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Latest Comments by jlibster
Ask The Community: Your Thoughts On The Steam Client Being DRM
29 May 2014 at 2:32 pm UTC

Quoting: liamdawe
Quoting: EvolutionaryIf there is no difference between a web login and a download client, why not just do the web portal login like GOG and HumbleBundle? Because there IS a difference. Otherwise Steam would have allowed both according to the user's preference.
The reason is Steam WANTS people to use Steamworks which IS their DRM service that gives gamers added extras. That is the reason Steam doesn't do it and I thought that was completely obvious?
@Liamdawe
The extras could just be additional download links, just like GOG. Sorry, the logic doesn't fit. Code can be downloaded, and shouldn't need a client unless there are strings attached.

Carmageddon: Reincarnation's Jason Garber Answers Our Questions On Their Linux Support
31 Mar 2014 at 8:37 pm UTC

Folks, I've just sent messages (and left comments in some cases) to all the KS Projects I've supported with Linux stretch goals (and some that promised it from the get to) reminding them that we're not happy with these fudged (if not totally broken) promises from people like Jensen (after reading a few things on the updates I wasn't surprised that she "mumphed-mumphed" about the Linux release). We need to remind KS projects that just because they got their funding they don't get to just rest on their successful backing as some have done in the past. We'll be ignore if we allow it. So I suggest a big fuss (and poor PR) on those who just ignore money they've taken (as is happening here but it needs to go beyond this site), and remind those who haven't released the game that we are watching and while we are still a small group, we are growing and we know how to make noise.

CD Projekt RED Considering The Witcher 3 For Linux If SteamOS Takes Off
2 Mar 2014 at 3:16 pm UTC

More nonsense. If other game developers can make games that primarily support Ubuntu (or Linux Mint) the answer seems clear. And for gamers, the only Linux distros that show any signs of getting a critical mass are Ubuntu, Linux Mint (both based on Debian), Fedora and possibly OpenSuse (I've not see so many uses of OpenSuse myself). So many game coming out using this model on the Unity engine. Although Projeckt Red said that "learned their lesson" this could be a way of playing with the DRM system in SteamOS (Steam's DRM system is most likely tightly integrated with their OS). I've yet to see anyone out there officially supporting 5 distros. The most I've seen is 2. (mostly 1). Comments if there is legitimate information to the contrary but the Ubuntu based support model is by far the most dominant one I've seen,and it appears to work fairly well.

Many Linux Games To Look Forward To In 2014
2 Mar 2014 at 9:12 am UTC

A few games that MAY have been missed. At least what I read says they are being released 2014:

Pillars of Eternity (Project Eternity)
Dreamfall:Chapters
Morbius
Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse Part 2
Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure
Torment: Tides of Numenera (okay, early 2015, but still...)

Let me know what you all thing of these suggestions. Most of these (if not all) should be great when released.

The Realm (including platform survey) UPDATED
26 Apr 2013 at 9:52 pm UTC

That IS an improvement. Maybe I'll pledge. (budget streched a little thin...but it looks worth it)

Linux Gaming DRM Free promises: Do they stack up?
26 Apr 2013 at 9:49 pm UTC

A "Shill"?...sorry I have no idea what that means.(If it mean an employee who is out there help PR..no didn't mean that guess I'm not up to date on the language these days) As I said before, I'll take another look. I wasn't terribly concerned about the $10 and didn't ask for a refund. Experience comes at a price and its not like they denied me my purchase;I just didn't want to install anything I didn't ask for and figured 'my bad' for not double checking. You feel Desura is worth your support and I've read enough of your comment to not dismiss what are probably valid reasons. I Believe in options and not adding things to my machines they don't need.And most people don't have the time/patience to even consider any of this. Anyway, I hope these issues gets the guys and Steam and gog.com (may not apply to Desura) to take actions that will make it easier to just purchase our games worry free. I would LOVE to be  fan of theirs as there selection for Linux is excellent. I've mentioned them to gog.com in my arguments to get them to stop ignoring use. We'll see how game developers and vendors react to these discussions...

