of last year there were 500 Linux games on Steam. Since then, that number has risen to 1000 and we’ve had huge games like CS:GO, Dying Light, Borderlands 2, Dead Island, Civilization: BE and many AAA games right round the corner.
Despite this, and despite the passions which surround Linux, our survey has shown no significant change in the amount of people dual booting or who have a Windows partition, unlike the amount of people using Wine which seems to be showing signs of declining. In many ways, it seems as if while Linux gaming is making leaps and bounds, Linux gamers are standing still.
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The controversial phrase “Sie wissen das nicht, aber sie tun es” (they do not know it, but still they do it) from Das Kapital comes to mind, though condescending and completely incorrect in this case. Dual booting is far more cynical, a case of “they know very well what they are doing, but still they do it”.
We are all fully aware that the thought of Linux users dual booting and using Wine as a motive not to port a game to Linux has crossed the minds of many developers and even though we may badly want that game on our OS of choice, we still choose to be part of that percentage which makes that argument a valid one.
So why this doublethink? With the recent case of the WoW petition, it is a certainty that all those signing the petition who play WoW do so either on Windows or through Wine. It is easy to see how Blizzard CEO said what he said:
From his perspective, why should he spend money on porting a game to a platform when nearly all the people who would benefit from it are customers already? The irony of the petition is that its very existence also negates its purpose (unless, of course, Linux users were to abandon Blizzard altogether).
As much as I personally loathe the idea, the unavoidable fact is that we do live in a global free market which defines culture as an industry and decides who gets access to that culture based primarily on the profit motive. Culture, in this case, is video games and to many companies giving Linux users access to that culture does not fall within the worldview of putting profit above all else.
It is somewhat presumptuous to state to people whose lives are dictated by this fundamental premise that they are wrong in their conclusions. Simply put, yes 2% (or thereabouts) may be worth it to many developers financially, but when taking into account that with a game like WoW many (if not most) of their potential 2% like the game enough to sacrifice their principles in order to play it, then the rigid logic of the free market implies that WoW (and games like it) will never come to Linux so long as those individuals continue to choose the game over the operating system.
In essence, that 2% in many cases is non-existent and rather than being its own separate "market segment", developers like Blizzard will continue to see it as a percentage of the Windows market which also happens to use Linux on the side, that is, until people stop dual booting. Simply put, there is a significantly higher chance of games getting ported if users use Linux and Linux alone.
Thoughts and suggestions
The intention of this article isn’t to tell people what to do or to shout people down for not thinking in the same way as I do (in fact, if I see discussion heading in that direction, I may well see to it that comments are deleted). The intention is to create a debate surrounding a few simple questions to which there are no right and wrong answers:
- Why do you dual boot?
- Do you see yourself first as a gamer, then as a Linux user?
- Are the 1000+ games on Steam and hundreds more on other sites still not enough for you to be a 100% Linux gamer?
- If you feel so passionately about Linux that you’ll take questionable actions to defend it, then why not do the most simple thing and stop gaming on Windows?
- As someone with a tendency towards a specific genre, do you feel the current Linux suggestion doesn't cater to your gaming needs?
Ideally, I would like to see the number of dual booters decline after reaching some sort of consensus that it would be in all our best interests. I see myself as a Linux user first and a gamer second, and haven’t had Windows on a single computer since ~2008. However, I bear no animosity towards those who think differently. If all that comes of this article is an enlightening debate surrounding these issues and perhaps leads others to oppose the statements made in this article through other articles or through comments, then I’ll still be more than happy.
Even though I may have my own views as to how things should progress which may differ from those of others, I think we can all agree that being respectful, helpful and constructive goes a long way - be it to each other or to the developers which are (or aren't) porting our games. Though dual booting might not be something will (or maybe even should) disappear overnight, aggression and abuse certainly should. Likewise, the same goes for buying Linux games before porting - something which has been repeated and discussed time and time again. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
For many of us it isn’t that simple however, and we have a multitude and wide variety of reasons which drive us to support Linux in the way we do. Be it contributing code, running websites like this one or simply advocating the OS and showing its greatness to others.
