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Popular multiplayer code editor Zed gets a Linux release
11 July 2024 at 4:45 pm UTC Likes: 5

Quoting: dmoonfireAs opposed to being self-hosted network services first and happen to have an instance for those who don't want to manage a hosted ve4aion themselves.
That's still paid-for, you just pay someone else for the hosting, not the editor dev.

Either way, I agree it would be nice if they gave you tools for self-hosting.

Quoting: ShadMessaMultiplayer what's a multiplayer code editor ???
Multiple people editing a file at the same time while seeing what the others are doing.

It's been a bit of a fad recently. You know, the kind of thing executives get super giddy about, but most actual developers roll their eyes when they aren't looking ;)

There are of some cases where it can be useful (say debugging an especially nasty bug or ironing out interfaces, etc.).
And it is nice to not have to deal with merge issues in case two people edited the same file at the same time.
But overall I'd say it's a nice little thing, but has the distinct taste of a solution looking for a problem. I've been doing this coding thing for 15+ years and don't think I ever thought "boy, I wish someone else could also edit this file right now".

Plus who the hell wants to have someone else (potentially) looking over their shoulder all the time while coding?

Popular multiplayer code editor Zed gets a Linux release
11 July 2024 at 12:25 pm UTC

Quoting: dmoonfireAnd, of course, the network-based services are going to be paid-for:
How could they not be paid-for?
They certainly cause network traffic. And I don't think they are running on donations.

I gave it a quick glance. Makes a nice first impression, but time will tell if it can actually replace VSCode (I'd sure love to get rid of it eventually).

Nexus mods want feedback from Linux / Steam Deck users on their new cross-platform app
3 July 2024 at 5:58 am UTC Likes: 3

Quoting: MadWolf
Quoting: Halgari
Quoting: officerniceFeedback: stop using electron.

Well good news, it's not Electron!

I agree though, electron isn't a good choice for an application of this nature.

hi IMHO electron is never a good choice for any applications
It is when all you have is a bunch of developers who are all familiar with web technologies & NodeJS but not much else...

In the end, Electron does waste of lot resources and is just straight slower than alternatives, but I don't think it really matters for an application like this.

And hey, pressing F12 to debug an application you are using (most seem to not disable this feature) is pretty cool.
And anything cross-platform beats whatever the hell they were using for the previous app.

Valve faces a £656 million lawsuit in the UK for 'overcharging 14 million PC gamers'
14 June 2024 at 8:41 pm UTC Likes: 2

Quoting: gradyvuckovicThis means, if Valve was FORCED to allow developers to sell those keys at cheaper prices elsewhere, those developers could offer say, a 5% discount by selling those keys on their own websites, gamers could go there and buy the game for slightly cheaper, then activate the game on their Steam account.

The developer walks away with more money because they paid no revenue split, gamers walk away with a cheaper game, and Valve is left holding the bag paying for the hosting of the game's files, cloud saves, screenshots, discussion forums, workshop files, matchmaking, and so on... 'forever', or at least, as long as Valve, and PC gaming, and Steam, all exist, without a cent of revenue to pay for it. How is that 'fair'?
I think it is time to leave dreamland here.

First of all, you will already be able to find developers selling games on other websites cheaper than on Steam. And I'm not talking about shady websites, but the legitimate ones.
Just go on sites like https://gg.deals/ or https://isthereanydeal.com/ and check, you won't have trouble finding sales going on where games are cheaper on platform X than on Steam.
I highly doubt that is against the contract or it wouldn't be happening to this massive degree. So Valve is clearly okay with it.

Then, of course the developer still pays a revenue split on other websites. What, you think sites like fanatical, etc. take nothing?
The cut might be lower than Steam's, but there is definitely still a cut.

Lastly, it's not like Valve isn't getting anything out of the deal, they aren't running a charity.
They allowed (and fostered!) this environment outside of their own store in order to gain user numbers. And it works, obviously. Users flood to Steam and then buy most of their games there, regardless of what happens outside of Steam.
That's more than "fair".

Valve faces a £656 million lawsuit in the UK for 'overcharging 14 million PC gamers'
12 June 2024 at 8:15 pm UTC Likes: 4

I don't think this lawsuit has much of a chance.

