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Grab a free copy of FlatOut during the GOG Love at First Pixel sale
14 February 2024 at 11:21 pm UTC

Quoting: legluondunet"Yakuza Complete Series" only with english subtitles...
As long as it has Japanese subtitles, I'm satisfied.

Heroic Games Launcher v2.13 brings GOG support improvements
13 February 2024 at 1:12 am UTC Likes: 2

Quoting: Nocifer
QuoteWe also started a partnership with GOG and now every game you buy from the GOG store inside Heroic will give us a commission, so it is another way of supporting the project. :)

It's not just about being able to log into GOG and buy games via the embedded browser, it's about GOG forming a partnership with Heroic and giving them money for every game we buy through the client.
I'm curious as to whether this is a normal affiliate link like GOL has, or something more.

Edit: Ah, based on the comments above about the tracking domains (adtraction), it's a normal affiliate link.

Steam UI scaling should work even better in the latest Beta
7 February 2024 at 11:53 pm UTC

Quoting: michaldybczakI don't understand. High resolution monitors are available for years and are now becoming a standard. Any new computer or laptop will have high resolution display. I recently switched to a laptop with 1444p monitor and Steam UI is very small. Setting to scale UI doesn't work. The variable given here does work, but why is it so troublesome? Why isn't it working automatically, or at least with a setting in UI? I just can't comprehend it. What is the issue here?
Lack of interest in fixing it, probably. Valve has let big bugs in the Steam client rot for months in both the Linux and Windows client. They might eventually get around to fixing it.

What to Expect From Wine on Wayland in 2024
4 February 2024 at 1:46 am UTC

Quoting: Purple Library Guy
Quoting: pleasereadthemanual
Quoting: Purple Library GuyYeah. Although what I really really want is alternatives to Adobe products that work about as well, because I really dislike Adobe. Specifically for fiddling with .pdfs, I have no need for anything more powerful for image stuff than the GIMP and various other already available open source things.
Have you tried acrobat.adobe.com? I haven't, so this is a genuine question
No. I only get halfway serious with .pdf for work, and at work we've got subscriptions to Adobe Creative Cloud, which has nothing to do with a cloud, you just download the software.

We also have that plan. I think. Adobe is confusing as hell. It includes access to some web-based versions of those programs at creativecloud.adobe.com.

Quoting: Purple Library GuyIt was the only software I've ever used at work where systems people had to come down and walk me through the process of getting access--not because I called them up or was having particular trouble or anything, just because they had to do this with everybody who needed to use the damn thing. Basically although we bought X many licenses or whatever, every single person had to log into their website which I guess they're calling a cloud even though it's just a server you're downloading their software from, and authenticate directly with them as a person who's allowed to get their software, I guess so they can track you specifically and presumably turn it off if you try to keep using it after the subscription is over . . .

Anyway, I think they're assholes. But I can't currently get away from them.

It's the same situation here. It's more flexible; as long as I can get my work done, it doesn't matter so much what I use. So I do use Affinity Photo for some solo projects. But I can't replace After Effects, and inDesign is impossible to replace without file conversion. If I could get rid of After Effects, I would be very happy. DaVinci Resolve Fusion is looking like the only viable replacement, but there's a definite learning curve and the work I do with AE is not that serious. Natron somehow seems to have an even larger learning curve and I'm a little concerned about how active the project is.

Yes, I think Adobe are assholes. Adobe software used to work in Wine, at least in some form, before they switched to Creative Cloud. Then things got more complicated when they started using all that watchdog software.

Quoting: Purple Library GuyA couple years ago during Covid I was working from home from my Linux desktop, and everything else was fine--LibreOffice was fine for the office stuff, our library system is browser based etc., but no Linux things I tried would do what I wanted with .pdf files. Luckily there was a remote desktop setup thing, so I was able to use Acrobat via that, but that was the only thing I needed to do that for. Master PDF, you say? Hadn't heard of that, I should give it a shot.
Here's a link: https://code-industry.net/free-pdf-editor/

There's a comparison table of the features. It's a one-time purchase, I believe. I think Foxit is another one? But they're quite expensive. It's worth a shot.