Some have different views to others, some may insist on calling it GNU/Linux and may insist on only using free software, while others may be less ideologically inclined and simply use Linux because it's the best operating system out there. What unites all these people is the operating system and the desire for it to succeed, seeing it widely adopted or improving in many areas.
In fact, this desire for success and to show the world that we exist has led many of us to take regrettable actions, ranging from abusiveness in forums to insulting the CEO of a major game development company or even going as far as threatening developers who aren’t supporting the platform.
In the gaming world, what often makes many of us flip out most (or the more level headed among us, respond in a constructive manner) is when two simple facts are stated:
1 - Linux only accounts for a small percentage of the desktop market.
2 - Many Linux gamers dual boot or have access to a Windows machine.
While there is not a huge amount we can do about the first of these two points, the second is one which always perplexes me considering it's so simple to amend. If there are so many of us who care so greatly about Linux succeeding (often to the point where we act immaturely) then why do so many of us commit the “cardinal sin” of the Linux world and use Windows?
When I set out to do the GOL survey, one of the things I expected was the number of dual booters to slowly decline as more games come out. In June of last year there were 500 Linux games on Steam. Since then, that number has risen to 1000 and we’ve had huge games like CS:GO, Dying Light, Borderlands 2, Dead Island, Civilization: BE and many AAA games right round the corner.
Despite this, and despite the passions which surround Linux, our survey has shown no significant change in the amount of people dual booting or who have a Windows partition, unlike the amount of people using Wine which seems to be showing signs of declining. In many ways, it seems as if while Linux gaming is making leaps and bounds, Linux gamers are standing still.
The controversial phrase “Sie wissen das nicht, aber sie tun es” (they do not know it, but still they do it) from Das Kapital comes to mind, though condescending and completely incorrect in this case. Dual booting is far more cynical, a case of “they know very well what they are doing, but still they do it”.
We are all fully aware that the thought of Linux users dual booting and using Wine as a motive not to port a game to Linux has crossed the minds of many developers and even though we may badly want that game on our OS of choice, we still choose to be part of that percentage which makes that argument a valid one.
So why this doublethink? With the recent case of the WoW petition, it is a certainty that all those signing the petition who play WoW do so either on Windows or through Wine. It is easy to see how Blizzard CEO said what he said:
Michael MorhaimeLinux usage represents less than 2% of installed desktop operating systems browsing the web, and I would assume most of those people also have access to a Windows or Mac device capable of playing Blizzard games.
From his perspective, why should he spend money on porting a game to a platform when nearly all the people who would benefit from it are customers already? The irony of the petition is that its very existence also negates its purpose (unless, of course, Linux users were to abandon Blizzard altogether).
As much as I personally loathe the idea, the unavoidable fact is that we do live in a global free market which defines culture as an industry and decides who gets access to that culture based primarily on the profit motive. Culture, in this case, is video games and to many companies giving Linux users access to that culture does not fall within the worldview of putting profit above all else.
It is somewhat presumptuous to state to people whose lives are dictated by this fundamental premise that they are wrong in their conclusions. Simply put, yes 2% (or thereabouts) may be worth it to many developers financially, but when taking into account that with a game like WoW many (if not most) of their potential 2% like the game enough to sacrifice their principles in order to play it, then the rigid logic of the free market implies that WoW (and games like it) will never come to Linux so long as those individuals continue to choose the game over the operating system.
In essence, that 2% in many cases is non-existent and rather than being its own separate "market segment", developers like Blizzard will continue to see it as a percentage of the Windows market which also happens to use Linux on the side, that is, until people stop dual booting. Simply put, there is a significantly higher chance of games getting ported if users use Linux and Linux alone.
Thoughts and suggestions
The intention of this article isn’t to tell people what to do or to shout people down for not thinking in the same way as I do (in fact, if I see discussion heading in that direction, I may well see to it that comments are deleted). The intention is to create a debate surrounding a few simple questions to which there are no right and wrong answers:
- Why do you dual boot?
- Do you see yourself first as a gamer, then as a Linux user?
- Are the 1000+ games on Steam and hundreds more on other sites still not enough for you to be a 100% Linux gamer?
