Quoting: Purple Library GuyNo, it leaves lots of clear options for DRM-free backup. Just no options which don't arguably violate Steam's TOS.

That's out of scope. You can also go ahead and break various DRM, producing DRM-free backup. Personally I don't have a problem with people breaking DRM for their personal use (DRM in fact is aimed to forbid otherwise completely legal fair use), but we aren't talking about that.

Quoting: Purple Library GuyThus, it is not factually DRM and doing the backups does not trigger legal penalties for circumventing DRM so it is not legalistically DRM either.

I wouldn't be so sure. The client itself can be viewed as an installation "measure", and skirting its use can be viewed as "circumventing" it. DMCA-1201 abusers come up with even weirder ways to mess things up for those unfortunate who happen to be subjects to some DRM schemes.

I call it DRM, because they don't provide legal ways to make DRM-free backups. That's about it.

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Ah, sounds good.

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Quoting: x_wingI found this:

https://github.com/yancharkin/games_nebula

I may be trying this during the weekend (if ever get enough time :/)

As far as I know, it's not using Galaxy API. If you want a well working downloader, try this: https://github.com/Sude-/lgogdownloader

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Those who have Dungeons 2 on GOG now get 50% off on Dungeons 3 and expansions (until April 30), but not on this last one. Still quite a good deal.

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Quoting: RafiLinuxThat is not what Galaxy is, though. That is exactly what itch.io itch app is.

Galaxy is meant to connect GOG games with their online games which is a different monsters then just download apps.

Galaxy is an overloaded term, so it can get confusing. There are two distinct things here:

1. Galaxy Web API that GOG have, which allows Galaxy client(s) to authenticate and access account data. Such client can download games, incremental updates and so on and so forth. This API works over HTTP. GOG provide their own client to pair with that API, and hopefully community will be able to make an open source alternative to that.

2. GOG have various services like multiplayer features (similar to Steamworks), that they provide access to through UDP based API. For that they give developers a C++ library through which they can access it. It's a completely different beast from #1, but both are confusingly called Galaxy.

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Quoting: Purple Library GuyAs to Steam backups requiring the Steam client to un-backup . . . that's really not unusual for backup software. Backup tools work like that--you use the tool to back the stuff up, then you use the same tool to push the stuff forward again. Nobody calls Linux Mint's backup tool "DRM" (I've been known to call it "crap" though). It is bad if Steam's terms of use imply making your own backups is a violation, but again if there's no technical barrier to doing so, that's not DRM, just a bad policy. Maybe an intentionally bad policy, maybe just an accidentally bad policy.

For me, if legal backup is DRMed, and manual one is outlawed, the service is surely not DRM-free.

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Quoting: MblackwellThe GOG ToS specifies that they have a right to revoke your access to their services for any large number of reasons. How will you download your games then?

The idea is that you download something after you buy it, and you legally can back it up (as long as you legally purchased it). As far as I understand Steam TOS, it doesn't say you can legally back up anything in DRM-free fashion even if you legally purchased it. They explicitly say, that the automatic installation is needed (I understand it as referring to their client). And their official back up tool in their client is DRMed as we established above. This leaves no clear option for DRM-free backup. Again, I'm basing it on what TOS says, not on guessing what it doesn't say.

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Quoting: MblackwellI can make a tar.gz of any steam game I have installed (which, like with GOG can be installed via command line tools) without DRM, move it anywhere I want, and expect it to work later.

That much is known, the question is, are you allowed to do it or not. According to Steam TOS - IMHO not. Analysis was already brought above. And it fits very well with the way their official backup tool is implemented which has DRM. You can bypass it by manual copying? So you can as well break various forms of DRM too to make personal backups. That doesn't make those cases DRM-free.

It is not like GOG who by design let you making personal backups that don't rely on any client or service to be installed.

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Quoting: BOYSSSSSAgain you answer one of my points and ignore the others. Would you agree that Steam Backup Tool is used for games that are supposed to have DRM and that the reason there is an obstacle put in Steam Backup Tool is extra protection for those games that do have DRM?

Steam backup is the tool Steam authorize you to use to backup / restore. Manual method is not allowed according to Steam TOS. So Steam doesn't care whether games use some internal DRM or not, Steam itself is DRM in this case. This is quite clear, I'm not sure what needs more clarification in this case.

Quoting: BOYSSSSSDo you acknowledge that there are DRM-Free games from Steam that you can just copy to another computer without Steam and play them?

I don't acknowledge that you can legally do it. Steam TOS forbids it.

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Quoting: BOYSSSSS

Quoting: ShmerlWhich implies DRM logic, bingo! Now you are starting to get the point.

So you consider DRM the ability to prevent a Steam user from giving a game to another Steam user?

I was talking about the intent of the DRM, not about the user. Trying to "prevent copying" is preemptive policing that DRM attempts to achieve. It doesn't care whether user wants to copy it for personal backup (which should be perfectly fine). DRM can't distinguish the purpose of copying. I.e. it uses presumption of guilt by default, that's exactly why DRM is overreaching and unethical.

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