Quoting: Mountain ManI'm not sure how it's worse for security. You mean just because you don't know it's there? I'll be honest, I haven't audited every piece of software on my Kubuntu box, so there is a certain level of trust, even when it's open source.

It's worse human factor wise. When you are hindered, you pay attention, and more likely do something to remove the hindrance (and in result improve the security by removing DRM). And when you don't often feel discomfort (i.e. usability is hindered only in some cases, not always), you are more likely to be complacent, and go along with it.

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Quoting: Mountain ManWhatever DRM Steam uses is transparent to the end user.

It's actually ironic, but transparent DRM is worse security wise. It's like a hidden camera which is "transparent" as long as you don't pay attention to what it does. At least when it hinders you all the time, you pay attention and can be annoyed enough to do something about it.

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Quoting: DuckeenieThe thing that holds his argument together is the bit about games.

No, it doesn't hold it together. He is talking about the client, not about games. Games are actually sold, so if they are open, developers need to find a way to profit (in best cases they open engines, and not art, or something of that sort). Something like store / updater client isn't sold. I.e. there is clearly no reason to keep it closed. Except, as I said for DRM, which mandates it.

Case in point. Itch.io also sell games, and their client is open (and they don't have DRM).

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Quoting: TuxeeOTOH DRM can be open source - checking a serial number against some registered serial numbers is hardly anything which requires security by obscurity.

As far as I know, no, DRM can't be open source. Authentication mechanisms of course can be (and DRM can use that), but actual attempts to restrict the user from accessing some information in their computer (copying it, and so on), can't be open source, since if it's open, you can bypass it. That's why DRM garbage is by definition always closed.

And don't mix DRM with security. Security through obscurity is of course bad. But DRM isn't about security by any means. On the contrary, DRM always means security is compromised in some way.

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Quoting: ageresWhy are people so open-source obsessed? Games are not open-source anyway, as well as Nvidia drivers

We are using Linux after all, not Windows, so you can answer your own question. There is no reason to make such clients closed, except for DRM. DRM can't be open by definition.

Regarding drivers, you can switch to AMD, and use open ones.

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Quoting: rkfgI noticed that but it's not necessarily true. Like with the Steam survey, these values are percentages not absolute numbers. It could be the same story, the desktop Linux users count grows faser than that of OSX but slower than Windows.

Yeah. I think it reflects general stagnation and bit rot of MacOS, and trend to abandon it for something modern.

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Quoting: rkfgHOWEVER, if you look at the desktop market share numbers [External Link], you'll see Linux having the biggest share ever, 2.36%.

Interestingly, if you look at those trends, most of those new users seem to come from former MacOS users, not Windows ones.

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Quoting: KetilI am not sure that the share of gamers not using steam are higher on linux than windows or mac.

I expect it to be higher (though there is no easy way to measure it). Linux users are more commonly averse to DRM.

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May be it will give enough resources for Triumph to start releasing Linux versions on GOG, but I'm skeptical about it. Triumph were pretty bad towards GOG Linux users in the past.

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With all the ranting Tim Sweeney likes to throw around about MS abusing the gaming market, he could do much more to make Linux support in Unreal Engine have sufficient resources.

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