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Notch Won't Certify Minecraft For Windows 8
MojoKid writes "The backlash against Windows 8 from various developers continues, but this time a game's creator isn't just expressing discontent. Notch, the developer behind smash hit Minecraft, has declared that he won't be working with Microsoft to certify Minecraft for Windows 8. Note that this doesn't mean Minecraft won't run on Windows 8. The certification process in question is Microsoft's mandatory rules for submitting content to the Windows game store. In order to be listed there, an application must be Metro-compatible and conform to a laundry list of other conditions. The real problem with Windows 8 is that it locks ARM users into a second class experience. If you buy an x86 tablet, you can download programs from SourceForge, GitHub, or any file mirror. If you're an ARM user, you can download programs from the Microsoft store and that's it. The bifurcated permission structure is the problem, and it makes WinRT tablets categorically impossible to recommend for anyone who values the ability to install whatever software they please."
Windows being Windows, I don't forsee any real future issues with getting your own apps on the ARM version. Just the nature of Windows will probably make it much easier to work around, and if the userbase grows enough it will move along that much faster. Microsoft is trying the walled garden technique the Apple has going, but I don't foresee it being as effective or foolproof as Apple's.
Sometimes I feel like Microsoft si kind of flopping around like a fish on land when it comes to tablets. Even though they technically had a headstart, they've only just started their move to tablets and it feels rushed. The current release cycle of good > bad > good > bad will most likely continue and Windows 8 will flop. At least I hope it does and it will force them to rethink their stupid Start menu removal, amongst other things.
That Ballmer would understand that a large portion of windows past success was due in part to the fact that software for the system was available anywhere. Now upon porting to a new platform, he wants to emulate apples walled garden, which only worked because of vendor lock in and the desirbility of the device. It won't work. Android is proving that an open market gains more market share. With at least 3 other options (iOS, Android, and regular windows), users will likely stick with those platforms unless tricked or forced, and MS doesnt have the power in the mobile market to force.
So now there are at least 2 aspects of Win8 that should fail, the interface, and the locked down ARM version
Disclaimer: Sent from android phone.
Silence is a state of mime.
nice software you have, shame if something was to happen to it (like scary warning dialogs)
how anti-trust regulators are not all over this is a mystery
Keep Ballmer. He makes software news funny.
Apple has a walled garden. That's it. Android does too. Microsoft has a walled garden, but if you have an x86 tablet, you can plant petunias and begonias if you want in there. That seems like an improvement to me. And it's likely a technical reason too: all those Windows-native calls/hooks that your typical Windows-compatible applications require likely do not exist on the ARM version of Windows 8 (I'm not a Windows programmer/guru, so I'm speculating here, but seems likely no?).
body massage!
Notch developed most of the game by himself in the beginning. Then when he started hiring people Jeb eventually took over development and Notch doesn't do any code for minecraft anymore. So yes, he did develop the main base game by himself, but anything that's happened in the past year(?) has been all Jeb and the other developers.
Also I'd say it's more the press taking his tweets and blowing them up rather than him being some kind of PR supergod, almost every single one of his tweets ends up on some news site somewhere, even the inane ones. What's he supposed to do about that, stop tweeting altogether?
Not to mention he's just saying what we're all thinking. ;)
Regardless of the fact that he may be whoring for attention, he does make a valid point. How are you going to explain to consumers that Windows RT and Windows x86 aren't' the same when they are being marketed under the same brand? It's going to be very confusing.
Microsoft Windows native/legacy applications -- a massive massive software ecosystem unparalleled by any other OS/platform (besides the Web perhaps?) -- is the reason why they can never turn their backs on it. Its the key to their power, but with power comes a great responsibilit^H^H^H burden.
They will try, but at the end of the day, the Microsoft walled garden will always have the gate left open.
body massage!
I'd say Microsoft shot itself in the foot here, not by enacting the walled garden (which is bad), but by not releasing a compat layer to run WinRT executables on earlier versions of i386/amd64 Windows.
No one is really going to port stuff just for porting sake, and the API is quite different, with no obvious upsides. As for users, there are three groups:
* Windows Phone 8: laughed at, and without software it's a chicken-and-egg problem
* Windows 8 for business: no sane business is going to migrate for 5 or so years
* Windows 8 for home users: they don't upgrade for the (non-existing) coolness factor but by getting Windows with replacement hardware
Thus, the only real way to get actual users for WinRT software in the short term would be making it possible to run it on Windows 7 (and if they really cared, even XP). With no users, there will be no serious developers.
