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If this was a thing, then any software you buy on windows should work on Mac and Linux, and any titles for PlayStation should work on Xbox etc. I don’t know tha

If this was a thing, then any software you buy on windows should work on Mac and Linux, and any titles for PlayStation should work on Xbox etc. I don’t know that I’m opposed per se, but it also seems like a system one could game. It’s also never been the case in software.

withinboredom 5y ago
When I bought Minecraft at $11 almost 10(?) years ago, I got a Java version that worked pretty much everywhere. When I buy a game on Steam, it works on Mac/Linux/Windows or some combination at virtually no extra cost. When I buy tools online, usually it allows me to download a version that works with whichever OS. My Visual Studio license works on Mac and Windows, as does my IntelliJ license. I don’t know what argument you are making here. Sure, there are products that only work on one OS, but that’s usually a point that competition uses against the product, not the expected default unless it’s a product specifically for that OS. Edit: clarity.
- f6v 5y ago
  Most games require you purchasing separate versions for PC, Xbox, and PS. Then there’re also exclusives, e.g. PS-only games.
  - withinboredom 5y ago
    That’s only because Xbox and PS don’t allow the Steam store on there.
bostik 5y ago
There's a pretty big gulf between software / OS interoperability and data / protocol interoperability. Think about cars. You can take a vehicle manufactured for US market and take it to, say, Japan, but it won't be a smooth experience. Being in an environment so different requires you to (for want of a better word) "emulate" your way to adaptability. Cars in US have the wheel on left-hand side. Cars in Japan have the wheel on the right-hand side. But modulo emission limits[ß], their engines and transmission systems are mostly interchangeable. The final product, the car, is analogue for software. The inner plumbing, the components that make the product actually offer its functionality, is analogue for data and protocols. ß: Yes, I know. There are a whole lot of other requirements and regional regulations to consider too.

withinboredom 5y ago

When I bought Minecraft at $11 almost 10(?) years ago, I got a Java version that worked pretty much everywhere. When I buy a game on Steam, it works on Mac/Linux/Windows or some combination at virtually no extra cost. When I buy tools online, usually it allows me to download a version that works with whichever OS. My Visual Studio license works on Mac and Windows, as does my IntelliJ license. I don’t know what argument you are making here. Sure, there are products that only work on one OS, but that’s usually a point that competition uses against the product, not the expected default unless it’s a product specifically for that OS. Edit: clarity.

f6v 5y ago
Most games require you purchasing separate versions for PC, Xbox, and PS. Then there’re also exclusives, e.g. PS-only games.
- withinboredom 5y ago
  That’s only because Xbox and PS don’t allow the Steam store on there.

bostik 5y ago

There's a pretty big gulf between software / OS interoperability and data / protocol interoperability. Think about cars. You can take a vehicle manufactured for US market and take it to, say, Japan, but it won't be a smooth experience. Being in an environment so different requires you to (for want of a better word) "emulate" your way to adaptability. Cars in US have the wheel on left-hand side. Cars in Japan have the wheel on the right-hand side. But modulo emission limits[ß], their engines and transmission systems are mostly interchangeable. The final product, the car, is analogue for software. The inner plumbing, the components that make the product actually offer its functionality, is analogue for data and protocols. ß: Yes, I know. There are a whole lot of other requirements and regional regulations to consider too.