GNU/Linux As The Platform for the Future of Innovation and Gaming
Some weeks back, I wrote a blog entry entitled "Game Makers, Please Investigate the GNU/Linux Niche". The article was aimed at computer game developers and asked game makers to investigate whether porting many of their popular games to GNU/Linux might be profitable and successful venture.
I wrote the blog entry because time after time I see clues that indicate computer gaming can easily become a successful prospect on the GNU/Linux platform. Also, I wrote because I would like to see many more games ported to the GNU/Linux platform (well of course!).
The truth is, when I think of real excitement and action in the world of computing and technology, I think of GNU/Linux. Consider this: The GNU/Linux way of thinking has brought an un-compiled, basket case of mix-matched(yet very useful and powerful) parts together to create a Desktop Operating System that has creatively morphed into literally hundreds of specialized distributions, each with a more specific style and application. Think of getting all the parts for an F-22 Talon Fighter Jet from different sources located all over the world, and then having the team capable of doing so, put it all together right in front of your eyes, and then you getting to fly the new Jet wherever you want for FREE!! - that's how exciting GNU/Linux is!
The point here is that within just about 2 years, the parts and pieces of GNU/Linux for the Desktop(notice I have not mentioned Linux in the server role - as that's been popular longer) have come together to create a strong competitor to other major Desktop computer Operating Systems.
So now when I think of computer gaming, and I throw in the inertia and excitement of the GNU/Linux Desktop OS development model, I see a WHOLE NEW world of computer gaming spreading out before the world, and I see so much potential, and it's AWESOME!!
The model for proprietary Operating Systems is dead. Like software license keys, and proprietary document formats, proprietary Operating Systems are just so 1980s. It's 2009. Look around, you'll see that Openness is everywhere - desktop computers, servers, network devices, embedded devices, and even cell phones are either already running Open Operating Systems, or are moving towards using them. As pointed out in the recent linuxplanet.com article: "How Many Linux Users Are There (Really)?", everyone in the modernized, computer using world uses Linux every single day. So now it's time to get gaming on GNU/Linux and on the Desktop computer - no problem, that's what I say.
Why is this, you might ask? Because the Open Operating System allows utmost amount of innovation to grow from the base of it. When an Operating System is Open, it allows for the most state of the art changes to be made to the core of it easily, which allows the Open Operating System to remain in the forefront of technology. The Open model also allows for the maximum amount of advancement because it allows input from a whole planet of humans seeking to be enable themselves with technology versus the relatively small number of employees at a specific company. The Open Operating System creates the solid foundation upon which all other types of good software should be built upon.
But don't take my word for it. There are others out there that want to embrace GNU/Linux, the ones who have the intestinal fortitude that it takes to be a great company. As Ken Starks says in "Linux Gets Gooey for Friday the 13th" We now get the chance to do what we say we are going to do. It's been coming for a long time...now it's here. The "big boys" won't give us games...the little guys will. It's time to say thank you.: . One such example is 2D Boy(Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel), whom just ported their very popular(Wii game of the year 2008) game "World of Goo" over to Linux and are selling it for $20 a copy.
So there it is. Now you know why I'm pushing for GNU/Linux to be the premiere gaming/computing platform. It's all about Openness, the future of computing, about people getting the most from their computer systems, and most of all it's about humans being enabled with technology.
If you haven't tried GNU/Linux, you just don't know what you're missing (get started by clicking here). Use GNU/Linux, and start on your journey of the phenomenal combination of Freedom and Excitement that computer technology yearns to offer you in the world today.
Shannon VanWagner
http://humans-enabled.com
02-18-2009
I wrote the blog entry because time after time I see clues that indicate computer gaming can easily become a successful prospect on the GNU/Linux platform. Also, I wrote because I would like to see many more games ported to the GNU/Linux platform (well of course!).
The truth is, when I think of real excitement and action in the world of computing and technology, I think of GNU/Linux. Consider this: The GNU/Linux way of thinking has brought an un-compiled, basket case of mix-matched(yet very useful and powerful) parts together to create a Desktop Operating System that has creatively morphed into literally hundreds of specialized distributions, each with a more specific style and application. Think of getting all the parts for an F-22 Talon Fighter Jet from different sources located all over the world, and then having the team capable of doing so, put it all together right in front of your eyes, and then you getting to fly the new Jet wherever you want for FREE!! - that's how exciting GNU/Linux is!
The point here is that within just about 2 years, the parts and pieces of GNU/Linux for the Desktop(notice I have not mentioned Linux in the server role - as that's been popular longer) have come together to create a strong competitor to other major Desktop computer Operating Systems.
So now when I think of computer gaming, and I throw in the inertia and excitement of the GNU/Linux Desktop OS development model, I see a WHOLE NEW world of computer gaming spreading out before the world, and I see so much potential, and it's AWESOME!!
The model for proprietary Operating Systems is dead. Like software license keys, and proprietary document formats, proprietary Operating Systems are just so 1980s. It's 2009. Look around, you'll see that Openness is everywhere - desktop computers, servers, network devices, embedded devices, and even cell phones are either already running Open Operating Systems, or are moving towards using them. As pointed out in the recent linuxplanet.com article: "How Many Linux Users Are There (Really)?", everyone in the modernized, computer using world uses Linux every single day. So now it's time to get gaming on GNU/Linux and on the Desktop computer - no problem, that's what I say.