- If you feel so passionately about Linux that you’ll take questionable actions to defend it, then why not do the most simple thing and stop gaming on Windows?
- As someone with a tendency towards a specific genre, do you feel the current Linux suggestion doesn't cater to your gaming needs?
Ideally, I would like to see the number of dual booters decline after reaching some sort of consensus that it would be in all our best interests. I see myself as a Linux user first and a gamer second, and haven’t had Windows on a single computer since ~2008. However, I bear no animosity towards those who think differently. If all that comes of this article is an enlightening debate surrounding these issues and perhaps leads others to oppose the statements made in this article through other articles or through comments, then I’ll still be more than happy.
Even though I may have my own views as to how things should progress which may differ from those of others, I think we can all agree that being respectful, helpful and constructive goes a long way - be it to each other or to the developers which are (or aren't) porting our games. Though dual booting might not be something will (or maybe even should) disappear overnight, aggression and abuse certainly should. Likewise, the same goes for buying Linux games before porting - something which has been repeated and discussed time and time again. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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serato dj + ddj sx.
While my ddj sx is supported in midi mode (sub optimal) , there is no real alternative to tracktor pro or serato dj on linux. The only free software mixxx doesn't support 4 decks and don't have a mapping for the ddj sx (maybe with the new version ..). Also besides mixxx is a good software it's still not at a level of traktor pro or serato dj. Also to make a linux djing system you want jack instead of pulseaudio ... which is a task in itself.
Beside that i don't realy game on windows anymore , but if i could vote for games i would like to see on linux:
- skyrim or fallout3 (one of the current bethesda rpg's) -> TW3 maybe is a alternative
- Path of Exile (maybe the only game i realy play regulary in wine) -> TL2 will maybe fit in for a while but it won't solve that i miss PoE
- The Secret World (maybe the only mmorpg i'm realy interested to go into lore)
- Deadly Premonition
Of course there is a huge selection of other games i would like to play native but the above 4 are the once i realy like. I hoped for Blizzard to have another oppinion Diablo 3 was something i would buy if it appears to run native on linux but with this respond i'm not willing to spend money for them.
I enjoy the Dark Souls series and a few others mentioned in this discussion, which will likely never see a Linux port. Performance on Linux isn't at parity yet with Windows versions, and likely won't ever be for older games. We'll have to wait until next year for that dream to become reality.
When I was younger I was gamer first and second a Linux user. I work with Linux every day, so this has now flipped.
Most people don't buy gaming systems for the system. They buy them for the games. Just as a single game such as Halo drives Xbox sales, Mario drives WiiCube64System sales, good games only released on Windows will drive Windows use. For me personally, It's more or less enough but I still have access to windows machines, so I'll still use them to play the games I want to.
I don't believe I take questionable actions to defend Linux. I take pragmatic ones. I am just a user. I'm not a crusader. I just want to play video games. If Linux can't quite meet that need then I'll go elsewhere from time to time.
I've been playing video games for over 20 years now, I've played probably most genres over that time. Of the 1000 games available most of those genres are covered. Just rather sparsely.... It's still early days, so long as Valve and others keep convincing publishers to releases Linux versions alongside Mac variants this problem will go away slowly but surely.
On a side note the big 3; Activision, Ubisoft, EA will follow only if the Linux user base over takes Mac's. That is likely only going to happen through Steam Machines being successful.
Well, first of all Unity was never really my favourite desktop environment to begin with. These days its not half bad but until they allow you to completely disable the Unity bar I'll have a major gripe with it.
Enter Unity 8. Have you tried the beta of Unity 8? That hybrid desktop/tablet interface is just awful. I'm very happy they managed to convince big time phone manufacturers like Samsung make Ununtu phones but mixing desktop and mobile interface is a disaster. At least in Windows 8 I could fix that problem with 5 bucks for Start8. Honestly - of all distros I enjoy ElementaryOS' (respectively Pantheon's) interface the most but sadly it's development cycles are so sparse Ubuntu 14.04 repos will be stone age old by the time Freya hits 1.0.