Linux Gaming DRM Free promises: Do they stack up?
26 Apr 2013 at 8:48 pm UTC

@s_d "hard core" meant "programmer level linux user" so I'm not sure what you thought I meant.  (I'm bad at using these phrases). You mentioned "we could check". I honestly don't remember which game it was right now. It was a number of months ago.Something to do with a promo they did  I think. I don't suppose you work for Desura by any chance? Anyway, I'll take a look later as I'm in the middle of several things at the moment. (I rarely have time to play my purchases these days ironically). To be clear and on the record, I never said gog.com was an alternative for either Desura or Steam in terms of Linux gaming. I merely used their default download model  (no client required) as an example I'd like to see others follow (and if Desura does, great, first I've heard...) I've been sending "hate" mail at gog.com for ignoring the Linux community for some time (and I'll keep doing so). So gog.com is not an alternative for Linux users (yet). Absolutely not. It has one good point (have to check Desura again) that I haven't seen others follow yet who have Linux options.

Linux Gaming DRM Free promises: Do they stack up?
26 Apr 2013 at 8:26 pm UTC

I'll take a 2nd look since I know you are "hard core" but when I tried before I honestly couldn't find a way around not having a Desura client installed. Spent 30 minutes looking before I gave up (and threw away ~$10). I'll ask them as well. Don't get me wrong, as I said open source is a BIG improvement, but people like Ubuntu have taken advantage of trust. In the USA, their new health care bill while it looks cool on paper has so many ways to hide the restrictions (I've been told by an leading expert) it is still possible to befuddle/confuse people into getting plans they cost them more, give less than they need, and limited requirement for transparency in the language. Ironically it was LEGAL to give someone a health care plan that effectively had no coverage until late last year around October or November when that loophole was filled in. In credit card agreements in the USA we all know the story about "trees hidden in a forest" and even in programming, I remember reviewing code that was written with variable names nobody could understand (we discovered the original coder was hiding a backdoor so we rewrote the code). I guess we in IT will have to start becoming lawyers as well, because we potentially have more tricks to hide things than they do. ;-) (Does GPL3 have any stipulations on clarity of code style? Hmmm....)

Linux Gaming DRM Free promises: Do they stack up?
26 Apr 2013 at 8:11 pm UTC

Oh, and to be clear so there is no confusion. When I downloaded my games from gog.com I didn't use any "installer" to download. I did direct downloads from their servers via my web browser once I've logged into the website. The only way I will trust a 3rd party software seller is if I can download the program I purchased using my clean browser (after logging in to establish my session) or sftp/ftp client. Anything else, requires an additional component  and I don't have the time to double check the code (even if it open source which is an big improvement) to be sure no "bonuses" are there. Call me paranoid, but its served me well. My XP gaming machine still boots in under 10 seconds.

Linux Gaming DRM Free promises: Do they stack up?
26 Apr 2013 at 8:03 pm UTC

@s_d (Trust you've been well...missed ya). You've explained that the Desura client is GPL3, not that is DRM free. We all get so used to believing that Open Source = Free or Open Source = No hidden strings attached. s_d from what I know is an advanced coder and he might be able/willing to examine the source.Most of us are so busy with our everyday stuff that we don't have time to personally examine the code of everything we  install. We often rely (sometimes too much) on other people to be the "Watchmen". While Desura client may be GPL3, I've yet to see verification that it doesn't leave a trail of breadcrumbs when it is uninstalled. The biggest example of Open Source != Hidden Agendea free is the later versions of Ubuntu, which sell out the users to Amazon on Desktop searches (i.e. it sends the results to Amazon without telling you openly...a MS Game where the options to change it is "there" but they don't openly tell you that). Ubuntu has actually used open source and trust to dupe people into sending data to Amazon unwittingly. (They probably tell you in hidden fine print). I actually tried Desura once, but couldn't download anything without a client. So I left it alone. While Desura is probably better than Steam, they still require a client (as far as I could tell) to get your purchase. Why require a client if its truly DRM free?