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The End Is Nigh For the Linux Game Tome

Posted by Unknown on from the end-of-an-era dept.

First time accepted submitter Sodki writes "The Linux Game Tome, one of the most important websites related to video gaming in GNU/Linux, will shut down on the 13th of April, according to a news post published on the website. The decision was made due to the 'lack both the time and the ambition to do what is necessary to keep the site afloat,' which has resulted in 'spam clogging the forums, lack of updates and increasing brokenness of the site.' This might not be the end, though. The maintainers of The Linux Game Tome will make available a dump of the games database, so that anyone interested can cook up a new and updated version of the website, and a worthwhile effort will be considered for a transfer of ownership of the domain. The current source code of the website, which is from 1999, will not be available because 'it is not fit for human consumption.'" It certainly had a good run; I remember poking around the Linux Game Tome as a teenager in the misty past (and it's where I discovered Freeciv, Warzone 2100, and lbreakout2). Are there any alternatives already operating (unfortunately, Freecode doesn't seem popular with game authors)? Or: Which one of you is going to write the Linux Game Tome 3.0?

23 of 123 comments (clear)

  1. Uh, by Forty+Two+Tenfold · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Steam?

    --
    Upward mobility is a slippery slope - the higher you climb the more you show your ass.
    1. Re:Uh, by ledow · · Score: 3, Informative

      You mean like the one on the first entry here:

      http://store.steampowered.com/search/?snr=1_4_4__12&term=team+fortress+2

      ?

    2. Re:Uh, by lesincompetent · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Why should the community give up everything to a strictly proprietary, closed environment? We should maintain at least a free and open alternative!

    3. Re:Uh, by h4rr4r · · Score: 4, Informative

      I believe you were looking for this:
      http://www.playdeb.net/welcome/

      The reality is Steam offers something not yet available on linux AAA games, even if out of date so far. You don't have to use it, and you can avoid distros that package it even, but it exists for those who want to use it.

    4. Re:Uh, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

      I am one of the maintainers for playdeb.net (been getting their stability and performaince issues worked out) and it's good to see it mentioned here. I'd love to adopt happy penguin as well, since it fills a slightly diff niche, and I'd hate to see it go.

      Thanks,

      Joseph Brower
      joseph(dot)brower(at)gmail(dot)com

    5. Re:Uh, by LordLimecat · · Score: 2

      The "community" doesnt really have a right to demand that this site be maintained for free; if you want a free alternative, I imagine you could volunteer to help maintain the site.

      "Its Open Source" doesnt magically generate people to do fixes and maintenance, you know.

    6. Re:Uh, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Not really, some of us just don't give a shit either way.

    7. Re:Uh, by smooth+wombat · · Score: 4, Insightful

      if you want a free alternative, I imagine you could volunteer to help maintain the site ... "Its Open Source" doesnt magically generate people to do fixes and maintenance, you know.

      HERESY! Burn them at the stake!

      Everyone knows there is no cost associated with software. Charging for something you produce is just evil capitalism. With the wonders of free software, everything miraculously springs forth by sheer will, not through money and maintenance. People create this stuff through their own generosity without regard to costs since there are none.

      That's why there's no problem with stealing someone's work. Since there was no cost involved with producing it, there's no need to pay someone for their work.

      --
      We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
    8. Re:Uh, by Runaway1956 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You seem to presume that all Linux people are alike. Tell you what - next time you're browsing, take a look at the names. Some of the names seem to be obviously female, some seem just as obviously male. Different, huh? Oh - some of the posters are obviously young, others are older than dirt. Different, again! Some of us like the toe-jam guy, others of us don't. Wow - more difference!

      For the most part, I only use free stuff. But, sometimes, the closed source commercial stuff is all that's available, or it's the easiest solution, or it's the solution that I understand. And, sometimes, it's actually the best.

      Each and every one of us penguin people has to decide for himself just what it is that he needs and wants from Linux, and his machine(s). I'm slightly less passionate about "free" than some other people. Others don't give a damn either way. Give us a break, alright? We didn't all go to boot camp to learn how to be Linux geeks. There isn't just one right way. For proof of that, just start counting up the distros!

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    9. Re:Uh, by interkin3tic · · Score: 2

      Why make an icon for two games?

      I kid, I kid, steam has made a good number of their games available for linux. There is a second of the store called "Linux" which features only games available on linux. You don't need a icon. Just browse the linux section. Or use google. Or look on the page in the store that tells you what the system requirements are, it will say linux.

    10. Re:Uh, by jedidiah · · Score: 2

      You are confusing the Linux community at large with RMS.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    11. Re:Uh, by jedidiah · · Score: 2

      I've always been about pragmatism.

      Free Software is immune from market pressures and inevitable destruction in much the same way a monopoly is.

      I despise Microsoft products based on merit. I could happily use some 3rd option if the market allowed for it. It doesn't really.

      The only company to survive the 90s bloodbath turned into a consumer electronics vendor.

      Linux will continue on regardless of how much Microsoft or Apple or even Canonical wants to turn everything into a locked down tablet.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
  2. Most Important Websites... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That I never ever heard of despite running Linux exclusively for 13 years.

    I'm thinking that getting the word out was their problem, and that their importance is being overblown.

    1. Re:Most Important Websites... by displague · · Score: 5, Informative

      Did you ever Altavista search "linux games"? If you were looking for Linux games you would have found this site, along with Happy Penguin (I think they started as separate sites - could be wrong on that), and Tux Games. Eventually Loki Games got things really rolling, and now we have Steam.

      Freshmeat would be the obvious other place to search for Linux games. The TuCows Linux site wasn't very reliable.

      --
      Marques Johansson
  3. Sad Day. by tetrahedrassface · · Score: 2

    I liked Happy Penguin, what's next? Will LWN close down too?? I suppose for a lot of us The LInux Game Tome was important because they listed lots of games for us, and have a pretty good interface at that. Guess I just miss the old wide open days of Linux..

    *Goes out and and stands in yard with a torch and pitchfork*

  4. Gaming on Linux? by Gothmolly · · Score: 4, Funny

    There's games for Linux besides TuxRacer?

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    I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
    1. Re:Gaming on Linux? by robthebloke · · Score: 2

      The other one is called BZ flag.

    2. Re:Gaming on Linux? by zAPPzAPP · · Score: 3, Funny

      I wonder why the site shuts down now, when it is finally the year of Linux on the desktop?

    3. Re:Gaming on Linux? by BobNET · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Given that the unix port of Nethack is far superior to the msdos or winnt ports, I can't imagine why anyone would use anything other than Linux for gaming.

  5. Remember Pingus? by Vintermann · · Score: 2

    Now that we have Steam, they probably have outlived their usefulness somewhat. It used to be the case that all Linux games were made by Ingo Ruhnke.

    There's still a market for a Free software-only games portal, I suppose.

    --
    xkcd is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.
  6. Re:Not that big of a deal by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Informative

    Dozens of "sites" yes.

    https://www.google.com/search?q=linux+games&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS498US498&aq=f&oq=linux+games&aqs=chrome.0.57j59j60j62j61j60.1692&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 none of these are anywhere as comprehensive as the Game Tome.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  7. Re:Not that big of a deal by Mike+Frett · · Score: 2

    lgdb.org is always updated and has a huge database of Games, Both free and paid. And DJL (en.djl-linux.org) is sort of like Steam but includes free Games also. There is all kinds of places and things.

  8. Libregamewiki by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    For games that are free software and have their media released under a free license as well, check out

    https://libregamewiki.org/