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This is the only really interesting thing going on in Linux gaming these days: http://openpandora.org/ http://openpandora.org/ Why other vendors don't seem to

This is the only really interesting thing going on in Linux gaming these days: http://openpandora.org/ http://openpandora.org/ Why other vendors don't seem to get that you can get your entire OS for free, all you need is great hardware and some love for developers, and you can enter the hardware market and build a new platform, just for you and your customers. It doesn't have to be "only the majors can play" here - all it takes is a smart core of people, executives who really truly do "get it", and a compelling reason to get yourself a community going, with real customers whom you can communicate with. Android, iOS? Yeah, okay. Kids, you don't have to play the Framework-user dance. You can go find your own little plot of land, and have all the right ingredients, to start your own garden. Just.. have the balls to do the hard work. Its what kept the OpenPandora alive so far, in spite of it all, and the game is not over yet .. Pyra is on the horizon.

cwyers 12y ago
Your case here would be stronger if the OpenPandora website didn't open up with a video showing how their device enables you to play all the best video games off the major consoles from 20 years ago. That's not building your own garden, that's shoplifting from the grocery store.
- ekianjo 12y ago
  > that's shoplifting from the grocery store. so you don't know how to rip physical CDs from your PS1 for example ? That's not that hard... All my ISOs come from there, and you can pretty much rip rom contents from every console out there, with the right tool and hardware.
  - cwyers 12y ago
    No, I mean... emulation isn't building a garden. Emulation isn't building anything. Emulation is... the kindest way of putting it is that it's preservation. You're preserving what someone else already built. Maybe you're restoring it, cleaning it up, adding value to it, but you're still relying on the thing you're building upon. My point is, it's really hard for the OpenPandora to be an alternative to the proprietary consoles so long as its sales pitch is that it can run software written for all the older proprietary consoles. You can't be an alternative to something you're wholly dependent on.
    - fit2rule 12y ago
      There is a hell of a lot more to the OpenPandora than emulation. It may be correct that they're not marketing it properly, but then again its also true that the users know whats up: http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=all&cat=Game&s=top http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=all&cat=Game&s=top
      - cwyers 12y ago
        Resort that by most downloaded: http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=all&cat=Game&s=dl&ipp=10 http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=all&cat=Game&s=dl&ipp=10 * Nintendo DS emulator * PSP emulator * Playstation emulator * Nintendo 64 emulator * Amiga 500/1200 emulator * Super Nintendo emulator * Sega Genesis emulator * MS DOS emulator * Arcade emulator * Game Boy Advanced emulator Yeah, I'd say the users know what's up. I also suspect that it's being marketed appropriately.
        fit2rule 12y ago
        Emulators are fantastic! I don't know why you have a problem with them .. I have a mass collection of cartridges for these systems from my youth, which I have a right to access freely and legally, and I'm certainly not going to disallow my kids from the opportunity of learning what those old machines were like, since they've got the Pandora for precisely this purpose. I would say what you are trying to say is that the Pandora is not a 'consumption' device, or 'consumer'-ish enough, and I would argue that your definition of consumer and mine are widely invariate. Consumers of the Pandora Emulator ecosystem are as valid as any other - or would you rather all these carts and systems end up in the land-fill? Here's another lesson, then: computers don't get old. Their users do. For this purpose, be forever prepared to emulate/virtualize all the things!
  - aaron-lebo 12y ago
    You also gotta be realistic, a lot of emulation is not what you are talking about, it is people straight up pirating software they've never bought. We can debate the ethics of that all day, but it is certainly questionable and isn't the sign of a healthy and new ecosystem.
    - fit2rule 12y ago
      Well, here is the "new" ecosystem: http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=all&s=new http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=all&s=new Its not all emulation. In fact, its a lot more like .. any Linux game that can be ported, will be ported. So there are a lot of Linux games you might be surprised in this list - among other applications too, of course. (You can't run a DAW on your Playstation..)
- fit2rule 12y ago
  True, I probably should have pointed out the fantastic array of software that is available for the OpenPandora in the open, public app store: http://repo.openpandora.org/ http://repo.openpandora.org/ Not all of it is emulation, but for those of us with a decent collection of legitimate ROM's, its a very valid and thriving scene. Even old architectures, being emulated again and thriving, are getting new apps in the app store. So, there's that to consider as well ..
noobermin 12y ago
I bought one of these in 2009 or 2010. I've yet to see my $450 open pandora and I periodically get emails asking for more money because of "financial issues." I'm no businessman, but that whole thing seemed like a prime example of mis-management.
- pjmlp 12y ago
  There was a talk about it at this year's FOSDEM, https://archive.fosdem.org/2014/schedule/event/game_openpandora/ https://archive.fosdem.org/2014/schedule/event/game_openpand...
  - noobermin 12y ago
    If they've really made it past all those rough spots like that weird manufacturer in Texas, then hats off to them. It's entirely possibly my name and number in line were lost in the void and mistakes like that happen. If they're really still going, at least $450 went to the development of open source and open hardware, and I don't consider that a complete loss. Anything is better than knowing I contributed to vaporware. EDIT: Looks like ED is still going. Good luck to him.
    - fit2rule 12y ago
      ED is still going. For the record, I am the opposite case: I actually got my two Pandora's from the very first batch, the week they were available. Some of us were very, very lucky .. and they're still on and being used, in my house, for all sorts of great things. I did get burned with the iCP2, though, alas .. it appears though that I'll get credit towards the Pyra release when it happens. I can hardly wait - the Pyra is going to be an amazing bit of gear .. and by the way the momentum behind the Pandora in the meantime: Wow! Pyra is going to land in a vibrant scene ..

