Quoting: LeopardWait , what? Gog is not even trying to release a Linux client. Gog point of view to Linux is ; potential Dos box games buyers

I can download offline Linux installers from GOG without the need for a proprietary client. If that is possible directly from Beamdog, feel free to inform me of such & the the exact process of how to do so. Due to the not perfectly functioning Beamdog client, I am at a loss as to how I would be able to install the Linux version of Planescape on my computer if I was to directly purchase it from Beamdog. I have no trouble downloading the installers and installing the Enhanced Editions for BG1, BG2, IWD or SoD for Linux from GOG.

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I am unable to get the client to work on Ubuntu 17.10 64-bit. I just get a black rectangle in the middle of my screen and I need to use System Monitor to kill. There's no Linux troubleshooting advice on the Client FAQ page. Their Linux support is very noticeably lacking in comparison to GOG.

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If own backed this game with paypal I would suggest using their customer service to attempt to get a refund. Write the developer & publisher politely asking for a refund do to the terms of the Kickstarter not being fulfilled and be sure to to keep text copies & screenshots of all correspondence. Then if your concerns aren't resolved to your satisfaction, use the customer service form at paypal to ask for help obtaining a refund submitting the saved copies of proof of your own due diligence. Paypal successfully helped my resolve a similar issue and I received a refund about 2 weeks after I contacted paypal.

In the future don't back a crowdfunded game unless they say explicitly state in the proposal that they will be offering a Linux version and will be offering a game key to GOG or some other retail site that carries only DRM-free games. Me myself I only trust crowdfunding campaigns by developers that have kept their word on DRM-free & Linux versions of games. Also if you're in the EU try to contact other backers based in the EU for some type of class action renumeration, though I live in the US I've heard the EU has some very good consumer protection laws (much better than the US tends to have).

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Lemmy from beyond the grave...

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I found this on reddit [External Link], make of it what you will.

imag1ne 58 points 4 days ago

Aren't System76 laptops just rebranded Sager/Clevo machines with Ubuntu preinstalled?

cassidyjames 197 points 4 days ago

System76 web developer here!

This vastly trivializes the work System76 does for months and sometimes years leading up to a product release. We don't simply take an off-the-shelf product that already exists, throw an OS on it, and sell it.

System76 works with upstream manufacturers (like, yes, Sager and Clevo for laptops) to determine what types of products to develop, including their specifications, design, etc. for months up to a release. These products do not exist before we enter into these conversations.

Once that has been determined, designed, and goes into production, we start on firmware. We ensure all components are working together and with the Linux kernel (often requiring changes to the components' low level interactions with the OS, since the upstream components themselves are often manufactured with the assumption they will be used by Windows).

Once that is complete, we test with Ubuntu specifically, ensuring the OS is working perfectly with the hardware. If there are any OS-specific changes to be done, we write that behavior into our "driver" which is preloaded on all machines, with the intent to upstream that into Ubuntu and/or Linux itself as quickly as possible. When this is more generic like ensuring HiDPI works great out of the box, this actually ends up benefiting competitors like Dell's XPS 13 probably as much as it benefits us, but we put in the effort to file the bugs, track them, write the code, and get it upstreamed.

Once all of that is complete, we finally offer it for purchase and market it with all of our pretty photographs, sales pages, etc.

What ends up happening, then, is that Sager and/or Clevo offer a machine with a similar-looking chassis for sale as a barebones laptop. This is the result partially of the decision making System76 has made for what to produce in the first place. These products, however, do not contain any of the firmware or driver work that System76 has invested in. They do benefit from the nice photography and advertising System76 has done, and since they look similar, people assume they're going to get the same machine for cheaper "directly from the manufacturer."

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Quoting: ArehandoroIs it just me or are they pretty overpriced?

Quoting: GuestThat isn't to say System76 doesn't do some additional work, but the end result is ridiculously overpriced compared to the source. Not sure if these are passing from China to IBM to System76, or what, but the way around it is to get a laptop directly or more directly from China, Taiwan, etc yourself. Look up Clevo laptops for example.

They're Clevo (which is based in Taiwan) laptops. As far as I can tell Clevo doesn't sell directly to retail customers. I checked prices of Clevo laptops with identical configurations from Sager, XOTIC PC Sager, CyberPowerPC XPLORER, etc; but there's not a large difference in price (and in some cases I've noticed that some of these other retailers end up costing more). As far as I know Sager, XOTIC PC or CyberPowerPC don't provide customer support if one decides to install Linux on a laptop purchased from one of them.

http://www.clevo.com/ [External Link]
http://www.sagernotebook.com/ [External Link]
http://www.xoticpc.com/sager [External Link]
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/ [External Link]

As others have noted System76 provide BIOS customizations in addition to video & audio driver customizations to fully support the hardware. Their lifetime customer support service is excellent, every time I contacted them I always received a response within one business day. One can either call them during their local business hours or contact them via their website. I purchased a Bonobo WS from System76 last August and I have been extremely happy with my purchase. I don't work System76 nor have I ever received any promos or comps from them, I'm just a very satisfied customer.

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