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Now I know what Android users feel like when people announce endless iPhone-only mobile apps. I was super bummed that I missed the last Humble Bundle, since it

Now I know what Android users feel like when people announce endless iPhone-only mobile apps. I was super bummed that I missed the last Humble Bundle, since it was chock full of games I had been meaning to buy. This one is smaller, though, and the having the "cool" feature targeted at a group I'm not in makes me feel like the bundle isn't really worth paying attention to. This is the first time I have ever felt left out by not using Android. I think I'm going to more seriously consider needing Android versions of projects. The feeling sucks.

bookwormAT 15y ago
It makes sense to include Android in the Humble Bundle, since it is the only popular PC platform that was not already included. It is not really possible to deliver a iOS or WP7 app without DRM, so they cannot extend the offer to applicances.
- shinratdr 15y ago
  That's what he was looking for, a nice snide response. EDIT - I'm guessing from the downvotes that the Hacker News community finds it acceptable to refer to iOS and WP7 as appliances? I'm sorry but that's BS. Every definition of computer appliance I can find excludes devices that can have programs added after the fact, something that is definitely possible with both operating systems. EDIT 2 - If people feel so strongly about this I really would appreciate a reply instead of just a downvote. I thought this place was about discussion over simply dismissing?
  - Fargren 15y ago
    People are downvoting you not because they disagree with your opinion, but because it adds nothing to the conversation. That's frowned upon in HN. The response you replied to was perfectly valid: there's no iOS or WP7 bundles because they are contrary to the philosophy of the bundles; this is a valid point that no one had mentioned. Complaining that the response was snide, OTOH doesn't say anything that's relevant to the topic at hand. A better response would have been to say that you think referring to those platforms as applications is wrong, and probably some explanation as to why.
    - shinratdr 15y ago
      > People are downvoting you not because they disagree with your opinion, but because it adds nothing to the conversation. I disagree, I think there was a valid point made in a comment that overall had an arrogant tone and some inaccuracies and that should be addressed like I chose to rather than just ignored. Dispelling inaccuracies adds to the discussion, or at the very least attempts to prevent someone else from detracting from the discussion. To act like I just came out of left field with this or something is just ridiculous. > The response you replied to was perfectly valid: there's no iOS or WP7 bundles because they are contrary to the philosophy of the bundles; this is a valid point that no one had mentioned. Which is why I didn't take issue with or mention that part. I took issue with referring to iOS and WP7 devices as appliances when they aren't. > Complaining that the response was snide, OTOH doesn't say anything that's relevant to the topic at hand. It was both snide and inaccurate because of that, I assumed that was implied or obvious. I didn't think I needed to lay it out so blatantly. > A better response would have been to say that you think referring to those platforms as applications is wrong, and probably some explanation as to why. Like I said, I assumed that was implied. I did cover why in my edit. It's simply incorrect, no definition of computer appliance backs it up and it smacks of arrogance.
  - LukeShu 15y ago
    The "appliance" bit is of course an insult. However, the main point of what he was saying is that you cannot publish an app for iOS or WP7 without DRM (it is part of the platform), and one of Humble Bundle's major points is "DRM free".
    - shinratdr 15y ago
      I get that, understand it and agree which is why I didn't take issue with that part. You see the "appliance" bit as an insult as well, so we are in complete agreement. His main point is correct, and I took no issue with that. Hence, it still doesn't really clear up for me why I'm being downvoted so heavily.
- cube13 15y ago
  Every previous bundle has included Steam keys, which aren't DRM free.
  - mdwrigh2 15y ago
    But also offered it for all platforms in a DRM free format as well. Steam was just an option because people (like myself) find it convenient. There's no way to give away a DRM-free version for iOS.
icco 15y ago
Being a long time Linux user, I am very aware of the "I don't want you as my customer" feeling. Being a software developer, I have never understood the decision on why to essentially limit the number of customers you can have. I think the only thing worse than not supporting the majority of platforms is not making them have feature parity.
- replax 15y ago
  While I can understand not porting e.g. a DirectX game to Linux/OSX or any other program which heavily relies on OS specific libraries/features, I could not yet understand why not to port it when it is possible with little effort. I'd really like to hear an explanation from someone with knowledge in that matter, unfortunately the only example I can come up with at the moment from the top of my head is WoW/Warcraft/Starcraft. It runs on Win/OSX but has no Linux client. I do not understand why Blizzard would not release a Linux client for which no support will be available. A small team could probably achieve a port in reasonable time and create the update infrastructure around it.
  - Steko 15y ago
    How ironic that Blizzard, by far the brightest star in releasing simultaneous Mac AAA titles, is being singled out here. I'm going to pull a justification out of my ass: if you support things halfway and do things halfway the brand suffers. Before they'd make a linux client they'd do X-Box then PS3 then Wii for sheer ROI reasons. They aren't doing those either though even with larger consumer bases.
    - replax 15y ago
      Yes I agree with you in regard to Bilzzard. To be more precise, my questions is: You have an OpenGL based game running smoothly on OSX, you decide not to port it to Linux. Why? 1. ROI 2. "Have to" offer support for Linux to maintain brand image - very hard 3. hurts game image "game for geeks" Obviously, it is hugely dependent on the piece of software you have.
cube13 15y ago
The first mobile platform all of these games were released on was iOS. Most of them have been there for over a year. The only one that is relatively recent is Anomaly, which was released late in 2011. You can't get them as cheap as the HIB, but they are available. I'm actually surprised that they're not offering iOS keys as well for all of them, but these are all iOS bestsellers anyway. EDGE is $2.99, World of Goo is $2.99 for iPhone or $4.99(I believe) for universal, Osmos is $2.99, and Anomaly is $1.99 for iPhone and $4.99(I believe) for universal. I don't have prices for the universal apps because I've already bought them for my iPhone.