Why is this, you might ask? Because the Open Operating System allows utmost amount of innovation to grow from the base of it. When an Operating System is Open, it allows for the most state of the art changes to be made to the core of it easily, which allows the Open Operating System to remain in the forefront of technology. The Open model also allows for the maximum amount of advancement because it allows input from a whole planet of humans seeking to be enable themselves with technology versus the relatively small number of employees at a specific company. The Open Operating System creates the solid foundation upon which all other types of good software should be built upon.
But don't take my word for it. There are others out there that want to embrace GNU/Linux, the ones who have the intestinal fortitude that it takes to be a great company. As Ken Starks says in "Linux Gets Gooey for Friday the 13th" We now get the chance to do what we say we are going to do. It's been coming for a long time...now it's here. The "big boys" won't give us games...the little guys will. It's time to say thank you.: . One such example is 2D Boy(Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel), whom just ported their very popular(Wii game of the year 2008) game "World of Goo" over to Linux and are selling it for $20 a copy.
So there it is. Now you know why I'm pushing for GNU/Linux to be the premiere gaming/computing platform. It's all about Openness, the future of computing, about people getting the most from their computer systems, and most of all it's about humans being enabled with technology.
If you haven't tried GNU/Linux, you just don't know what you're missing (get started by clicking here). Use GNU/Linux, and start on your journey of the phenomenal combination of Freedom and Excitement that computer technology yearns to offer you in the world today.
Shannon VanWagner
http://humans-enabled.com
02-18-2009
Not going to happen. Why? One word: DRM. Having an open OS makes it too easy to bypass DRM and the FLOSS guys don't want DRM running on "their" system anyway and would probably publish a workaround 3 seconds after a DRMed game came out. And good luck getting EA, Actiblizzard, etc to publish games without ANY DRM. It just ain't gonna fly. Nice thought, but unless you can get the FLOSS advocates to embrace DRM (BWAHAHAHAHA!) you will never get the big gaming corps to port.
ReplyDeleteDRM isn't really the issue, its mainly that game publishing is a business and most people run Windows on their PCs. If they know about Linux then most can't be bothered to switch because they like what they know and thats easy. On top of that Wine is very, very good now and lets you run most Windows games (nearly) full speed and sometimes faster under Linux.
ReplyDeleteLinux is now much easier to install and maintain than Windows is and all the big hardware vendors support Linux now. Last year NVIDIA have brought hardware accelerated HD video playback to Linux. In the next few months we will also see a major new xorg release with the long awaited DRI2 rendering. ATI now ship Linux drivers in the box and release drivers same day for Windows for their new cards. Gallium3D is only just round the corner and promises to provide some real competition for Direct3D... 2009 is very important as far as enabling the underlying technoogy for the latest and greatest games to be ported to Linux and outperform Windows.
As Linux slowly gains in popularity and install base, more and more game publishers will inevitably start supporting GNU/Linux and other free unixs.
PC gaming is currently windows centric, but gaming in general isn't - it's console centric. With XP, then Vista and soon to be Windows 7, and the rise of Linux and OSX, all on the same basic hardware the "PC" gaming market is looking ever more thinly spread. One either targets multiple OS's and the extra cost involved, or accepts a diminishing market.
ReplyDeleteOne approach to tackling the cost of targeting multiple OS's on a single hardware platform would be to deliver the OS + game all as one unit. The only OS's around that could fit this bill would be one of the FOSS ones, with Linux being the front runner.
Another approach would be to go the wine style route, where one implements a standard stack on each platform and allow a single executable to be run on this regardless of underlying OS. Java + .NET kinda target this in theory, but... you really want a completely FOSS stack to avoid vendor lock-in and arbitrary OS restrictions, and you want to be able to run native binaries.
These two approaches aren't mutually exclusive... one could have a LiveCD with the stack in place + the game.
One could also throw into the mix the potential of SplashTop/Pheonix's new linux based HyperVisor to providing the base of this stack in a quite boot quick to run environment.
No doubt technically challenging to deliver, but... it's doable, one just needs games companies with the balls to take destiny into their own hands, and eradicate all this platform specific nonsense.
Robert.
@robert - Nicely put. I especially like the part where you say to eradicate the "platform specific nonsense". This is exactly why I think GNU/Linux should be the base system for all games.
ReplyDeleteOne of the greatest achievements for the GNU/Linux Operating System and philosophy its built upon, is in its portability to just about any type of device or application. One does not have to look very far to see GNU/Linux, even if they don't realize that what they're looking it based on GNU/Linux.
It's not about letting GNU/Linux "play in the sandbox" with other OSes, rather GNU/Linux IS the "sandbox" for all technology to freely play in and grow from.
Shannon
In the years to come (as we're seeing today) less games will be available for the PC platform moving more to the console format (xBox, PS3, etc). I should say less full-featured games will be available. MS sees this, hence a game console. Don't get me wrong, you'll still be able to purchase games for the i386/x86-64 platforms for around $20, but the big ones ($40-$70) will be for consoles.
ReplyDelete