Also on GOG and itch.io. No sale pricing on these platforms, however. GOG has confirmed they are being delisted on their platform as well.

Itch.io versions are apparently out of date.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: CatKiller

Quoting: CaldathrasYet, I am not sure this is entirely GOG's fault. Oftentimes, it seems like the developer is slower to update their Linux packages on GOG than they are on Steam.

It's still GOG's fault. Other platforms got to use the Galaxy SDK to handle uploads and updates; Linux builds they had to use manual FTP and wait for it to be approved on GOG's side. They improved the process somewhat after a number of years, but it's still not as good publishing Linux builds as for other platforms.

Steam just has the same build and update pipeline for all platforms.

You would know better than I would. I see your point...

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: MarlockPutting it plainly, you can plug a PC to a TV since forever, and all PC games are playable on a typical PC setup (monitor+kbd+mouse on a desk)... but a TV usually means a couch or bed instead of a desk and kbd+mouse doesn't really work on a couch or bed.

If the Steam Machine is meant to compete with consoles, then it's essential that Valve pressures for controller support in its games catalog to improve.

Just to be cheeky, if "forever" is about 25 years, then yea. In those early days, connecting to the TV was not seamless and it was frustrating to have a widescreen TV but only be able to get 4:3 resolutions on it. But, HDMI greatly improved the situation.

Have to say, though, that "kbd+mouse doesn't really work on a couch" was not the case for me. I set the keyboard and mouse up with extension cords on a wooden TV tray and had a great time (I've never been all that comfortable with controllers). Now, I game on a laptop. My comfort level with controllers is likely to change too, as I find they seem to help with the vertigo.

My spouse would never have tolerated my gaming in bed, LoL.

In all seriousness, though, I think that Valve really is targeting the Steam Machine as a console not a desktop PC.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: LoftyI think the sandboxing would require an appimage software center that you check box 'sandbox' and it automatically firejails the application.

I'd have to check but I think that AM / AppMan (AppImage Package Manager) can do this. It is CLI rather than GUI, however. Perhaps @Bestia can verify.

Quoting: BestiaI'm using AM

(Just to catch @Bestia's attention.)

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: Cyba.CowboyI'm not obsessed with the GOG.com like seemingly everyone else; but I'd love to see more games natively supporting Linux (there's a heck of a lot of games in my Steam library that support Linux natively, with no Linux package under GOG.com).

I wouldn't say I'm obsessed with GOG but I do prefer having their offline installers instead of depending on the Steam client. Still, I find myself considering Steam for any game running in Linux natively just because the Linux packages tend to be more up-to-date and better supported (what with the Linux runtimes and all).

Yet, I am not sure this is entirely GOG's fault. Oftentimes, it seems like the developer is slower to update their Linux packages on GOG than they are on Steam. It would be lovely if GOG could find a way to copy the Linux runtimes idea and make them work with their offline installers. A guy can dream...

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: LoftyThere is no perfect solution tbf. But i do prefer the system of flapak and it's easy configuration of permissions + integration with software centers for the latest features.

Makes sense. We discussed this in the thread about Canonical and their snaps. @sarmad made a great point about that in regards to AppImages.

Quoting: sarmadIf distros adopted AppImages and have it all configured out of the box it would've been as easy to use as flatpaks, but with extra flexibility, which actually is the essence of Linux.

Comment 288267

Right now, flatpaks have the advantage simply because the distros do the work of putting in all the backend support beforehand. They could do the same for AppImages but right now, those of us that prefer them have to put in the backend support ourselves.

Quoting: sarmadOut of the three formats, AppImage provides the most flexibility: you can download an appimage directly, or use a hub. You can use it sandboxed, or not. You can have appimages auto update themselves. You can use it for cli or gui, etc.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: Lofty

Quoting: CaldathrasWhile I've gotten used to their DRM-free script-based Linux installers, I would love it if they moved the Linux offline installers to AppImage, with all of the dependencies incorporated.

eh, appimage isn't really the 'container format' that it seems to have initially been sold as. In many cases there are system dependencies and linked libraries that as per linux will get updated to a point where by the appimage cannot work at all, which then requires a full appimage refresh & update. it is also not sandboxed without firejail.

( anecdote incoming: i thought i was archiving programs originally, turns out 6 months is a long time in software, my favorite appimage was just a grey empt box with a gtk crash handler message.. and this was on linux mint not exact a rolling release.)