PS You're missing out on Planetside 2 - the game is almost playable with an i7, now (at least 30% of my decision to get one last month :D)
I do use Wine. Playing Skyrim, Dishonored, The Banner Saga, Galactiv Civilizations II and Hearthstone under Wine. You have to do some research sometimes to make it work but it's less annoying than maintaining a whole Windows system.
Linux is so much more usable than Windows if your main concerns are security and ease of maintenance (automatic backups, full-disk encryption, re-installing a whole system after a crash and of course automatic updates for all your installed software not only the OS…). And I love KDE. Especially Dolphin. Windows is crap compared to that.
So, here are two little tips to help you to abandon Windows:
Look via Google for alternatives on Linux to the Windows programs you got used to. Alternativeto.net seems to be a pretty good website for that purpose, too.
Look in the AppDB of Winehq.org for some hints to possibly run games which are not ported (yet).
The only real solution to this problem is exactly what Valve is doing with Steam Machines. You've got to ignore Linux and come from the angle of a "console". Its all about perception here. I tried to pitch this exact idea on that old Ubuntu suggestions site but it didn't seem like folks could wrap their heads around it. Just think about how every so many years folks are willing to drop money on a next gen console that has limited games and doesn't play the games from their previous console. They do so for the benefit of next gen games/graphics. You can't quite pull that off with Linux alone because first of all its basically the same level of graphics on the same hardware. But most importantly you don't have the promise of all of these "next gen" games coming. If Valve can show as they are now that the games are coming then maybe they will grab some of the console folks looking for the ultimate in graphics. I say maybe because there's lots of religion involved, price points and other things to consider.
If they pull the above off its then that the PC gamer that's interested in Linux might be able to drop Windows as there would be enough games to enjoy on Linux. Then you'll start to see a shift and with it even more game support. This is all riding on Valve to some extent but there's also the game engines like Unity and the coming Vulcan project that remove roadblocks from Linux development and support. Those that wish to stick to the DirectX route will simply never support Linux.
First of all... I have used Linux in professional life since 1995. I have used windows for personal up until last year. I dual boot for 2 reasons: games i cannot get running in wine or native linux and 2 ... i am support for a bunch of people and I need to know everything about windows to save them from themselves.
- Do you see yourself first as a gamer, then as a Linux user?
Neither... Professionally, I am unix/linux 100%... no windows. Privately, up until last year, I was windows at home due to 2 reasons: games and tv. I was able to convert from mce to mythtv and then the house to linux. Also, family was windows for a while too. I have been gaming since 1982. I am still a gamer at heart and have almost 600 games in steam. So most of these games I bought years ago that are coming to linux. I have 278 working in wine and 150 native.
- Are the 1000+ games on Steam and hundreds more on other sites still not enough for you to be a 100% Linux gamer?
I only buy games that have native linux now. The problem is some of my favs only run in windows like bioshock series, fear, gta, max payne 3, poker night, among others... The thing is... i can go without most of these but the ones i mentioned. Last windows only game i have bought was guantlet.
- If you feel so passionately about Linux that you’ll take questionable actions to defend it, then why not do the most simple thing and stop gaming on Windows?
I have no issues playing on wine when there is no alternative. As long as windows os is no where near my network. I have rebought some games that came out for linux.
- As someone with a tendency towards a specific genre, do you feel the current Linux suggestion doesn't cater to your gaming needs?
definitely.... racing... no f1, grid is coming thankfully, need more fps... but i have converted most of my old ones like quakes, heretics, the old id games, prey to native linux. There is too much junk on steam right now. Although Plague, inc just appeared in linux and i am loving it.
The only games i use wine for is diablo3 and starcraft 2... the rest i use crossover which i support and have supported for 7 years now. Codeweavers is the corp caretaker of wine and made my switch and my family's possible. Most of the games in crossover could not get working in the oss wine. Until we have critical mass to get the others converted, i am happy this way. I am not getting any younger.
After all, it saves time. I sometimes like to actually play games when coming home from work, and not work more to make them work.
And thats fully a "graphics drivers vs Xorg" issue whats consuming that much time for me.
Today i wasted 9 hours again in trying to get nvidia-optimus/bumblebee running in some kind of reliable fashion, with the end result that my x wont start anymore.
Oh my god thinking of Wayland and Vulcan makes me happy.