Noclip have done an interesting documentary on how GOG came to be

Funny they are calling it "Gee-O-Gee". When they speak in Polish they call it "G-O-G".

Great interview! It explains well how many difficulties can arise to bring older games back. Here is another article about it:

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/09/16/how-gog-com-save-and-restore-classic-videogames/

Quoting: ShmerlFunny they are calling it "Gee-O-Gee". When they speak in Polish they call it "G-O-G".

They gave up on GOG being an abbreviation for Good Old Games, but it's still just three letters. It's likely they do not think it's important how people pronounce these letters as long as they remember them. :)

Yeah, I don't spell it out and say it as a single word.

GOG is highly irrelevant for GNU/Linux gaming. With its "zero-effort" policy towards us we are lucky if a game actually gets Linux version there with slight(?) delay. Sometimes Linux version will simply be Steam-exclusive due to either Feral's descision or lack of the "Galaxy API" functionality.

Great documentary. Always interesting to see how it all started. To me, the most revealing part of the documentary is when they mention bringing console games to the platform. The fact that they have tried, and that even it seems a plan for the future, however complicated, it could be a massive deal breaker for their business. And haven for us.

Quoting: GuestZero effort releasing DRM-free games on Linux? I don't think Feral can make a decision about releasing a port DRM-free. Also Feral's ports are small compare to the whole.

We are not discussing this again.

Quoting: GuestIn fact GOG is highly relevant for preserving gaming history (and moving forward), and not let one corporation dictate things in the world of PC gaming. …

And what it has to do with Linux?

Quoting: GuestYou don't need Galaxy to play games either. I am enjoying the possibility to install and play games without internet on and being logged in to another 3rd party software. Of course I play mostly single player games, but still.

Says someone having Steamcommunity account. Please, don't preach me, I'm more DRM-free-guy than one can possibly be (never ever had a Steam account). In fact, I'm more DRM-free-guy than Linux-guy in a sense I can pay for DRM-free game for Windows but not for DRM-ed Linux one.

Quoting: GuestConvenience trumps freedom these days, and it's sad that many Linux users embraced it. Might as well as go back to Windows and play games on it...

And many do just that. Because GOG does nothing to propagate DRM-free games to Linux. As I said, it has "Zero Effort" approach. Like, "If it has Linux version and developers are willing to distribute it through us, then fine. If it hasn't -- screw this."

Right now "DRM-free" and "Linux" are orthogonal.

Quoting: GuestI don't think Feral can make a decision about releasing a port DRM-free.

They can, they said as much themselves. They just don't want to. But yes, there is a dedicated thread for that topic. And I agree, that for many convenience trumps freedom today.


Last edited by Shmerl on 24 July 2018 at 4:08 pm UTC

Quoting: Alm888With its "zero-effort" policy towards us we are lucky if a game actually gets Linux version

That hardly seems fair, considering they go to the effort of packaging games with MojoSetup. I can say that a small level of animosity towards GOG is justified, as they declined to support Linux at all multiple times before finally doing so, well after Valve did so with Steam. And of course there is the GOG Galaxy issue. But "zero-effort" is a bit of a slap in the face to the guy who is slaving away over there, testing and packaging on and for Linux.

Quoting: PhlebiacThat hardly seems fair, considering they go to the effort of packaging games with MojoSetup.

Even MojoSetup was not developed by them but by Ryan C. Gordon AKA "Icculus".
Needless to say, they are pathetic even at this. Constantly they delay Linux versions of games for inexplicable reasons (when reached, developers usually say they mailed Linux version to GOG long ago but have not got any response since then) or sometimes even allow developers to outright skip Linux updates (hello, "Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun", "Sudden Strike 4" and "This War of Mine"! ).

Quoting: PhlebiacI can say that a small level of animosity towards GOG is justified, as they declined to support Linux at all multiple times before finally doing so, well after Valve did so with Steam.

What was in the past was in the past. Water under the bridge. Let's speak about current matters.

Quoting: PhlebiacBut "zero-effort" is a bit of a slap in the face to the guy who is slaving away over there, testing and packaging on and for Linux.

Over the years GOG employees have said multiple times GOG has very limited resources ant their top brass thinks these resources should be spent elsewhere (like the site redesign, including recent one with another GOG Galaxy advertisement at the footer or "Library" ). The real "slap in the face" to all Linux users is the "In Progress" plaque on the wishlist entry for Galaxy on Linux sitting there for (how many? three?) years when we all know (and have been told so) it is not in the works. Not now, not "in the foreseeable future", as GOG likes to put it.

But most importantly, this news has absolutely nothing to do with Linux! At all!