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Latest Comments by ObsidianBlk
APT 2.3.12 package manager released, will no longer let you break everything
18 November 2021 at 4:08 pm UTC

Something that might help all distributions of Linux might be a central site where users can post their Linux tutorials, organized by Distribution, Distro Version, Topic, and Date. This way, when a user comes to the site looking for a tutorial, they should always get the most recent and relevant information up front. The site could also put up a warning at the top of the site if the tutorial being viewed is for an older distribution version, or if it hasn't been updated in some specified amount of time (like "Warning, tutorial is over 6 months old and may be out of date"). The site could also implement a rating system for how successful users have been using the tutorial.

I'm just spitballing. Honestly, though, there definitely is an issue with so many disparate tutorials out there from as far back as a decade or more, and, unless you pay close attention to distro version or date information that may, or may not be in the tutorial (depending on the whims of the author) you can easily have a newbie find an Ubuntu tutorial from 5 or 10 years ago, not realize its age, and be completely lost.

APT 2.3.12 package manager released, will no longer let you break everything
18 November 2021 at 3:55 pm UTC Likes: 6

Quoting: Guest
Quoting: robvvI can almost hear minds whirring away, thinking, "Challenge Accepted!"

Considering the original issue from a youtuber was following commands found online, this change won't solve anything. People will just read something from an old stackoverflow thread, or ubuntu forums, or somesuch, and blindly follow that while ignoring the massive neon warning signs that it could break the system.

I half agree with this. Those neon warning signs are there, but the user may be colorblind to exactly what those warnings implied. The other issue that Linus faced, as I understand the situation, was that Pop_OS! actually had a broken Steam package at the time. So, a combination of a brand new Linux user with little (if any) familiarity with the terminology of the OS and it's numerous package distribution systems combined with an admittedly broken package that ultimately caused the warning in the first place, how was the guy even supposed to think that the simple act of installing an application could trigger the removal of his XOrg system, even with an error (that is otherwise alien to him) sitting there?

On the flip side, Linus has been heavily in the tech industry for years. Granted, he's predominantly Windows focused, but he should be well versed enough in the quirks of computers in general to know that, unless you're familiar with a particular situation, you don't just blindly ignore warnings. I get that this whole challenge is them trying to work with Linux like an Average(tm) gamer, but Linus is not. He's got more IT qualifications than an average gamer and the fact he nuked his system kinda makes me feel like he almost intentionally played dumb in this particular situation. I don't actually think he did, but he definitely came off looking like a sloppy IT professional to me in that moment.

Check out this crowdfunding campaign to learn Godot Engine from GDQuest
15 October 2021 at 8:52 pm UTC Likes: 4

I haven't seen any of these lessons, but I did watch a lot of GDQuest's beginner YouTube videos when I was getting started with Godot and those were really really useful! I'd imagine these lessons would definitely be worth it to those wanting to get into the details of Godot.

Interplay updating many classic titles on Steam to add support for Linux
14 October 2021 at 4:24 pm UTC Likes: 8

Ummm... Interplay still exists?! I'll be honest, I thought they closed and/or was bought out years ago! That said, regardless of my memory, this is cool news!!

PS4 emulator Spine gets a new demo release
10 September 2021 at 11:45 am UTC Likes: 1

Quoting: DerpFoxExclusives are always bad.

We can't make a fuss about interoperability. And things not coming to Linux all the time. And as the same time cheer up when some important project like this one is exclusive to Linux because the devs "don't care". It's the exact same attitude a lot of Windows game-dev are giving us. I truly believe we are better than that.

I have to agree. As much as I kinda get a smile seeing "Linux Exclusive" and a developer saying they "don't care" about Windows, this would just anger the "other side", potentially driving developers in the Windows camp away from even giving Linux a thought. I get that the developer for this project is Linux focused, and that's fine, but that's more of a reason for them to open source the project and get more developers in on it! If he doesn't want to worry about Windows (or even Mac for that matter), then another dev would, and the whole project could potentially just speed on ahead.

Frozenbyte are now telling Linux users to use Proton, even for their older games
29 July 2021 at 11:31 am UTC Likes: 1

Quoting: Beamboom
Quoting: Liam Dawe
Quoting: BeamboomThat begs the question, why?
Due to it being streaming, it's super sensitive to anything especially anything that might cause a bit more input lag.

Not to be a nitpicker but just to be totally clear: Do we know this, as in that it is confirmed, or is this an assumption/possible explanation?

I mean, it's great if it's true, don't get me wrong, I just find it a bit hard to understand. The additional input lag on server side, with the powers to handle that additional overhead, should by my logic be barely possible to even measure?

Honestly, if you feel so adamant that there are games running on a runtime translation layer (Proton/Wine) on Stadia, look one up! Email the question to Google/Stadia directly or even a few of the developers who've ported their games to Stadia. If the feels are there for you that we don't know that there aren't any games on Stadia running through Proton (etc)... find one and sooth those feelings.

