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Space Engine
- revscat 11y agoAre there plans for either an OS X or Linux version?
- konz 11y agoFrom the FAQ http://en.spaceengine.org/index/faq/0-29 http://en.spaceengine.org/index/faq/0-29: Q: Will there be a version for Mac and Linux? A: Yes, this is planned for in the near future. There is a donation campaign ongoing for this. If you would like to get SpaceEngine to Mac soon, please donate here.
- boost_ 11y agothe linux support goal has been reached months ago, and still nothing.. not really complaining, since it runs out of the box in wine.
- sgt 11y agoI got really excited about this until I saw it only runs on something called "Windows".
- sgt 11y agoI got seriously downvoted on that one, but it was worth it.
- sqeaky 11y agoWhat you said was sarcastic, but you make a serious point. I absolutely refuse to expose myself on the internet to virus and other malicious digital attacks, that I do not have to be exposed to. Dropping windows entirely was one of the single best steps I took in minimizing that attack surface. I do not have resources to dedicate to having yet another untrusted machine with expensive software for the sake of one "free" piece of software that amounts to little more than a game (even though I really like games).
- belgianguy 11y agoDon't forget that Rift also seemed to support Linux, but then decided to push that to the back of their planning. So even if it's in the list of things to do, that doesn't mean it will happen in the near future, or even at all.
- gfosco 11y agoIt's not in their poll for new features, but VR support would make this so much more interesting.
- nkoren 11y agoThat's what I came here to say. This is the first thing I've seen which makes me really, really, really want an Oculus Rift.
- MrBoomixer 11y agoIt would definitely make for an interesting experience. All the new platforms, even HaloLens if possible to project around you in 3D space could be amazing.
- DanAndersen 11y agoRift support was added in version 0.9.7.2 ( http://en.spaceengine.org/forum/20-2614-1 http://en.spaceengine.org/forum/20-2614-1 ).
- gfosco 11y agoGood to know... I think that should be listed on the homepage. I looked for VR and Rift, didn't see any mention.
- themodelplumber 11y agoThere's a video of the VR experience in SpaceEngine here (for what it's worth): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smyMRzS9QQM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smyMRzS9QQM Edit: Maybe even better, somebody's writeup of the experience: http://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/2qh37t/space_engine_0972_released_it_now_has_rift_support/cn6f2uo http://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/2qh37t/space_engine_...
- higherpurpose 11y agoThen add virtual "space ships". I've actually used Space Engine to make it look like I'm in a space ship travelling at warp speed by increasing the speed at which you're travelling through the galaxy. It almost makes it seem like you're on Enterprise. I imagine the experience would be even better with VR.
- accatyyc 11y agoYES! Everyone should try this. Sometimes I can get lost in it for hours, just floating around the galaxies... It's so cool that everything you see, every little star in each Galaxy you can zoom into and check out. Check the simulated atmosphere of every planet, check the rough surfaces of every little asteroid. All procedurally generated and very mind blowing.
- mesozoic 11y agoLooks like it supports mods/addons. Would like a mod that adds Star Wars planets. Maybe other fictional planets like the Game of Thrones planet.
- jessriedel 11y agoHow does this compare to Celestia?
- z3phyr 11y agoIts graphically more intensive, with larger volume of data. You can also explore the yet unseen parts of the universe which are procedurally generated and imo more detailed.
- rbanffy 11y agoLicense it under the GPL, upload code and all build files (including WIP files for the Linux version) to Github, and I'll donate.
- morbius 11y agoAgreed. It irks me when proprietary software developers ask for donations for a 'free as in beer' work. Either offer your product as a paid service/item, or make it open source and free as in speech software. The middle ground is just annoying.
- secstate 11y agoNot sure why you're downvoted. KSP offered a one-time purchase of the beta for a promise of a crack at the 1.0, and they came through marvellously. There's an example of doing a closed-codebase project for money right.
- robertfw 11y agoThen don't donate. It's their project, their time and effort, their choice.
- eyko 11y agoAnd our money, which they're asking for.
- ggchappell 11y agoIt is. However: (1) People who make things (of any kind) publicly available are often not clear on how the public perceives them. It can be helpful to let them know. (2) This fellow has obviously put a lot of work into the program. But there are limits on how far development by one person, in their spare time, is likely to go. There are two reasonably sustainable development models: establish a clear funding stream by charging for the product, or release the source code and do open development. This fellow is doing neither. If people admire this work, and want it to continue to be developed, then they have an incentive to encourage the original developer to switch to a more sustainable model. and ... (3) Is there anything wrong with offering a trade? "I'd like it if you did X. If you do, then I'll give you money."
- mrmondo 11y agoId imagine no Linux support and not being open source would put many people off from donating, myself included.
- hashmymustache 11y agoI don't understand the attitude about donations. The developer wrote an awe-inspiring work of art and has been giving it away without demand for years. He asks for donations with clear set goals of what they go toward for improving the software. Take it or leave it. Yes, an open-source version would be valuable and I invite anyone here to start one.
- api 11y agoIt's fine to spend $5 on a cup of coffee, but "information wants to be free" even if it's the product of years and years of grueling work. This petulant entitled mentality is vile, especially when it's directed at a free labor of love like this. If people don't like it they shouldn't use it, and nobody is making anyone donate anything. Edit: the thing I'm really responding to here is the holier-than-thou ideology you see around this topic from time to time, and the negativity directed at this and other developers for daring to suggest that their work might be worthy of some form of compensation. It's total nonsense. It's not about some high-minded "community ideal." People are just being greedy and cheap. How and under what terms someone releases their work is their choice, not yours. The only choice you have is whether or not to partake.
- joshuapants 11y ago> How and under what terms someone releases their work is their choice, not yours. The only choice you have is whether or not to partake. And all people are saying is that they won't partake or support if it's not licensed to their satisfaction. There are no license fascists going around breaking windows to make people conform.
- api 11y agoThey do it verbally. I'm the author of a number of open source projects, and some of the messages I've received are just insane. The latest thing is... get a load of this... it's now no longer good enough to give your code and your service away for free. Nope. It has to be free and permissively licensed, so that anyone who wants to take it closed and put their name and a price tag on it can do so without compensating you in any way whatsoever. Anything less and you're not serving "the community." I have to ask what kind of community this is. OSS was envisioned as the basis of an information gift economy, not a bunch of "takers." Nowadays the takers are increasingly corporations, not even individuals. That's why my larger non-trivial OSS projects are and will likely remain GPL or similar. I do sometimes release trivial stuff under public domain or nearly-so licenses, but things that take years of work? Sorry, but you have to give something back. At the very least you have to acknowledge its authorship if you use it. Luckily these attitudes are far from the majority, but I still think it's worthwhile to call out obnoxious trash for what it is. I've come to the same opinion with regard to piracy, especially industrial-scale piracy. The thing that really bothers me is when people actually get holier-than-thou about it. I have more respect for you if you just say "look, I'm a cheap greedy jerk and I want free stuff." At least you're admitting it. But please do not try to act like your wanting free stuff is some kind of grandiose liberal social statement that's helping make the world a better place, because it's not. At worst you are helping to devalue labor and destroy peoples' livelihoods. At the very best you are accomplishing nothing. The last thing I want the author of something as beautiful as Space Engine to see is to visit the HN thread about their project and see a bunch of whiny takers berating them about how they're not allowed to take take take on terms that please them sufficiently.