3 ms·

I think there's a bigger picture that RMS seems to be missing. Simply look in the HN feed and you'll see that Square Enix is partnering with OUYA. OnLive is par

I think there's a bigger picture that RMS seems to be missing. Simply look in the HN feed and you'll see that Square Enix is partnering with OUYA. OnLive is partnering with OUYA. Steam is coming to Linux. This is about cutting out the middle-man and bringing content to people without the enormous barriers to entry. This is a coup in waiting and RMS is worried about whether content is free (or "nonfree" in his own words, both in terms of DRM and cost). This is greater freedom for producers of content and consumers alike, but not for tinkerers. It’s not the outcome that he wants but it could be one of the most important developments for open source platforms. He needs to step back and assess what’s more important - his rigid ideals or measurable progress for open source platforms.

notime 14y ago
OUYA is a great idea, but it remains to be seen whether it will take off. I like homebrew development, but the fact is that the tools around providing homebrew development to the everyday joe are shoddy at best. Homebrew channel on Wii comes to mind- They have a great title sequence and the popping bubbles, but the homebrew app allowing you to install new games has to be added manually on the SD card. And it is buggy and the user experience leaves much to be desired. And then after you wait 20 minutes to download a game, your kid could accidentally delete it in 5 seconds because deletion is right there with the games on the menu. But, the biggest problem is that few are savvy enough to install the Wii Homebrew channel and an SD card doesn't come with the Wii anyway. The only way OUYA is going to survive and thrive is if they can sell at Best Buy, Gamestop, etc. and if the device is easy to use, doesn't have a load of crap on it like the Roku, and is fast enough to support games people want to play. But on top of that- it better not have a sub-par interface.

notime 14y ago

OUYA is a great idea, but it remains to be seen whether it will take off. I like homebrew development, but the fact is that the tools around providing homebrew development to the everyday joe are shoddy at best. Homebrew channel on Wii comes to mind- They have a great title sequence and the popping bubbles, but the homebrew app allowing you to install new games has to be added manually on the SD card. And it is buggy and the user experience leaves much to be desired. And then after you wait 20 minutes to download a game, your kid could accidentally delete it in 5 seconds because deletion is right there with the games on the menu. But, the biggest problem is that few are savvy enough to install the Wii Homebrew channel and an SD card doesn't come with the Wii anyway. The only way OUYA is going to survive and thrive is if they can sell at Best Buy, Gamestop, etc. and if the device is easy to use, doesn't have a load of crap on it like the Roku, and is fast enough to support games people want to play. But on top of that- it better not have a sub-par interface.