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Latest Comments by walther von stolzing
TANGLEWOOD, the seriously retro puzzle-platformer is now on GOG
24 Jan 2019 at 7:23 pm UTC

Did they bundle an emulator with the 'modern' releases?

In the 'homebrew scene', there are publishers that release games on itch.io (e.g. https://rgcddev.itch.io/ [External Link]) ostensibly for 'Windows/Mac/Linux', though they instruct the buyer to go download the emulator on their own. I think there are plenty of other homebrew titles normally released in physical formats or direct downloads for emulators, that deserve to be made visible on GOG as well.

Valve put out another Steam Beta Client with minor Steam Play changes
19 Jan 2019 at 12:31 pm UTC

Quoting: dpanter
Quoting: SkiskiI've reanabled steam-play for all games after this beta and now, Steam wants to re-download most of my "windows" games. Is there a way to avoid that? Because they are still on my HDD. And that's a lot of Go!
Same here, but when I had checked all the settings again and allowed the updates to run, they just completed instantly (similar to the old 0-byte ones) so nothing new was actually downloaded.
After yesterday's client beta update, I got several 0 byte downloads -- but after today's update, it's trying to download the windows-only titles all over again. I *have* restored all my settings.

Steam Play versus Linux Version, a little performance comparison and more thoughts
18 Jan 2019 at 10:40 pm UTC

As to Vulkan pn the PS5, I wouldn't hold my breath for it. I expect Sony to use their own proprietary even-closer-to-the-bare-metal graphics API, together with their own proprietary tools for the developers.

Also, the choice of FreeBSD as the os most likely has nothing to do with wanting to work in a unixy environment, or FreeBSD's own strengths (networking? jails? ZFS? tidy directory structure and great man pages?), but everything to do with the permissive licensing.

Another Steam Client Beta is out, adds the ability to force Steam Play
18 Jan 2019 at 6:33 pm UTC Likes: 2

Quoting: GuestBefore long, everyone who opted for the "free" Windows 10 upgrade, are running OEM windows, and all those other devices, is going to be under the thumb of ("NOT A SUBSCRIPTION!" ... yet) Microsoft Managed Desktop.
Quoting: GuestWindows 10 (now the majority version worldwide) will soon be under the grip of the "Microsoft Managed Desktop" not-yet-a-subscription service. Unless they have a full-retail Windows product key, most enthusiast-level PC users are quickly going to migrate to Linux once the ransom notices (or slowed-down updates) start popping up on their Windows desktops. Steam Play makes it easy migrate, at will.
This is an important point. Just for clarification -- the 'free Windows 10 upgrade' that microsoft graciously(?!) handed out last year (or the year before?) to owners of full licenses of Win 7 or 8 did not give those people full retail product keys for Windows 10. Rather, they got a version of Windows 10 'registered under' their 'microsoft account'.

That certainly sounds like a more precarious state to be in, compared to having a product key for a full version that one would expect to be able to install on whatever device, whenever one pleases -- though it's not so clear right now, exactly what the disadvantage consists in.

The ability to install whenever, continue to get updates, etc., holds as long as the 'product' is under support. On the 'permanent product key' model as well, Microsoft simply shuts off the 'activation' services when support ends for a product, and there's no way of registering it. I have a windows xp virtual machine that I can't activate, and use 'legitimately', because of this. (*Perhaps* phone activation still works -- either automated, or via an actual representative -- I haven't bothered to try; because I know from past experience that they make you enter & then verify an annoyingly long code. In any case, without the ability to download any updates [past service packs included], registration is pretty pointless anyway.)

Though at the very least, one can continue using an already activated 'product' -- at one's own peril, without any security updates (and rapidly diminishing 3rd party support). On the 'not-yet-a-subscription-service' model, you can't be sure of that much either. So perhaps *that's* the danger awaiting 'free upgraders' to Windows 10. The risk of waking up to some kind of sugar-coated ransomware screen from Redmond.

I agree that the recent improvements to wine can provide people in that sort of predicament with a way out. I'm entirely sure, by the way, that people would be leaving Apple in droves if something similar to wine were available for cocoa/obj.C/swift apps -- keeping their existing 'investment' in software, but liberating themselves from the OS-vendor's thuggery.

Another Steam Client Beta is out, adds the ability to force Steam Play
18 Jan 2019 at 3:15 pm UTC

Quoting: somebody1121I also tried Deus Ex MKD but doesn't start.
Could it be trying to start in dx12 mode?

Another Steam Client Beta is out, adds the ability to force Steam Play
18 Jan 2019 at 11:39 am UTC

... I'm really curious how Deus Ex MD performs under dxvk; but the 60gb download is too daunting ... and upon checking, I see that I don't even have enough free space, haha.

Valve have detailed some changes coming to Steam in an overview post
14 Jan 2019 at 7:30 pm UTC Likes: 2

We’re working on a new recommendation engine powered by machine-learning, that can match players to games based on their individual tastes.
This doesn't sound very encouraging, to be honest; they seem to be chasing the same magically self-regulating minimal-effort dream of a curation model.

Algorithms are only a part of our discoverability solution, however, so we're building more broadcasting and curating features and are constantly assessing the overall design of the store.
Yeah, but they shouldn't just 'build features'; they should employ real people to put real thought into what gets sold or highlighted on the store.

Linux hardware vendor Entroware has unleashed Hades, their first AMD CPU desktop
14 Jan 2019 at 2:37 pm UTC Likes: 3

Quoting: Kristian" 1 x PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Combo"

I thought everyone had long since moved on to USB for these things.
PS/2 keyboards are supposed to have lower latency. A more tangible reason, though, is that USB keyboards are sometimes late to get recognized by the system during bootup, so you can't hit the key that's supposed to take you to the BIOS. My USB keyboard (Unicomp Model M clone) often doesn't even 'turn on' on the grub boot selection screen, which can get really frustrating.

Some Linux games we’re excited to see in 2019, a list to keep you going
9 Jan 2019 at 1:16 pm UTC Likes: 2

Quoting: Eike
Quoting: clatterfordslimI came across this site, as to where I got the idea

https://www.freebsd.org/doc/en/articles/explaining-bsd/comparing-bsd-and-linux.html [External Link]
You could say they're relatives - distant relatives, but way more connected than Windows vs. BSD/Linux/Unix.
In the straightforward sense of the biological metaphor, Linux & BSD really aren't relatives at all. Today's BSDs may be considered direct descendants of the original AT&T UNIX. (Actually, that isn't very accurate, because long before liberating themselves [so to speak] from AT&T in 1992, the CS department at UC Berkeley had reimplemented the entire system, to the point of making commercial UNIX an 'offshoot' of their own work. So, if anything, what commercial UNIX ended up becoming is a 'descendant' of BSD, rather than the other way around.) The GNU project has a completely independent ancestry; its products may perhaps be related to the AT&T UNIX userland only as clones of the family members. Similarly for 'Linux', limiting ourselves to the kernel.

In the rather different sense of belonging to a shared culture, having a shared language, etc., they're of course related.

edit: Here's one drawing of the family tree. (Click to view larger)


132 of the 250 most highly rated games on Steam support Linux, even more when counting Steam Play
8 Jan 2019 at 2:03 pm UTC Likes: 1

Quoting: EikeI didn't look through it, but I expect a list of highly rated games to be mostly niche games. Games drawing many buyers from different directions will get their share of downvotes. Games with a very specific audiance, say text adventures (do play Thaumistry!) draw only those that will enjoy if it is done well.
Perhaps as a case in point: The only Steam review I ever wrote was for TIS-100, and it went something like '... if you're intrigued by this, then BUY NOW!!!'