Now flatpak .. That is much more inline with a kind of 'bottled' instance of software, it too also needing to remain somewhat in step with the system but it has some other benefits of better system integration & is sandboxed. Plus flathub / flatpak is becoming the de-facto distro agnostic software distribution method so there is consistency of support via popularity.

imo ofc

Strange, I don't think I've ever had that issue happen to an AppImage, unless it was caused by AppImagelauncher being out of date -- then I've had all sorts of problems. In my opinion, if that happens to an AppImage, the packager is not doing their job correctly. By the way, I can testify from first-hand experience that this can happen with flatpak packages as well. Neither packaging system is perfect.

My problem with flatpak is, as I understand it, you basically end up with an installer that is dependent on the flatpak system to install. To my knowledge, you cannot back it up easily (in manner readily accessible to a basic user) and you need to be online to install it. It is not stored on your system but on a server somewhere on the Internet. If that server goes down -- or you no longer have Internet access (for whatever reason) -- you cannot install the game.

Whereas, the whole point behind GOG's offline installers is that they are self-contained and DRM-free offline installers. To me, the AppImage format fits the bill -- with the ability to include all dependencies, if done correctly. Certainly, some maintenance on GOG's part over time will be necessary. And, heck, even the Windows offline installers are sometimes missing dependencies and need updating (although GOG's Preservation Program is improving on that).

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: Penguin

Quoting: Caldathras

Quoting: PenguinFor reference: the Mint team updated their Xfce flavor (from 4.16 to 4.18) in Mint 21.2.

Uhm... I have Mint 21.3 XFCE currently. It ships with Xfce 4.16. The update actually happened with Mint 22.0. We likely won't see Xfce 4.20 until Mint 23 comes out.

As @AsciiWolf pointed out, it has to do with the base version of Ubuntu they rely on. The only exception is Cinnamon, which the Mint Team manages themselves.

Well, I was eagerly waiting for the (back then) new Xfce clock plugin, which was delivered in Mint 21.2 with Xfce 4.18, and I remember it well. Just to be sure I'm not crazy, I did some research, and you can read more about the Mint 21.2 release here:

https://9to5linux.com/linux-mint-21-2-victoria-is-slated-for-release-on-june-2023-heres-what-to-expect [External Link]

In the article it says:

"Most notably here, the Xfce edition will be based on the latest Xfce 4.18 desktop environment."

😮

Well, I'll be ... I could have sworn that Mint 21.3 was on Xfce 4.16! But, here I am on that very laptop, and sure enough ... neofetch says it is running on Xfce 4.18. I had the ISO for Mint 21.2, so I checked that too -- you are absolutely right!

I knew that Mint 22.0 was on Xfce 4.18 and one of the reasons I rolled back was because of some formatting bugs in the system tray that strangely do not appear in Mint 21.3. I just assumed it was because of a version upgrade on Xfce and never bothered to check once I was back on Mint 21.3.

I apologize for contradicting you. Now that I know, I share your sentiments ... but it looks like we will have to wait until a version of Mint based on Ubuntu 25.04 or later (or use the Xubuntu Experimental PPA -- I'll wait).

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: Purple Library Guy

Quoting: Caldathras

Quoting: Purple Library GuyThe US was a better place to live when it had more "nanny state" and that's no co-incidence. So was Canada, so was Britain.

If anyone thinks that there is less "nanny state" now than there was before, they are deluding themselves.

I suppose it depends on your definition. Most people who use the term generally use it to mean "Government doing anything useful". So, building housing, "nanny state"; providing health care, "nanny state"; social safety net, "nanny state"; regulations saying your food can't be poisoned, "nanny state". And, there is a lot less of all that stuff than there used to be in, say, the 70s. If you use it differently from that you're very much in the minority and can't be surprised if people misunderstand you.

Hmm... I thought the use of the phrase would be obvious but your definition is definitely different than mine. However, I can see how your definition could overlap and eventually evolve into mine -- government interference and hand-holding, as if their citizens are all children that need constant guidance (as one would expect from a nanny to her/his underage charges). In recent years, that has been very prevalent.

EDIT: By the way, search the phrase in DuckDuckGo and you will see that my use of the term is not the definition in the minority.

Spoiler, click me

For example: A "nanny state" refers to a government that is perceived as overprotective or excessively involved in the personal choices of its citizens, similar to how a nanny might care for children. This term often carries a negative connotation, suggesting that such government interference limits individual freedom and responsibility.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: PenguinFor reference: the Mint team updated their Xfce flavor (from 4.16 to 4.18) in Mint 21.2.

Uhm... I have Mint 21.3 XFCE currently. It ships with Xfce 4.16. The update actually happened with Mint 22.0. We likely won't see Xfce 4.20 until Mint 23 comes out.

As @AsciiWolf pointed out, it has to do with the base version of Ubuntu they rely on. The only exception is Cinnamon, which the Mint Team manages themselves.

View this comment - View article - View full comments