The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
I have the Transformer Tablet with keyboard and, while yes it is very, very useful it really still isn't a general purpose computing device. You can run linux on it in a chroot, but that only gives you X over VNC. Its possible to evetually dual boot it since it boots linux already anyways. People have been doing this one the prime. In that context it is actually fairly impressive and had 3d acceleration...though I don't think sound works yet. From the videos I've seen it performs much like a netbook running linux. Like a 2nd generation netbook. Most of the apps for android are optimized for phones, so that is a downside. There aren't a huge number of productivity apps for android on tablets. There are some nice apps though. Honestly I use this more than my notebook now. The screen has the same resolution roughly and is smaller so it looks better. For internet communication and web browsing this thing is pretty awesome. Also I am photographer and I can just plug in an external usb powered mini drive and dump my sd cards straight to the drive pretty quickly. Ghost commander works well as a file manager too. I have the bootloader unlocked and I'm running the hydro jellybean rom atm. Its still a little buggy and the i/o is awful right now, but its still a very fast and usable tablet. Some of the games rock too.
zosxavius photography
If he isn't just trolling about Windows, and instead does want to make a point about the "value of being able to install your own software", why is there an official Minecraft client for iOS?
Did he suddenly grow a pair because it's Microsoft?
Or is he just more likely to take a stand using a platform which isn't likely to lose him any money if he stays away from it because of his views?
I'm going to go with the last one...
steam is far from being the anti MS. they both, like apple, want to lock their users into never really owning content, having to go though them to do anything with what they bought... Apple is wildly successful at it, Steam quite successfful, and MS not yet in the consumer space.
The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
So yes, he did develop the main base game by himself
INFINIMINER EXISTED
Just thought you should know that... Educate yourself. That's all I have to say to you.
That and I highly doubt this has anything to do with problems with the Windows 8 platform and much more to do with the fact that Minecraft is written in Java, and therefore would have to be ported to "something else" in order to meet the game store requirements.
Of course, astute Minecraft fans would know that the game already has been ported to "something else" multiple times in order to make the Xbox 360 and iOS releases. So presumably, if Notch didn't want to be an ass, he could just make the Xbox 360 version the "official" version and port that back to Windows and - presto, he'd have a Windows 8 game store capable version, right there.
But that would involve not being a drama whore. And would probably improve the game experience by not requiring his users to install a giant security hole just to play the game.
You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
Notch has made at least 17 games in addition to Minecraft.
Funny Farm, Luxor, Carnival Shootout, MEG4kMAN, Left 4k Dead, t4kns, Miners4k, Hunters4k, Dungeon4k, Sonic Racer 4k, Dachon4k, l4krits, Blast Passage, Bunny Press, Breaking the Tower, Infinite Mario Bros, Minicraft.
+0 Meh
Not to mention that he quite happily did minecraft pocket edition for the ipad, an ARM ecosystem that is just as restrictive as the Microsoft app store on windows RT.
No hypocrisy there, no siree.
Consumers went 'ohhh, walled garden, totally restricted to one vendor, apple decides what apps I'm allowed to install, awesome' and bought the things by the utter truckload.
The most common complaint about android is that Google doesn't exercise ENOUGH control over the OEMs to prevent fragmentation
Is it any surprise that Microsoft went 'seriously? A walled garden where we get to cream a big slice of profit on every bit of software is what customers want? Alrighty then!'
Remember kids, it's all fun and games until someone commits wholesale galactic genocide.
Seriously? He made two comments on twitter, of which he's an active user, and the media picked it up. I don't quite see how that's trolling for attention.
You, on the other hand, seem to be doing quite well at it.
.
iOS and OSX look very different and run on different devices, whereas, Windows RT and Windows x86 look exactly the same and will run on identical hardware. Also, there isn't an OSX tablet to compete with an iOS tablet.
Hey, I thought Apple held the patent on locking users into an app store? They should sue MicroSoft for patent infringement.
what's your point? no secret that the failed game Infiniminer (discontinued commercially after one month in marketplace) inspired Notch to write MINECRAFT. So Notch made the winning sandbox game, and you bring up a loser. so what?
Wow. You literally just claimed both that Notch did not create Minecraft, and that Windows RT on ARM will not be locked down to the Microsoft store!
Care to prove either of those claims? Even just a teeny bit?
And whoever modded your lies as insightful should be ashamed.
... and the impending death of Windows/PC as an open, general-computing platform by the hands of Microsoft. He didn't mention tablets once in his tweets.
body massage!
If you were earning millions and millions, would you want to give 30%+ away to MS or Valve, for very little beyond a billing system and content hosting?
Not really greed, just good business sense, IMHO.
This.
You can't complain about Apple or MS whilst being a Valve fanboy. Yes, the Steam user experience is great. The developer experience isn't so good (Loads of developers aren't allowed in. Greenlight was a bit of a clusterfuck. And if you get in, it'll cost you a large chunk of your revenue)
I really wish Valve would split up into two companies... the awesome company that makes amazing games, and the evil company that's just about managed to turn the PC into a closed platform when it comes to gaming. But their stroke of genius was keeping the 'awesome' attached to the 'evil', so no gamer could ever really dislike them!
Another reason why this is a good news for ReactOS.
Blanket Fail statememt. I have a desktop but am looking at getting a tablet to replace a notebook due to changes in usage. Simply put, I'm spending more and more time in god damn waiting rooms w/o tables or desks and the laptop just isn't as useful anymore while a tablet offers enough functionality to be useable while being smaller. In fact, based on the damn changes in usage, I may even be able to use the tablet to replace most of my desktop functionality while converting it to a home server. It's still useful but...
