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Latest Comments by pleasereadthemanual
Linux remains above macOS on the Steam Survey for January 2024
2 February 2024 at 1:24 pm UTC Likes: 1

Quoting: damarrin
Quoting: pleasereadthemanual'm not sure if there are incentives to use the App Store over Steam. It seems like they get the same cut. I know macOS programs from the App Store tend to be gutted compared to programs distributed outside of it because of restrictions (DaVinci Resolve being one such example, Affinity Suite being another).

Well, the App Store is there on every Mac, you don't need to install it by yourself. Plus, users with iPhones will already know it's the place to get all software and Apple will actively steer people towards it. Also, IIRC, it would hide software that wouldn't run on your Mac (a simple check for OS version and 32/64 bits, nothing fancy like checking gfx card requirements).

There's a strong dislike for the built-in store on Windows AFAICT, this isn't the case on the Mac. People love it. And I'm sure devs who make software for the Mac do as well (except for the likes of Epic). After all, as we Linux users all know, hunting the web for programs and downloading installers is the silliest thing ever.

Plus, "tend to be gutted" is much too strong of a statement. Yes, software will need to be modified in some instances (like years ago LibreOffice not being able to be on there because of their Java dependecy, IDK if this has changed or not), but I'd say the vast majority is made with with Mac and App Store in mind from the start.

As for Steam, Valve doesn't need the Mac and Apple doesn't need Valve.
I can only speak for myself: I tried to use the App Store, but when I realized the functionality I needed to use in the software just didn't exist seemingly because of some weird App Store regulations, I gave up on it. I had a sample size of 2 programs, and they were both lacking something from memory. Of course, I didn't use it at all after that, so I can't say anything for other programs. I say this as someone who used an iPhone for 10 years and macOS for a little longer. It also doesn't have a great selection compared to say, homebrew. I think this is partly because open source programs aren't allowed on the App Store.[^1]

But in principle I agree with all your points. What better marketing strategy is there than to have your program displayed in the App Store, directly accessible compared to trying to find the developer's website? That's certainly reason enough to list your program in the App Store.

[^1]: I've tried to look into the situation. The developer for Raivo OTP claims the app can't be open source because Apple won't accept it. The FSF said 10 years ago that only the GPL/LGPL family of licenses weren't accepted. I don't really know what's going on here, but I'm assuming open source programs aren't allowed for some reason.

Linux remains above macOS on the Steam Survey for January 2024
2 February 2024 at 11:39 am UTC Likes: 10

A completely different opinion here:

It might be that gaming on macOS becomes more of a thing, but rather than being through Steam, it's through the App Store, or the developer's website. If you've gone to the trouble of porting the game to Metal, you might as well use the App Store.

I'm not sure if there are incentives to use the App Store over Steam. It seems like they get the same cut. I know macOS programs from the App Store tend to be gutted compared to programs distributed outside of it because of restrictions (DaVinci Resolve being one such example, Affinity Suite being another).

Another thought: I would be completely okay with Linux hitting 15% and 14% of that being Steam Deck users. Unlike ChromeOS, Valve has made absolutely no effort to distinguish between the Steam Deck and Linux proper. They're all just one system. On the hardware survey, I would assume ChromeOS just shows up as Linux.

ChromeOS (now that Google has dropped Stadia) is making a push toward Proton. In November, Google partnered with ProtonDB: https://www.protondb.com/news/chromebook-reports

So...it's gonna be an interesting few years.

Sonic x Shadow Generations announced with a Sonic Generations remaster
2 February 2024 at 2:39 am UTC Likes: 1

Quoting: Pengling
Quoting: pleasereadthemanualI liked the game as a kid when I rented it from Blockbuster...
I can say without exaggeration that you're the first person I've ever met who had something that wasn't negative to say about it. I actually find that genuinely interesting, as I had been under the impression that it was universally-maligned. Thankyou.
Being a kid, I wouldn't say I had much taste. I remember it having a cool aesthetic, and I always liked Shadow more than Sonic...

I also played a lot of Sonic '06; thought it was annoyingly hard at points but overall not too bad. Sonic Heroes was definitely my favorite, though I never managed to finish it.

What a trip back in time.

Sonic x Shadow Generations announced with a Sonic Generations remaster
1 February 2024 at 11:54 am UTC Likes: 4

Quoting: PenglingDid people seriously want a sequel to Shadow the Hedgehog...?
I liked the game as a kid when I rented it from Blockbuster...

Game Boy homebrew scene alive and well thanks to the open source GB Studio
1 February 2024 at 3:38 am UTC Likes: 2

Quoting: RandomizedKirbyTree47NPCKC (developer of A Petshop After Dark, A Hero and a Garden, A Tavern for Tea, and A Year of Springs), is making a game in GB Studio that's near release, and she's going to package it as a native Linux game in addition to selling physical Gameboy cartridges. I'm really excited about it because I like her other games. Here's the Steam page.
Hey, another npckc fan!

The native Linux demo works well already. I'm always surprised by npckc's games because they're in genres I wouldn't normally enjoy, but they're always fun for me anyway.

Spec Ops: The Line gets delisted on Steam - you can still buy it elsewhere for now
30 January 2024 at 10:42 am UTC Likes: 1

I was seconds away from buying this game on GOG before I realized I already own it on Steam. I also own it on Xbox through Games With Gold, which means I probably can't play it on Xbox since I no longer have a Gold subscription...

I have no idea when I acquired the game on Steam. It must have been through a Humble Choice or something...

Wine 9.1 released starting off another year of development
28 January 2024 at 12:31 pm UTC Likes: 2

QuoteIs there anything you're hoping to get fixed up in Wine soon?
I'm very confident we're mere months away from the full Adobe Creative Suite working perfectly in Wine.



/s

Roblox now helping fund Blender development
25 January 2024 at 2:24 pm UTC Likes: 9

Every time I look at the fund.blender.org page, there are more huge sponsor badges. It's good to see.

The Pokémon Company confirm investigation into Palworld
25 January 2024 at 2:22 pm UTC Likes: 1

Quoting: TheRiddick
Quoting: pleasereadthemanualOut of curiosity, do you have an opinion on Tanya Grotter?

Yeah I don't know how original the Harry Potter books were or if they took ideas from other media (likely).

But those similarities seem mostly fine to me. It's very obvious Tanya is inspired by Harry Potter book series, almost in a mocking sort of way, lol (is it a parody?)
They tried to argue it was a parody (unsuccessfully, apparently). I don't know if it ever went to court, but JK Rowling and Warner certainly scared them enough. More details further up the Wikipedia page.

My personal belief is that this is not enough to constitute a derivative work...but I'm not sure how the courts saw it.

The Pokémon Company confirm investigation into Palworld
25 January 2024 at 1:49 pm UTC Likes: 2

Quoting: TheRiddick
Quoting: Talon1024There is already clear-cut solid evidence of plaigiarism on the part of Pocketpair.

You seem to fail to even listen to what anyone is saying. Simply making something very similar is NOT illegal or grounds for massive legal pursuits, especially when those concepts were taken from games/media before it!

You are basically saying the idea of these models is OWNED by Nintendo/Pokemon, but they really aren't, and if they won a case on that basis, it would send shock-waves throughout the gaming industry because it would open a legal pandora's box.

In case its not blunt enough. You can't sue based on similarities to works of arts you stole the ideas from other games/media!

The people continuing to ignore this obvious fact or listen to reasoning have clear bias motive in play.
Out of curiosity, do you have an opinion on Tanya Grotter?

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