Quoting: Purple Library Guy

Quoting: iiariHaving been on Arch based distros a number of years now, I can't believe in 2022 there are still distros like Mint and I'm guessing Elementary where full reinstalls are necessary for version upgrades? Wow....

Well, that was rude. Shall I diss Arch now?

Agreed, reading it again, my post does come across as snarky and baity. I regret posting it, and apologize. In that moment, though, not following Mint regularly, I was just honestly (but poorly) expressing my genuine surprise that the update issue is still a thing. That was one one of the reasons that I left Mint what feels like ages ago after two or three bad update episodes. I loved it and donated regularly. A shame, as obviously there's a lot of dedication and skill behind Mint....

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Having been on Arch based distros a number of years now, I can't believe in 2022 there are still distros like Mint and I'm guessing Elementary where full reinstalls are necessary for version upgrades? Wow....

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Quoting: popsulfr...Bottles is completely focused on wine prefix creation and management. You set up a "bottle" and then launch the desired apps. Wine prefix first approach...

Terrific explanation, thank you.

It sounds like Bottles works more like the old Playonlinux app, where you set up your prefix first and then did whatever you want app wise with it after.

The ability to share wine bottles on the app, though, sounds like a potentially terrific feature.

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Having not tried this yet, can someone tell me how the Bottles approach works vs a solution like Lutris and why one would use one vs another? Thank you!

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Quoting: slaapliedjeI have a theory; Xbox as a hardware platform is going to be dead.

There is no need for it, really.

This has been my presumption for quite some time. Unless you have a closed garden monopoly like Apple on which to price gouge for the hardware (and this is what all consoles have been doing as well), you're making money off the service (as Valve is now doing with Steam Deck). As the perpetual console upstart with some good captive IP, it makes all the sense in the world now for MS to have their streaming service run everywhere and on everything. Now it just needs to be better.

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Wow, so many years following Linux gaming, I can't believe the moment has finally arrived with terrific, dedicated Linux gaming hardware. Congrats to Valve on making it a reality. I have to pinch myself.

And congrats to GOL for hanging in there all of these years and really being the place we've all followed and taken the journey. It's just as much validation for GOL as it is for Linux gaming itself.

Thanks for the review!

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As many have observed, very smart of Valve to have an SD "approved" list of titles so:

* Users will have a great experience with approved titles
* Everyone won't think that every Windows title in their library should just be able to work...
* Those more savvy users aware of Proton won't believe everything even on the protondb list will just work
* Will give devs an incentive to modify their titles to get an "approved" endorsement to hopefully help sales...

And, good for the entire Linux gaming ecosystem to have ever more tailored titles...

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Quoting: TrainDocA brief aside, when did 16:9 stop being a desirable screen ratio? ... I just feel like the moving target has moved, and I didn't see it move so I'm curious why.

@Catkiller above has some of the financial reasons for why the 16:9 move happened, but there's more to it as well. 3:2 has a lot more vertical space which gives you many more rows of text, numbers, spreadsheet rows, website vertical viewing, etc. Earlier laptops were closer to 3:2 for productivity, and 16:9 only roared onto the scene given the economic advantages plus the public prioritization of video watching as being paramount.

Personally, excepting my S76 laptops (used more for gaming and with our Wacom tablet), I've been on exclusively 3:2 laptops for work for the last several years since the '15 Pixel Chromebook in 3:2 and I'm never going back. My professional software is oriented towards the vertical space, and 3:2 is a huge advantage there. I can see in one page what coworkers are constantly scrolling to view. Every time I go to a 16:9 laptop, I feel like I'm squinting.

Lots has been written online about this as well. You didn't miss the big shift, as it hasn't been that big, and it's only been in the last, say, year that 16:10 and 3:2 have been coming back (excepting the Surface laptops and some Huaweis, which have been 3:2 for years). The latest models of a few makers (Asus, Thinkpads, HP, LG, Framework, etc) have had 16:10 and 3:2 display options. Like most passionate minorities, vertical space fans are vocal online :).

However, what I would say has changed for what's sometimes called the hypercompetitive ultraportable, or Dell XPS13 class, laptop market, is given the proliferation of more vertical screens and solid 9-10 hr battery lives (or about 15 with the Apple laptops) if you're not hitting those specs you're somewhat seen as being behind...

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Love S76 laptops, own two, but these days, I scan the specs, see a 16:9 aspect ratio, and move on to the next story....

Especially with the Framework laptop out there whispering sweet nothings to me with its perfect 3000x2000 3:2 display, near 10 hr battery life, and Linux friendly disposition, I'm trying to hold out for S76 to give me a 3:2 or 16:10 screen and 10 hr battery life. I'm happy to forgo the modularity, but I can't hold out forever!

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Quoting: kaktuspalmeIndies amaze me much more atm.

Quoting: Purple Library GuyLong term: Fear of monopolistic shenanigans

For the mainstream player and for discoverability, monopolization may be a long term concern. For now, though, there are too many big players involved to end with a Disneyization of gaming. It'll likely be more like the streaming wars, with 5-8 different players....

I'm not worried about the Indies either. First, the big guys will need some new IP to buy once they run their "independent" studios into the ground (which they seem to have a strong history of doing), so the successful indies will get their big paydays. Also, while there may be mainstream monopolization, indies will always be able to make their own launchers and sell direct over the internet, and gamers have a history of going where the great games are no matter what. So I'm not worried....

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