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Also bear in mind that Linux was weak areas (eg, games, off-the-shelf software).

I'd actually say that Linux is weak in supporting off-the-shelf games; however, there are numerous fun, high-quality games available Free and/or for free. KDE provides many addictive games and edutainment applications that I can't live without (speaking as a GNOME lover, when using Linux). GNOME also has many high-quality games (my favorites are Mahjongg and Robots). Then there many other favorites like Tux Racer, Frozen Bubble (like Snood), and GL Tron (you have to play this one) among others. Another really cool diversion is Celestia, which allows you to zoom around the galaxy and visit planets, moons, comets, astroids, spacecraft (like Hubble, the ISS, or even Friendship 1). And despite my premise, there are also quite a few commercial games for Linux. There are many fun games that run on Linux - some aren't even available for Windows or non-unix platforms! Check your favorite Linux Distribution for more examples.

Check out tuxracer.com.

They do when you get them going fast enough down an ice covered mountain slope:

TuxRacer

I think I've heard of something like that.

Thank you Nvidia. Other than a having a girlfriend, you have given me most of my dignity back.

Sunspire replaced the parts they didn't make and closed it, as they are fully legally and morally within thier right to do. They made it. They own the copyright. They can do as they wish.

Since Tux Racer has been continuously in the top Sourceforge downloads, and others had made modest GPLed contributions, Sunspire figured that selling it would be a good idea. I can't fault that logic. An odd thing happened though. Some folks that might not understand or agree with the GPL felt slighted when a closed and for-pay branch appeared and refused to pay for it out of some odd sense of principle (or being cheap).

The GPLed version is still available so nothing is stopping anyone from making improvements to it.

That said, so far, the commercial version is quite a bit better. Commercial Tux Racer is $15. It runs under both Linux (x86) and Windows. I bought 2 copies, one for me and one for a niece of mine and I consider the price a bargain.

flame off

That's tuxkart you're talking about, not tuxracer. They're two completely different games. Get them straight.

Yeah; once Tux gets on the snow (tuxracer) there's no stopping him. He'd be able to catch up to any silly butterflies.

• FreeCiv - free Civ 1/2 clone
  
• Tux Racer - downhill racing game
  
• Tux Typing - typing tutor
  
• IceBreaker - Jezzball clone
  
• Maelstrom - networkable, cool Asteroids clone
  
• Angband - best dungeon crawl ever!
  
• Chromium BSU - neat-o OpenGL 2D shooter
  

The only super hero I care for is Tux. I cannot comment on the classic super heroes, as the site could not bear the load. Since there are several tux sites, they will probably survive the load better. Check here, here, here, here, here, here or here.

• Open Source version
• Commercial version

Heck, I didn't even need google for this one: link

Because the real reason we all have multiple boxes at home is because one computer setup or another will be inheriently more efficient at a given game than another.

Why? All the good platform-specific games (i.e. not netHack) are available for Windows. If you're a gamer, you only need a Wintel machine.

The only reason to have a dedicated Linux gaming machine is to play Tux Racer, and if that's the case, you've got more problems than the fact that you smell bad, your beard is too long, you live in your parents' basement, and you whack off to pictures of Sarah Michelle Gellar every night.

Its pretty intereting to note that in the last few months a few sources have been getting osme pretty good results when benchmarking Linux against Windows for gaming - specifically Quake 3 on GeForces. Hover a proper installer would be great. The CD uses Wise installer archives. There is a free Unix Wise archive extractor (sorry, lost the URL :( )but it needs to be updated for the latest archive format.

* This months Atomic (a well known Australian overlocking / hardware geek mag)

* The Register

It was inevitable, but I'm glad its happening. Onward penguin soldiers.

Now if Slashdot would post the news that Tuxracer 1.0 is avaliable for ordering I'd be a happy man.

Last time I checked there wasn't a windows port of tuxracer ;)

Check again.

In no particular order... Chromium, Tux Racer, GLJewel, KShisen, PySol.

• nethack
• Xpilot
• freeciv
• Tux Racer
• MAME

Where can I download the demo for version 1.0 ?? See tuxracer.com for earlier demos.

Too bad it has gone to closed source.. older versions used to be free (as in beer & GPL).