The Valve Steam Deck, lots of excitement and plenty to think about for Linux gaming
16 July 2021 at 1:39 pm UTC Likes: 5

Quoting: CatKiller
Quoting: ObsidianBlkI'm excited by this device and am very tempted to put that $5 for the option to buy one! I'm opposed to pre-ordering, they're not asking for the full bank up front, so, if, as the months go by, warning signs start cropping up, I haven't wasted much money at all.
It's a deposit. If you buy it, the deposit gets taken off the price and, if you don't buy it, the deposit gets refunded. Back to the initial payment method if the refund is within 30 days, or into your Steam wallet if it's later than 30 days.

Yes... I think I worded that part poorly. I was trying to convey that I don't like pre-ordering, but Valves method is so much better than the usual "pay in full now" method used by virtually everyone else these days. I highly respect Valve for going this route. I even think it shows they have far more faith in their product that those companies that want all your money now.

The Valve Steam Deck, lots of excitement and plenty to think about for Linux gaming
16 July 2021 at 11:51 am UTC

I'm excited by this device and am very tempted to put that $5 for the option to buy one! I'm opposed to pre-ordering, they're not asking for the full bank up front, so, if, as the months go by, warning signs start cropping up, I haven't wasted much money at all.

I am curious what people think on this, though...
XBox, Playstation, and Switch are targeted platforms. When a gamer buys one of these consoles, they don't have to worry that a new graphics card will suddenly make their console obsolete. This tends to happen in the PC gaming world. You buy your new computer with the latest tech and six months later, your tech is a generation out of date and the newest games can't quite run at ultra settings anymore.

The Steam Deck is more of a PC than a console and the games for it *are* PC games, not console games, so... even assuming Valve gets Proton all of the bells and whistles to handle otherwise non-linux-native 3A titles, how long would that last? A couple years?

Then there's the possibility a game could be "patched" right out of the Steam Deck. You have a game that runs great on the Steam Deck, then, one day, the developers release an "HD" patch to the game that suddenly brings the game just outside of the Steam Decks ability to play comfortably. This doesn't happen in console space. A game made for Switch, even if updated, is still a Switch game and will run on that system.

This might not be an issue at all... IDK. It was just something I was thinking about and wondering if this worries anyone or not. Not like we can upgrade the graphics card of a Steam Deck.

Just a random though I had.
Still find the Steam Deck very exciting! I'm probably going to get one!

Humble Bundle confirms changes coming mid-July to add a minimum payment for Humble
2 July 2021 at 12:16 pm UTC Likes: 3

I'm going to play devils advocate here...
I honestly do not see anything wrong with Humble wanting to get some money from their bundles. I'm sure they're doing quite well outside the bundles, as they're still alive. That said, even if Humble was an actual non-profit (which, as far as I can tell, they are not) it's still expected the organization gets paid.

I still like some of their (non-game) bundles. I especially like the (game-dev oriented) art and audio bundles they often have.

I'm not claiming they're a perfect company or that they're even totally above board in all their decisions... but, they're no worse than GOG, Steam, or Epic, and wanting some kind of compensation from their bundles isn't an obscene ask.

GTA III and Vice City reverse-engineered code is back up on GitHub
1 July 2021 at 4:31 pm UTC

Quoting: Beamboom
Quoting: ObsidianBlkIt's actually no more or less difficult to pirate a game with or without the binary. Technically, just having any part the game is piracy, so, as far as distribution of files, it's six of one, half dozen of another whether it includes the binary or not. After all, the binary is useless without the assets and the assets are just interesting pictures and audio without the binary.

You missed the point of my post. You're now talking about the legalities. My comment was a response on the claim that "it only leads to more sales". Why would they take these actions if that was the *only* thinkable consequence?

It's much easier to just pirate asset files than cracking executable binaries to build a pirated copy of a game. That goes without saying. If one just bundled the (stolen) assets with this new alternative engine, that's a shortcut to piracy.

And like I said in the post you quote, I don't think they bother with this because of this particular game as it's so old (and practically free anyways). They just need to fight these initiatives because this might be a problem if it is done on newer titles with a higher market value (and a working DRM).

My apologize if I misunderstood your original post.

To the question, then, of "Why would they take these actions if that was the *only* thinkable consequence?"... My jaded side says it's some corporate admins that think something to the effect of "Why do we want players buying our old game for $10, when we can funnel them to playing GTA-V for $30... plus, more importantly, all of that potential in-game-purchases monies!"

While you'd think *any* money would be worth it... why settle for *any* money when you could force customers to a product that could take *all* the money!

Now... I'm not fully up on the details to the current GTA3 projects, so I'm not sure about their methods of reverse engineering. It's possible that Take-Two didn't really care, one way or the other (hence, they didn't follow through on the counter claims), but given this slight legal loophole, decided to issue a DMCA in order to "scare" otherwise uninformed gamers away from getting the cheaper GTA games to use them on this new engine which runs better, and, instead, settle on the buying the newest GTA (again, with all of that sweet, sweet in-game-purchase potential!)