Mod me up/Mod me down: I wont frown as I've no crown
If he isn't just trolling about Windows, and instead does want to make a point about the "value of being able to install your own software", why is there an official Minecraft client for iOS?
That did occur to me - but bear in mind that TFA consists of two tweets from Notch followed by an awful lot of extrapolation by HotHardware.com. His tweets don't mention ARM at all, just not wanting Microsoft to 'ruin the PC as an open platform'.
I think the problem occures if you see devices like tablets, phones and consoles as 'media consumption' appliances rather than general purpose computers. It's no big deal if they are closed systems (consoles have been that way for years).
The forthcoming ARM-based Windows machines may well be marketed as general purpose laptops and SFF computers.
In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
Not to mention that he quite happily did minecraft pocket edition for the ipad, an ARM ecosystem that is just as restrictive as the Microsoft app store on windows RT.
No hypocrisy there, no siree.
That's because of money. No such thing as hypocrisy as long as money is involved!
Its cheap grandstanding and nothing more. MC will work fine on x86 Win8 without certification, and lets be honest, RT is probably going to bomb badly.
Quite the example of an empty gesture.
...and if you're Joe Q. Public who doesn't know what that means when they're looking at the price tag at Best Buy?
YOU know, and I know, but there's a good chance that even otherwise well-informed nerds won't know or recall when they're shopping around. It happens.
So Rafael Rivera made a blog post about this, claiming that Notch might have misunderstood why Microsoft contacted him. According to him all they asked Notch to do was to certify Minecraft so that it could be listed in the Windows 8 Store. Listed as in only displaying a link to www.minecraft.net. Nothing more, no app hosted by Microsoft or anything. Not converting Minecraft to an Metroapp. Just a link. I guess we don't know until Notch clears this up, but if it is true then this news article is wrong and most comments are wrong as well. http://www.withinwindows.com/2012/09/28/notch-doesnt-hate-windows-8-hes-just-confused/
You do realize the Surface and Surface Pro are rather similar from the outside? Plus, I have to say the name doesn't make me think "those are two entirely different products running on two entirely different platforms" like, say, iPad and MacBook do.
so win8 certification is also just a money making scheme.
Valve does not prevent a developer from distributing games through any other mean, and there is no lack of concurrence in the Digital Game Delivery market. Self-publication is very cheap, and platforms like Steam are intended for developers that are ready to invest money to respect Valve's conditions, in exchange for an improved revenue through a better exposition to gamers that are used to buy their games.
This is quite different from the current Microsoft and Apple tactics of using their power as an OS provider to extract a "gatekeeper tax" on all programs sold for their platform.
I'm spending more and more time in god damn waiting rooms w/o tables or desks
But do these waiting rooms have public Wi-Fi so that you can actually do something on a tablet, or is it locked and the key available to employees only? I have more than enough on my 10" laptop to survive a wait of at least a couple hours with no Internet.
In fact, based on the damn changes in usage, I may even be able to use the tablet to replace most of my desktop functionality while converting it to a home server.
So would you get onto the home server whenever you need to do a lot of typing or play games in genres not suited for touch input?
Two questions for you:
First, what did Infiniminer clone? As far as I can tell, it's a 3D version of Motherload, and Motherload is heavily inspired by Boulder Dash.
Second, should Linus Torvalds and the Free Software Foundation be looked down on for cloning UNIX?
I see two possibliities:
MS is sufficiently deluded that they genuinely think doubling down on Silverlight based technology while forcing tighter lockin to MS store and services is going to work and lead to rapid obsolecence of their existing software ecosystem without anything of significance lost. This seems to fly against all evidence and reason, but I wouldn't put it past them.
The other possibility is that WindowsRT isn't *that* serious an endeavor. Enough invested to make it *real* and maybe even take off in the unlikely scenario described above. Not enough to actually enable the large third-party application base that remains MS' sole meaningful advantage nowadays. The hope may be to scare AMD and Intel to worry more and work harder to provide compelling x86 compatible solutions amenable to the same physical form factors that are being popularized in iOS and Android devices. The strongest evidence of this that I can see is how both AMD and Intel have pretty much explicitly come out and said their next big thing in the mobile space is very much designed exclusively for Windows usage. Linux (notably Android) have been de-emphasized by both Intel and AMD for those chips as they go out of their way to endorse Windows 8. This could either be due to pressure/threats from MS but it also might be explained by Intel's relative failure to attract real partnerships in the Android space despite an earnest effort to do so, which would drive both AMD and Intel to realize that they really need microsoft to retain competitive advantage over non-x86 architectures.
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
Given the moves towards walled gardens by both MS and Apple, I am making my own moves towards open or more open platforms. Debian laptop. XBMC set-top box with linux. Android phone. Possibly a linux tablet. And I am encouraging the same from those around me. Open computing is too important to lose.
This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when first he appears as a protector - Plato (423 to 327 BC)