You can still download the source of the 0.61 version directly from their homepage, or from sourceforge

-J

Bullfrog games has some wonderful strategy stuff. Theme Hospital may be just what your looking for, as it has all sorts of sick and quite scatalogical humour and the worst violence is clicking on the rats that infest your hospital. Most of the game is visually oriented (not too much literacy needed, just a bit of a learning curve). Obviously, Dungeon Keeper is right out.
Frogger 2 is actually a good game for thinking and planning ahead. It's got the action, but the only way to really win is to be patient, no matter how hairy things get, and think about your next move. Once your students figure out how to complete a level there are other strategy options, like how do you get all the coins. I don't know if the in-game movies of the bad guy chucking baby frogs around or Frogger getting sliced in half by a cartoon circular saw are appropriate to your non-violent game mandate though. Let's put it this way, The Powerpuff Girls has worse violence.
A large Solitaire package is perfect. One that has a lot of different varieties, like Bicycle's.
If you're looking for a real pull out the Haldol sort of game, there's always stuff like Reversi, TaiPei (Mahjong tile removal game), Minesweeper etc. from the venerable old Windows entertainment pack, most of these games are easily available on Linux as well.
Finally, you've got to love Tux Racer, proving once again that penguins can fly!
I love flying penguins, don't you?
Torodung

Manufacturers who think that they can pull this sort of trick and get away with it even if they are not challenged in court have the wool pulled over their eyes. All the OSS community has to do is go back to the last OSS release and work from there. Don't license your stuff under OSS licenses if you want to sell it because you will be undersold. Instead use proprietary licenses from the beginning.

Yup. Couldn't agree more. These greedy business people seem to think they can let other people create their project for them (Anyone notice the Tux Racer game?) and then when it's "done enough" they take it over by changing the license and try to make money the old fashioned way. I can understand the reasoning, but I cannot understand how they can try it with a straight face! I mean basically, it's taking from the community and then later selling it back to them. How wrong is that??

I don't know what the current status of the Tux Racer project is although the source code still seems to be available... okay I just checked it and it still appears under the GPL... maybe they back-tracked on that idea then... I dunno. Anyway.. :) I think it's wrong! :)

From the TuxRacer.com front page:

Despite what some (very misleading) news articles have recently reported, the retail version of Tux Racer will be released for both Linux and Windows (and most likely the Macintosh); the binaries for all versions will be on the same CD. Don't believe the hype!

These news articles are referring to an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) deal which is in the works, which (although the details have not been finalized) is for Windows only. Getting a Linux version added onto the OEM CD is something that we have considered and will try to do. The only obstacle to this is the fact that our OEM agent only supports Windows products. We will keep you posted.

See - no problem. Just a large missunderstanding. Move along, nothing to see or flame here...

Sorry, too addicted to TuxRacer.

TuxRacer has all the elements of a classic video game... penguins and herring. Anything more is just featurebloat. :)

Ryan T. Sammartino

Tux Racer

You'll get the same answer I used in the "Dreamcast running Linux" thread, namely you can theoretically use Linux as a means of developing and running your own games.

Much like the argument people were making about targetting Windows and doing a minimal effort X-box port (yes, I'm aware it does require some effort and that supposedly MS will demand that the X-box version has added stuff), you could theoretically do the same with Linux, Dreamcast, and Playstation 2.

Anyone wanna place bets on how long until someone manages to get Tux Racer up and running on the PS2? It may be a ways off, but it'd still be a neat goal.

The only downside is that I'd (presumably) have to go through the trouble of mod-chipping my PS2. I'm not sure I want to invalidate the warranty just yet.

I wonder how many Windows users are actively waiting for Linux programs to use. (TuxRacer one day maybe?)

You're WRONG! TuxRacer 0.61 runs perfectly on Windows! See?!?!

not_cub

Also, it's obvious that the author doesn't really know what he's talking about because:

1) - There is a version of GIMP that has been ported to Windows. 2) - There is a TuxRacer version for Windows.

Also, I tend to think that the apps on linux mostly suck when you are using linux as a desktop. Server applications are where linux shines, and if you were going to run something like apache webserver, why not just use the linux version on linux, or the windows version on windows?

Anyways, I think this could be an interesting project, but it's no holy grail to get people to start using linux apps since the applications for Windows are usually superior. It's the OS that everyone hates, not the applications (well, some of the applications too.)

If you love Tux racer but don't run Linux, you have other options. Tuxracer.com has the source of Tux Racer, not to mention the game for Windows and the Macintosh platform. As long as I delete the game before finals week, I'll be fine - it is such a great game!
--
"Stop it, Ford," he said. "You're turning into a penguin."

http://www.tuxracer.com/.
'nuf said.
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Better for the environment, eh? So what, Tuxracer will soon sport a nice add "No penguins were (seriously) harmed in the production of this game"... Erf

Or is the conspiracy just a brilliant plan to replace all of your links to tuxracer with links to nothing.

It's www.tuxracer.com, foo.
***