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Tim Sweeney Dislikes Windows 10 Cloud Rumors, Calls OS 'Crush Steam Edition' (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The rumor that Microsoft is building a version of Windows 10 that can only install apps from the Windows Store has drawn criticism before it's even official. Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney took to Twitter to attack the operating system. Although its real name is named Windows 10 Cloud, he's dubbing it "Windows 10 Crush Steam Edition." Sweeney is convinced that Microsoft wants to exercise total control over the Windows platform and destroy Valve's Steam. Last year, Sweeney attacked the Universal Windows Platform API. He claimed (incorrectly) that third-party stores such as Steam would be unable to sell and distribute UWP games, leaving them at a disadvantage relative to Microsoft's own store. He followed this statement with the claim that Microsoft would systematically modify Windows so as to make Steam work worse and worse, such that gamers grow tired of it and switch to the Windows Store. In his tweets, Sweeney recognizes that Microsoft wants to compete with Chrome OS. But he fails to understand what the company must do to actually offer that competition. He wrote that "it's great for Microsoft to compete with ChromeOS, but NOT BY LOCKING OUT COMPETING WINDOWS SOFTWARE STORES." This statement represents a failure to understand that "locking out competing Windows software stores" is, for this market, positively desirable. It's fundamental to preventing the hard-to-support free-for-all that a Windows system would otherwise represent. A later tweet does recognize the value of this lockdown, but Sweeney says that Windows 10's "great admin features to limit user software installs" should be used instead. This again suggests a misunderstanding of the target market: systems will be used with little to no supervision and with little to no administrative oversight. To compete against the Chromebook, Windows 10 Cloud needs to be locked down by default, and it must not offer any ready way to disable that lockdown. In his complaints, Sweeney also fails to consider what happens should the Chromebook threat go unaddressed: Chromebooks running Chrome OS will proliferate. These machines will not support third-party stores, they will not support Steam, and they will not support PC games at all. Sweeney may not want Microsoft to build this world, but even if Microsoft doesn't create it, Google already is doing so.
Windows ain't done until Steam won't run!
#DeleteChrome
TFA is either biased or uninformed though; ChromeOS supports side loading and is open source, so there really isn't any reason why third party app stores couldn't be used.
Sweeney may be correct in that even if Microsoft allows side loading, they can revoke it at any time and there's nothing anybody can do about it.
And yes, this likewise would be more comparable to the Apple model. Arstechnica seems to routinely be biased against Google though, so it would make sense if they just wanted to pick on ChromeOS.
What kind of hack news site PICKS UP AN UNFOUNDED RUMOR...then runs a story on the unfounded rumor just to discredit the author of the rumor based on previous rumors.
What..the fuck kind of news for nerds is this gossipy whining?
You can install Steam OS on Chromebooks, just as you can on Windows machines. Its just the game industry that needs to support Steam OS, and he isn't locked in to Microsoft any more. And no, he won't be locked into Steam OS either, because if they start demanding more, he can just clone Ubuntu himself and distribute his game as OS. As long as new computers will allow free OS choice, there is no problem.
builtin DRM
Publishers on Steam can choose to have no DRM whatsoever on their game. Blame the publishers, not Steam.
The best and safest way to make money from software is to be a gatekeeper
Google Apple MicroSoft Steam Facebook Amazon all gate keepers. Have you got an idea for some software a song to release a book to write? If you are successful these leeches will take 30% if not that is your loss. There is no downside being a gatekeeper.
Microsoft wants to muscle out Steam that is bad for us at least with 2 of them there may be competition. Better still when both are optional.
Blarney Quality Restaurant, Plants
I really wish they'd release steam for Android.
Some basic level of curation, better community for reviews, cross PC and Android purchases, I suspect instead Steam will go away as he fails to compete in a market he created (effective online distribution games store).
Wow, sent an e-mail as suggested when clicking on "use classic" banner, and got a fast response that addressed my msg
I've been waiting for SteamOS to seriously take off.
For SteamOS to seriously take off DEVELOPERS HAVE TO EMBRACE LINUX.
For that to happen they need a good kick in the ass. Microsoft pissing them off would be a good kick in the ass. I haven't had a Windows machine since Win 2000 was still new up until about a month ago. I got tired of waiting for the promised Linux port of Giana Sisters Twisted Dreams, not to mention I'm really looking forward to South Park the Fractured But Whole, both of which are Windows only. I built a Wintendo with a monitor emulator plug so it just sits there and runs steam for Steam Casting to my Linux machine and the Steam Link I picked up for $20.
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Because it would be AGAINST THE LAW. If Microsoft implemented DRM to disallow running non-"approved" programs and didn't "approve" Steam, Valve would have to break the DRM to make it work. Breaking DRM is a felony.
The DMCA and CFAA are assaults on the right to own property itself, because they subjugate the owner (of the computer)'s wishes to that of the copyright holder.
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
Pedantic much? Its the owner of the machine, not the manufacturer of the software that should be in control.
It has to do with expectations.
When you hear Windows, you expect a general purpose operating system.
When you hear iPad, you expect a touchscreen that can run whatever apps Apple approves.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Not quite.
I can easily avoid Apple and its walled garden, so it doesn't bother me that they build one.
It's way harder with Windows.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
If it works, don't fix it? You know, one of the most fundamental engineering principles?
Steam is essentially a package manager, launch-menu and a shop. It works. If your fancy, gold-plated uber 4k display (Why are you not on 8k? Obviously you are a lamer...) does not give you the best experience for that, then that is a very minor thing because this is not an application you use intensively.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
I really wish they'd release steam for Android.
Except that Android is in practice as locked down as Windows is since nearly all apps require Google services and you can't re-compile Android with Google services including the store.
for the moment. My percentage of games that will run under Linux is (very) slowly but steadily increasing.
Except that Android is in practice as locked down as Windows is since nearly all apps require Google services and you can't re-compile Android with Google services including the store.
That doesn't seem to stop Amazon from running its own app store or distributing its own non-Google fork of Android.
Even if Microsoft allows Win32 apps to be installed on Windows XP, they can revoke that ability via an update at any time and there's nothing anybody can do about it.
Are you high? If you revoked the ability of XP to run win32 applications, then what exactly would it even be able to run? There's no such thing as UWP for XP. Same is true of 7.
Furthermore, UWP was designed from the ground up for sideloading to be impossible and then only enabled after an update because nobody wanted to touch it so they're hoping that they can get at least some interest besides the zero interest it currently has.
Microsoft is convinced that the name "Windows" actually carries some goodwill with consumers. Where they got that idea must be one of the best-kept secrets in the business world. The only time most people have ever heard of "Windows" is when their computer breaks and they have to call someone to fix it, either at work or at home.
The "Windows" brand has negative consumer value. Until someone at Microsoft wakes up and realizes that, they will continue to churn out flop after flop, from mobile phones to locked-down iPad competitors.
But again you don't want to actually *do* anything so you just continue to support closed hardware vendors, closed software vendors and the model that produces DRM content.
That's nonsense.
I refuse to buy Apple devices because they're locked down. That hasn't stopped millions of idiots buying them, and as a result skewing the market so that some software or other features are only available on Apple devices.
If I refuse to buy a Windows 10 device because it's locked down, that wont stop millions of idiots from buying one anyway, and skewing the market so that the games I want to play are only available on Windows 10 devices.
My options here are very limited.
Then go and fund open hardware development
Sure. Could you loan me four billion dollars please, I'm not sure I have that much in my bank account at the moment.
Get fucking real.