cwyers 12y ago

Your case here would be stronger if the OpenPandora website didn't open up with a video showing how their device enables you to play all the best video games off the major consoles from 20 years ago. That's not building your own garden, that's shoplifting from the grocery store.

ekianjo 12y ago
> that's shoplifting from the grocery store. so you don't know how to rip physical CDs from your PS1 for example ? That's not that hard... All my ISOs come from there, and you can pretty much rip rom contents from every console out there, with the right tool and hardware.
- cwyers 12y ago
  No, I mean... emulation isn't building a garden. Emulation isn't building anything. Emulation is... the kindest way of putting it is that it's preservation. You're preserving what someone else already built. Maybe you're restoring it, cleaning it up, adding value to it, but you're still relying on the thing you're building upon. My point is, it's really hard for the OpenPandora to be an alternative to the proprietary consoles so long as its sales pitch is that it can run software written for all the older proprietary consoles. You can't be an alternative to something you're wholly dependent on.
  - fit2rule 12y ago
    There is a hell of a lot more to the OpenPandora than emulation. It may be correct that they're not marketing it properly, but then again its also true that the users know whats up: http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=all&cat=Game&s=top http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=all&cat=Game&s=top
    - cwyers 12y ago
      Resort that by most downloaded: http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=all&cat=Game&s=dl&ipp=10 http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=all&cat=Game&s=dl&ipp=10 * Nintendo DS emulator * PSP emulator * Playstation emulator * Nintendo 64 emulator * Amiga 500/1200 emulator * Super Nintendo emulator * Sega Genesis emulator * MS DOS emulator * Arcade emulator * Game Boy Advanced emulator Yeah, I'd say the users know what's up. I also suspect that it's being marketed appropriately.
      - fit2rule 12y ago
        Emulators are fantastic! I don't know why you have a problem with them .. I have a mass collection of cartridges for these systems from my youth, which I have a right to access freely and legally, and I'm certainly not going to disallow my kids from the opportunity of learning what those old machines were like, since they've got the Pandora for precisely this purpose. I would say what you are trying to say is that the Pandora is not a 'consumption' device, or 'consumer'-ish enough, and I would argue that your definition of consumer and mine are widely invariate. Consumers of the Pandora Emulator ecosystem are as valid as any other - or would you rather all these carts and systems end up in the land-fill? Here's another lesson, then: computers don't get old. Their users do. For this purpose, be forever prepared to emulate/virtualize all the things!
- aaron-lebo 12y ago
  You also gotta be realistic, a lot of emulation is not what you are talking about, it is people straight up pirating software they've never bought. We can debate the ethics of that all day, but it is certainly questionable and isn't the sign of a healthy and new ecosystem.
  - fit2rule 12y ago
    Well, here is the "new" ecosystem: http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=all&s=new http://repo.openpandora.org/?page=all&s=new Its not all emulation. In fact, its a lot more like .. any Linux game that can be ported, will be ported. So there are a lot of Linux games you might be surprised in this list - among other applications too, of course. (You can't run a DAW on your Playstation..)
fit2rule 12y ago
True, I probably should have pointed out the fantastic array of software that is available for the OpenPandora in the open, public app store: http://repo.openpandora.org/ http://repo.openpandora.org/ Not all of it is emulation, but for those of us with a decent collection of legitimate ROM's, its a very valid and thriving scene. Even old architectures, being emulated again and thriving, are getting new apps in the app store. So, there's that to consider as well ..

noobermin 12y ago

I bought one of these in 2009 or 2010. I've yet to see my $450 open pandora and I periodically get emails asking for more money because of "financial issues." I'm no businessman, but that whole thing seemed like a prime example of mis-management.

pjmlp 12y ago
There was a talk about it at this year's FOSDEM, https://archive.fosdem.org/2014/schedule/event/game_openpandora/ https://archive.fosdem.org/2014/schedule/event/game_openpand...
- noobermin 12y ago
  If they've really made it past all those rough spots like that weird manufacturer in Texas, then hats off to them. It's entirely possibly my name and number in line were lost in the void and mistakes like that happen. If they're really still going, at least $450 went to the development of open source and open hardware, and I don't consider that a complete loss. Anything is better than knowing I contributed to vaporware. EDIT: Looks like ED is still going. Good luck to him.
  - fit2rule 12y ago
    ED is still going. For the record, I am the opposite case: I actually got my two Pandora's from the very first batch, the week they were available. Some of us were very, very lucky .. and they're still on and being used, in my house, for all sorts of great things. I did get burned with the iCP2, though, alas .. it appears though that I'll get credit towards the Pyra release when it happens. I can hardly wait - the Pyra is going to be an amazing bit of gear .. and by the way the momentum behind the Pandora in the meantime: Wow! Pyra is going to land in a vibrant scene ..