For those still playing Minecraft, you may know that Mojang is working on a new launcher that doesn't use Java (hooray!), but it might not run on Linux (boo!).
I spoke to Nathan Adams one of the Minecraft developers on twitter who said this:
@gamingonlinux No official plans for linux, old launcher will continue to be updated for them. I'm gonna try anyway though, but no promises!
— Nathan Adams (@Dinnerbone) July 26, 2016
Thanks for the prompt response Nathan!
The good news is obviously the old launcher won't suddenly cease to function, but it's sad to see, as Linux sounds like it is essentially getting sidelined with no official plans for the newer launcher. One day the Linux java-based launcher may stop seeing any updates, and the new one will obviously have newer features that may eventually become required.
I highly suggest looking up one of the open source alternatives like Minetest, Voxelands, Terasology and others.
... wait, people still play vanilla? :P
Yeah, I don't think this is going to be as big of a deal as it's made out to be. There's ways to launch Minecraft right off the command line - it's just a Java app. If for whatever reason the official Mojang one stops working, there'll be alternatives abound.
It depends what the new launcher is written in - if it's Java as well, then I can't see it being difficult to support Linux with it. They probably just don't test it that well.
I deleted my Minecraft account the day the purchase was made public
Quoting: neowiz73the old launcher is fine, at least they are keeping it up to date. although I rarely play these days, ever once in a while when I get the wild hair to build something. but that's about it.
The default gui framework is swing, i'm not entirely sure what minecraft uses though.
Quoting: meracoIs this even legal?
Er, yes. I mean, why wouldn't it be? It's their game, they're free to do whatever they want with it.
Anyway... good thing there are a bunch of alternatives, though some of them might need a bit more work on the game feel.
Luke_Nukem Jul 26, 2016
Quoting: tmtvlQuoting: meracoIs this even legal?
Er, yes. I mean, why wouldn't it be? It's their game, they're free to do whatever they want with it.
Anyway... good thing there are a bunch of alternatives, though some of them might need a bit more work on the game feel.
There are plenty of great ones. Just need more people to contribute to them.
Quoting: KithopWait, people still use the vanilla launcher instead of a modpack one like FTB, ATLauncher, etc.?
... wait, people still play vanilla? :P
Yeah, I don't think this is going to be as big of a deal as it's made out to be. There's ways to launch Minecraft right off the command line - it's just a Java app. If for whatever reason the official Mojang one stops working, there'll be alternatives abound.
It depends what the new launcher is written in - if it's Java as well, then I can't see it being difficult to support Linux with it. They probably just don't test it that well.
The launcher is not only used to launch the game, it also handles i.e upgrades and authentication with the Mojang servers.
Last edited by F.Ultra on 26 July 2016 at 9:25 pm UTC
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