While I agree with the last two points, I doubt one could argue any of them in court.
You cannot via court force someone to lower their platform fees, especially not if that fee is the industry standard. An industry standard that is way too high and way beyond what it should be, yes, but that's not what's being argued here.

Isn't the first point simply wrong?
I've seen games on sale plenty of times outside of Steam, while on Steam they were not on sale. Thus making the games cheaper elsewhere.
Or is there some clause that allows this, but only for selling Steam keys?

Kaspersky release a free Virus Removal Tool for Linux
3 June 2024 at 1:52 pm UTC Likes: 6

I have never needed an anti virus tool on Windows.
I will never need an anti virus tool on Linux to run constant scans, either.
Just be aware of what you install and where you install it from. Served me well so far and I don't think that'll ever change.
The biggest threat to cybersecurity is not the OS or the hardware or the software. It sits in front of the computer.

That said, considering the recent reveals of how vulnerable FOSS is to malicious intent combined with long-term preparation, it might make sense - especially for companies - to have some kind of virus detection running on Linux machines at least somewhat regularly.

That nobody should trust Kaspersky these days is quite obvious, but that's not really the primary issue.

Dev of crowdfunded WW1 survival-horror game CONSCRIPT cancels Linux and macOS versions
2 June 2024 at 6:59 am UTC Likes: 5

And this is exactly why
Quoting: Pengling
Quoting: fleskNot so strange that only 0.6% of Linux and macOS users wishlisted the game when it's listed as Windows only on Steam though?
Self-fulfilling prophecy, or convenient get-out?
Kinda both, but I don't think it really matters.

It just proves what I always say: Platform support as a KS stretch goal just makes no sense whatsoever, as it is not a flat amount of money to be paid and then it's done, but it is a constant maintenance, which WILL add up to more than the meager amount almost always asked in these goals.

QuotePorting costs would exceed 20k easily. Then you have QA costs that inflate the budget even more.

Because this has been a 7 year development and I’m a solo developer on my first game, the priorities had to change and I hope that’s understandable. Once console ports started becoming a possibility, the priorities shifted towards those 5 extra platforms instead of 2 platforms that will generate $2k between them if I’m lucky.
Exactly that. He might be wrong about the low income from Mac/Linux if there were ports, but it's fairly clear it wouldn't cover the initial porting + additional maintenance & QA cost.

QuoteThis is definitely a failure of mine, I own it and I’ll take it on the chin. I should have organized the initial campaign with a little more foresight into the market and how things were trending.
And he's right with this, as well.
He made a mistake and owns it. Fair enough, really.

That's my big issue with a lot of KS, though - devs who clearly did not do any research other than "how to have my KS page look and make a video".

Dev of crowdfunded WW1 survival-horror game CONSCRIPT cancels Linux and macOS versions
31 May 2024 at 7:14 am UTC Likes: 7

Quoting: PyrateKickstarter backing always sounded like one of those first-world people things, a concept a couple steps away from something like donating to twitch streamers; a total waste of money.
Woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something?

Giving money to people whose content you enjoy (for whatever reason, you do you) is not a waste of money.
It's no different from going to a bar and *gasp* paying for your drink or paying for a movie or a game because you enjoy those things.

TUXEDO Stellaris Slim 15 revealed for high performance in a small package
28 May 2024 at 6:31 am UTC

Won't they get into trouble with that name? Stellaris is trademarked.
Not that Paradox seems very likely to sue a PC manufacturer, but still.

Then again I am not a lawyer, so no clue if trademarks might only apply to similar things (and I'd argue a laptop and a game are not so similar).

King under the Mountain (Mountaincore) went open source as developer shuts down
21 May 2024 at 1:12 pm UTC Likes: 5

I understand why the publisher would back out.

Games of this kind need to stand out quickly - best at first glance - to stand a chance.
If the player cannot answer "Why would I play this if I can instead play that other extremely similar game that seems much better/I already own?", then there is little chance for success.

And despite owning both the original game and Mountaincore, and repeatedly checking in on it and looking at gameplay, I never really saw anything that made me want to play the game over any of its "competitors".
A look that would always immediately remind people of RimWorld and gameplay that was neither as deep as RimWorld nor even close to Dwarf Fortress. And that was an issue from the get-go.

What I don't understand is why the publisher started financing in the first place.
It seems obvious that this never really had a chance of much success. And a publisher should have the market overview to recognize that.

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