bookwormAT 15y ago

It makes sense to include Android in the Humble Bundle, since it is the only popular PC platform that was not already included. It is not really possible to deliver a iOS or WP7 app without DRM, so they cannot extend the offer to applicances.

shinratdr 15y ago
That's what he was looking for, a nice snide response. EDIT - I'm guessing from the downvotes that the Hacker News community finds it acceptable to refer to iOS and WP7 as appliances? I'm sorry but that's BS. Every definition of computer appliance I can find excludes devices that can have programs added after the fact, something that is definitely possible with both operating systems. EDIT 2 - If people feel so strongly about this I really would appreciate a reply instead of just a downvote. I thought this place was about discussion over simply dismissing?
- Fargren 15y ago
  People are downvoting you not because they disagree with your opinion, but because it adds nothing to the conversation. That's frowned upon in HN. The response you replied to was perfectly valid: there's no iOS or WP7 bundles because they are contrary to the philosophy of the bundles; this is a valid point that no one had mentioned. Complaining that the response was snide, OTOH doesn't say anything that's relevant to the topic at hand. A better response would have been to say that you think referring to those platforms as applications is wrong, and probably some explanation as to why.
  - shinratdr 15y ago
    > People are downvoting you not because they disagree with your opinion, but because it adds nothing to the conversation. I disagree, I think there was a valid point made in a comment that overall had an arrogant tone and some inaccuracies and that should be addressed like I chose to rather than just ignored. Dispelling inaccuracies adds to the discussion, or at the very least attempts to prevent someone else from detracting from the discussion. To act like I just came out of left field with this or something is just ridiculous. > The response you replied to was perfectly valid: there's no iOS or WP7 bundles because they are contrary to the philosophy of the bundles; this is a valid point that no one had mentioned. Which is why I didn't take issue with or mention that part. I took issue with referring to iOS and WP7 devices as appliances when they aren't. > Complaining that the response was snide, OTOH doesn't say anything that's relevant to the topic at hand. It was both snide and inaccurate because of that, I assumed that was implied or obvious. I didn't think I needed to lay it out so blatantly. > A better response would have been to say that you think referring to those platforms as applications is wrong, and probably some explanation as to why. Like I said, I assumed that was implied. I did cover why in my edit. It's simply incorrect, no definition of computer appliance backs it up and it smacks of arrogance.
- LukeShu 15y ago
  The "appliance" bit is of course an insult. However, the main point of what he was saying is that you cannot publish an app for iOS or WP7 without DRM (it is part of the platform), and one of Humble Bundle's major points is "DRM free".
  - shinratdr 15y ago
    I get that, understand it and agree which is why I didn't take issue with that part. You see the "appliance" bit as an insult as well, so we are in complete agreement. His main point is correct, and I took no issue with that. Hence, it still doesn't really clear up for me why I'm being downvoted so heavily.
cube13 15y ago
Every previous bundle has included Steam keys, which aren't DRM free.
- mdwrigh2 15y ago
  But also offered it for all platforms in a DRM free format as well. Steam was just an option because people (like myself) find it convenient. There's no way to give away a DRM-free version for iOS.

icco 15y ago

Being a long time Linux user, I am very aware of the "I don't want you as my customer" feeling. Being a software developer, I have never understood the decision on why to essentially limit the number of customers you can have. I think the only thing worse than not supporting the majority of platforms is not making them have feature parity.

replax 15y ago
While I can understand not porting e.g. a DirectX game to Linux/OSX or any other program which heavily relies on OS specific libraries/features, I could not yet understand why not to port it when it is possible with little effort. I'd really like to hear an explanation from someone with knowledge in that matter, unfortunately the only example I can come up with at the moment from the top of my head is WoW/Warcraft/Starcraft. It runs on Win/OSX but has no Linux client. I do not understand why Blizzard would not release a Linux client for which no support will be available. A small team could probably achieve a port in reasonable time and create the update infrastructure around it.
- Steko 15y ago
  How ironic that Blizzard, by far the brightest star in releasing simultaneous Mac AAA titles, is being singled out here. I'm going to pull a justification out of my ass: if you support things halfway and do things halfway the brand suffers. Before they'd make a linux client they'd do X-Box then PS3 then Wii for sheer ROI reasons. They aren't doing those either though even with larger consumer bases.
  - replax 15y ago
    Yes I agree with you in regard to Bilzzard. To be more precise, my questions is: You have an OpenGL based game running smoothly on OSX, you decide not to port it to Linux. Why? 1. ROI 2. "Have to" offer support for Linux to maintain brand image - very hard 3. hurts game image "game for geeks" Obviously, it is hugely dependent on the piece of software you have.

cube13 15y ago

The first mobile platform all of these games were released on was iOS. Most of them have been there for over a year. The only one that is relatively recent is Anomaly, which was released late in 2011. You can't get them as cheap as the HIB, but they are available. I'm actually surprised that they're not offering iOS keys as well for all of them, but these are all iOS bestsellers anyway. EDGE is $2.99, World of Goo is $2.99 for iPhone or $4.99(I believe) for universal, Osmos is $2.99, and Anomaly is $1.99 for iPhone and $4.99(I believe) for universal. I don't have prices for the universal apps because I've already bought them for my iPhone.