5 ms·

A wedge for developers looking to boost Linux: make small, quality games that distribution makers can be convinced to include. MicroSoft did this with Minesweep

A wedge for developers looking to boost Linux: make small, quality games that distribution makers can be convinced to include. MicroSoft did this with Minesweeper and Solitaire, and far more people than you might think demanded Windows not because it could do the tasks they wanted, but because it had the simple recreations they desired and had grown used to. The best way to crowd out the ad-laden and micro-transaction app models is to make small, very well-made, free games the norm. There are some of these games available for Linux, but most lack the polish and discoverability that are necessary to get attention and help bring people over.

WaffleIronMaker 4y ago
I think the gaming market has changed significantly since Minesweeper and Solitaire were popular. Sure, it can be a nice quality of life boost to include some small games, but I don't think it would be a major draw to Linux. I believe the internet and mobile devices have largely filled this niche. Ensuring existing AAA games run solidly on Linux, like Valve is working towards with Proton, seems to have a much greater impact.
- robertlagrant 4y ago
  I agree entirely. Valve is taking the long, but correct, way round for this. I have a Linux computer with a GPU I game on, and I use Valve's compatibility layer for most of them.
throwaway744678 4y ago
Even more true for Nokia: people bought Nokia phones (3210, 3310, etc.) because of Snake!
mananaysiempre 4y ago
IIRC the official history says Minesweeper and Solitaire were both included as user-education devices—Minesweeper for teaching left- vs right-clicking and Solitaire for some other thing (drag&drop?). Not sure if the official history is true (wasn’t Freecell distributed as a Win32s test app?). Also, if anything I’d say the old, write-your-Xorg.conf-by-hand Linux desktop included more of these than the modern glossy one: Chromium B.S.U., Tux Racer, GNOME Robots (still in gnome-games I think), there were a ton of those. As well as xneko, xeyes and so on. Whereas on Windows you needed to look on computer magazine CDs and such to find the equivalent.

WaffleIronMaker 4y ago

I think the gaming market has changed significantly since Minesweeper and Solitaire were popular. Sure, it can be a nice quality of life boost to include some small games, but I don't think it would be a major draw to Linux. I believe the internet and mobile devices have largely filled this niche. Ensuring existing AAA games run solidly on Linux, like Valve is working towards with Proton, seems to have a much greater impact.

robertlagrant 4y ago
I agree entirely. Valve is taking the long, but correct, way round for this. I have a Linux computer with a GPU I game on, and I use Valve's compatibility layer for most of them.

throwaway744678 4y ago

Even more true for Nokia: people bought Nokia phones (3210, 3310, etc.) because of Snake!

mananaysiempre 4y ago

IIRC the official history says Minesweeper and Solitaire were both included as user-education devices—Minesweeper for teaching left- vs right-clicking and Solitaire for some other thing (drag&drop?). Not sure if the official history is true (wasn’t Freecell distributed as a Win32s test app?). Also, if anything I’d say the old, write-your-Xorg.conf-by-hand Linux desktop included more of these than the modern glossy one: Chromium B.S.U., Tux Racer, GNOME Robots (still in gnome-games I think), there were a ton of those. As well as xneko, xeyes and so on. Whereas on Windows you needed to look on computer magazine CDs and such to find the equivalent.