I haven't bothered because working with PDFs is the least of my worries, haha.

Linux remains above macOS on the Steam Survey for January 2024
3 February 2024 at 9:57 am UTC Likes: 1

Quoting: F.Ultra
Quoting: constMy take on some of the arguments here:

1. Chromebooks are pretty much an US thing. I know no one who owns a Chromebook here in Germany and when I looked for their prices, I know why. You get a pretty good Business Laptop for the price of a cheap tablet with a bad keyboard.
Which is why I mentioned that it was regional just like you mentioned the state in Germany. Over here Chromebooks have about 10% of the total computer market and is above Apple.
The only place I've seen a Chromebook in Australia is on display at JB-HI-FI. I don't know anyone with one and I've never heard about someone having one in Australia.

According to statcounter, the market share is at 0.51%...it's lower than Linux!

Australia also has a ridiculously high macOS market share. It was at 32% in October, and that sounds about right. Macbooks are everywhere! It's completely eating into Windows' market share.

Want to see a terrifying statistic? iPhones account for 60% of the market in Australia according to Statcounter. That's 30% higher than the worldwide statistic. I absolutely believe it.

Australia really likes Apple products. I'm kinda interested to see what the breakdown would be on Steam in Australia...

What to Expect From Wine on Wayland in 2024
3 February 2024 at 9:50 am UTC

Quoting: FoxStevenWhat I only want is using Adobe Product on linux......
You and me both.

I tried out photoshop.adobe.com this week, because they finally released it publicly a few months back (though I used it during the beta). I couldn't resize the canvas. There's no option to do that like in desktop Photoshop. So I tried cropping it, but it just errored out. I spent an hour with a support agent, and it turned out it can't handle large files (I was working with a 135MB PSD).

I thought it was okay aside from...well, that. I didn't hit any other limitations, but to be fair, I had only used it for an hour.

What I really want is Adobe inDesign on the web and After Effects...somehow on the web or working through Wine. One of those is more likely than the other.

Quoting: Purple Library GuyYeah. Although what I really really want is alternatives to Adobe products that work about as well, because I really dislike Adobe. Specifically for fiddling with .pdfs, I have no need for anything more powerful for image stuff than the GIMP and various other already available open source things.
Have you tried acrobat.adobe.com? I haven't, so this is a genuine question

Affinity Photo apparently works in Wine so long as you transfer some files from a Windows installation. Aside from that, there's Master PDF and a few other Linux PDF editors. I haven't tried them, so I have no idea if they're any good.

Linux remains above macOS on the Steam Survey for January 2024
2 February 2024 at 1:33 pm UTC Likes: 2

Quoting: const2. Not so sure about the Appstore. I can see that for single player titles, but for multiplayer? I really don't know. My guess is Apple Users tend to prefer console gaming.
If you're curious about what Mac users think, you could try checking /r/macgaming. This post, for example.

I thought this comment was enlightening:

QuoteINSTALL STEAM FAST. STAY AWAY FROM APP STORE.

There is no reason to use the Mac app store unless you also have an Ipad or Iphone that can run these games - otherwise you are paying full price for games that are not full price on any other retailer. Anywhere else you will get a license for Mac + Windows but through Apple you only get the Mac license as well.

Go to GOG. Go to Steam. Go to Humble. All of these retailers often have games for 50%+ off. You will get a significantly better deal shopping anywhere but the app store. (I just got Pathfinder Wrath of The Righteous marked down from $60 to $9 this weekend, the App store will never do that! This game might not even be on the App store tbh.)

Also it will be easier for you to find games that you are interested in because all these other store fronts are way easier to navigate.

It seems like you're right about multiplayer games on the App Store. I can't find any mention of multiplayer games available there, though I'm sure I heard about one a while ago...

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.