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Stefan Achatz, the developer who had been working on supporting Roccat devices on Linux has stated why he's stopping.

For those that don't remember, word recently got out that after many years Stefan would be stepping down from supporting newer Roccat devices on Linux.

It seems it was mainly an issue of time and not specifically money, as had been suggested by the community.

To quote his reddit AMA (ask me anything):
QuoteSo, some people might have heard the news that lazy me is ending Roccat Linux support. The main reason is time, or the lack thereof which keeps me from implementing new devices in a reasonable time. Also other projects/interests (like playing games on my own) have to be largely compromised through this involvement.

You can't fault him for the honesty there, having a hobby that takes up a lot of time can suck the time away you had for anything else.

He also hints that Roccat did try to hire him:
QuoteSome people complain about why Roccat didn't hire me, ignoring the possibility that maybe they tried. I can't say how much they would have paid me for what work (Don't think this would have been full time Linux development). But if you have to feed a family you get less erratic.


To read more and ask any questions, see this reddit post. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Hardware
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11 comments
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slaapliedje Dec 22, 2016
Sure, how selfish of him!

Kidding of course, glad the devices I have purchased have the excellent support thanks to Stefan. Would be awesome if they did hire someone full time to continue the support for Linux. Guess time will tell if I purchase any newer roccat devices, but I've thought for a long time I should get another keyboard for work. I like the matthias quite pro I have, but it doesn't feel as nice as my roccat at home.
Hamish Dec 22, 2016
So basically if someone wants to get a start making Linux device drivers, with the distinct possibility that they might be offered a job somewhere down the line, they should get involved with Stefan's FOSS project.


Last edited by Hamish on 23 December 2016 at 5:44 am UTC
omer666 Dec 22, 2016
I wish him the best!
He's been doing what should have been done for Linux gaming for so many years.


Last edited by omer666 on 22 December 2016 at 9:35 pm UTC
chuzzle44 Dec 22, 2016
I do hope Roccat steps up here. I would absolutely love to see not only support, but also their full software products on Linux. They have some really awesome and innovative stuff. It would be nice to have a hardware company that actually supports us.
neowiz73 Dec 22, 2016
I definately appreciate all the work Stefan did to keep the drivers working. with such a nice and clean interface for Linux. the Roccat Tyon I use stores the settings within the mouse. much like some of the high end Logitech mice. But the Roccat has a native interface on Linux to do this thanks to Stefan.
Guest Dec 22, 2016
button 8 & 9 ( browser back / forward side buttons ) didn't even work on the generic HID driver when i first plugged in my new Roccat Mouse and that was on Linux Mint, not some weirdy beardy unheard of distro. So i use those buttons a lot, without the config tool owners of some Roccat mice would of been stuck with only left/right click and scroll wheel :/

Thankfully using this tool you can upload to the mouse and now i can have these buttons even on smaller distros that don't have the Roccat tools like SolusOS.

@Stefan. Your software was pretty much what made me choose a Roccat product ^_^
WorMzy Dec 22, 2016
Shame on anyone who said this was a lazy decision of him. He owes nobody anything, and deserves nothing but respect for all the effort he's put into this project over the years.

It is a shame that he's stepping down, and I do hope that someone steps in to keep his work going, be that Roccat themselves, or someone from the community.
TheRiddick Dec 23, 2016
Well it should be a community driven effort with multiple people contributing so that no one man has to burden him self excessively. I don't really have any of those devices but perhaps some people will start contributing more in the future, I can only assume his drivers were open-source.
EKRboi Dec 23, 2016
The ONLY reason I own a Kone XTG is because of him. I donated to him shortly after my purchase as well. It's very saddening to see him go. Due to the nature of my gaming rig I unfortunately don't do a majority of my gaming on Linux, but I certainly hope someone steps up to at least maintain his contribution so that I'm not forced to Windows for simple things like changing colors on my mouse in the future. Hopefully someone steps up to fill his shoes and carry the torch. I'm definitely happy with my mouse and would love to be able to consider Roccat products in the future. If not I will be forced to purchase products like my daskeyboard that doesn't require anting but a USB port to use all of its features.
nitroflow Dec 23, 2016
The only reason I own a tyon, a ryos mk fx and an arvo is solely because of his wonderful work. I wish him the best and hope someone steps up to the challenge of maintaining this project.
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