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Thanks for the comments all! @ jmillikin : Two main issues I see what your propsal: it isn't a real solution to guaranteeing quality, because (for example) I w

Thanks for the comments all! @ jmillikin : Two main issues I see what your propsal: it isn't a real solution to guaranteeing quality, because (for example) I was seeing different WM-XServer interaction between the 32bit and 64bit distros of the same Ubuntu version (9.04)! So I can't even say "The game experience is tuned for Ubuntu" with any real assurance my code will work. The best I can do is say "We tested our code on Ubuntu and managed to cobble something together that displays no known issues." Secondly, I'm hard pressed to actually get an objective answer on the question "what are the major distros/versions" without igniting some kind of flame war. Thirdly, how do we select distros/versions/etc without 1) the userbase crying foul for lack of support for their config; and 2) without subdividing an already small market for games? For example, even the support burden alone when dealing with folks who accidentally buy the game without reading the 'fine print' would be significant and prohibitive. And our experience is that Linux users are not more forgiving when the app in question has been paid for. Expectations are low when something is free but high when something is not. So we need that work to be justified. @ gte910h : you can't statically link LGPL'd libs without breaking license. Dave, Hemisphere Games

jmillikin 16y ago
I was seeing different WM-XServer interaction between the 32bit and 64bit distros of the same Ubuntu version (9.04) In this case, use the 32-bit behavior and file a Ubuntu and/or GNOME bug against the 64-bit behavior. I'm running a 64-bit system, and there are definitely cases where it's a second-class architecture to some maintainers. Out of curiosity, what's the behavior difference that you're observing? Secondly, I'm hard pressed to actually get an objective answer on the question "what are the major distros/versions" without igniting some kind of flame war. Ubuntu, Fedora, and SUSE are the primary desktop distros. Mandriva is popular in Europe. In my experience, they are almost identical in terms of running proprietary software. Arch is also popular, but due to its source-based nature is mostly for more techy users -- they probably won't mind a bit of work if your software doesn't work out of the box. There's a decent list on < http://distrowatch.com/ http://distrowatch.com/ >, sorted by popularity, in right sidebar. Thirdly, how do we select distros/versions/etc without 1) the userbase crying foul for lack of support for their config; and 2) without subdividing an already small market for games? Use the most recent (or most and second-most, if you've got free time). The market is small, but there's different levels of small; most Linux gamers are going to be close to the bleeding edge, to take advantage of driver improvements. If you're in doubt, run a poll -- ask which distro, version, and graphics card vendor your customers use. Publish the results. This will serve the dual purpose of 1) letting you know what to support and 2) giving users an idea of what configurations are best tested. And our experience is that Linux users are not more forgiving when the app in question has been paid for. Expectations are low when something is free but high when something is not. So we need that work to be justified. Some users are never forgiving, whether they're in the right or not. However, potential customers will be influenced by how reasonable other user's complaints are. "I use Ubuntu 10.04 and your game crashes on startup" is a legitimate complaint; "I run a four-year old Slackware install, and audio doesn't work because I replaced ALSA with OSSv4" will just be ignored as a crank.

jmillikin 16y ago

I was seeing different WM-XServer interaction between the 32bit and 64bit distros of the same Ubuntu version (9.04) In this case, use the 32-bit behavior and file a Ubuntu and/or GNOME bug against the 64-bit behavior. I'm running a 64-bit system, and there are definitely cases where it's a second-class architecture to some maintainers. Out of curiosity, what's the behavior difference that you're observing? Secondly, I'm hard pressed to actually get an objective answer on the question "what are the major distros/versions" without igniting some kind of flame war. Ubuntu, Fedora, and SUSE are the primary desktop distros. Mandriva is popular in Europe. In my experience, they are almost identical in terms of running proprietary software. Arch is also popular, but due to its source-based nature is mostly for more techy users -- they probably won't mind a bit of work if your software doesn't work out of the box. There's a decent list on < http://distrowatch.com/ http://distrowatch.com/ >, sorted by popularity, in right sidebar. Thirdly, how do we select distros/versions/etc without 1) the userbase crying foul for lack of support for their config; and 2) without subdividing an already small market for games? Use the most recent (or most and second-most, if you've got free time). The market is small, but there's different levels of small; most Linux gamers are going to be close to the bleeding edge, to take advantage of driver improvements. If you're in doubt, run a poll -- ask which distro, version, and graphics card vendor your customers use. Publish the results. This will serve the dual purpose of 1) letting you know what to support and 2) giving users an idea of what configurations are best tested. And our experience is that Linux users are not more forgiving when the app in question has been paid for. Expectations are low when something is free but high when something is not. So we need that work to be justified. Some users are never forgiving, whether they're in the right or not. However, potential customers will be influenced by how reasonable other user's complaints are. "I use Ubuntu 10.04 and your game crashes on startup" is a legitimate complaint; "I run a four-year old Slackware install, and audio doesn't work because I replaced ALSA with OSSv4" will just be ignored as a crank.