That is what many developers fail to see. At the end of the day, a PC + Visual Studio costs more than a Mac, which provides all the developer tools together with the operating system.
It is true that you can get the Windows SDK + Visual Studio express versions for free, but those are the light versions, so to speak.
If Microsoft is really serious about convincing developers to port to WP7 from iPhone, they should offer native access to the platform to everyone and not just special partners.
Most developer shops don't have enough resources to keep parallel versions of the application code in different languages.
The problem is not the game developers, but the publishers.
The game industry works in a similar way to the other entertaining industries. A game studio needs to find a publisher that sponsors the game development, the publisher then gets to say how the game gets developed and which platforms are to be targeted.
This is the main reason why only Indies are targeting Mac and Linux platforms.
Because the publishers only want easy money, they only accept consoles first and the type of game style proven to make money.
As an example, there are OS implemented in Modula-3 and Ada. They are quite fast, and the languages are not "like C", though they do the job and there aren't buffer overflows to worry about.
Maybe getting rid of C is what we need to finally embrace modern computing?
Another problem for Linux gaming is lack of proper support for the whole game cycle development.
All the console manufacturers and Microsoft for the Windows side, are present in all major game development conferences.
They also arrange their own conferences and help all major studios to explore their hardware as much as possible.
There are also tons of tools that provide information about all code paths on the game engine and underlying OS and how it affects the game/graphics performance.
Finally the "just use OpenGL" reason is not a good one. Not all cards provide a proper driver support for OpenGL, and besides contrary to the popular belief there isn't a single console that uses OpenGL, so the engine coders have nonetheless to program against proprietary APIs anyway.
For those of you that will shout, that the PS3 supports OpenGL-ES, that is true, but OpenGL-ES is not 100% like desktop OpenGL, and actually many PS3 games use another API, more low level.
I would also like to see the situation on the Linux side improved, but I think it will never happen. Even myself, a long time die hard Linux user, am now only using XP on my laptop, mostly due to my gaming needs.
Unfortunately the list seems to shrink rather than grow.
NWN is a good example. They were supporting Linux and they went all the way with DX9 and C#/.Net for the editor in NWN 2.
I am a lot into games, even being a IGDA member so I do get to see a lot from the developers point of view.
And the sad reality is that developing for Linux doesn't pay off, and most publishers aren't interested on the market. Except a few ones.
The support they get from Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo is way lot better than what they would get for developing for Linux.
And today's graphics cards are hardware implementations of the DX API, so OpenGL also lags behind (I do know about extensions). So there is little hope this will ever change.
I used to be a huge Linux fan, I do Linux development professionally but lately I have started to only use Windows as a home environment.
Because gaming is about the game not the the platform.
If you have read the interview properly you'll see that he is using DX9 currently.
On the topic of DX10, Carmack said that there's nothing at the moment motivating him to move to the new API just yet for Quake Wars, citing that he's quite satisfied with DX9 and the Xbox 360. "DX9 is really quite a good API level... Microsoft has done a very, very good job of sensibly evolving it at each step--they're not worried about breaking backwards compatibility--and it's a pretty clean API," he said. "I especially like the work I'm doing on the 360, and it's probably the best graphics API as far as a sensibly designed thing that I've worked with." Besides, you have to use DX in order to program for the 360, Carmack's currently favorite target platform. If you would use an OpenGL wrapper it would have to run on top of DX9c API available on the 360.
That is exactly because of this type of behaviour that sometimes I think that Apple is no different than M$.
I now I'll get bashed by all the Apple fans in/., but people are only conscendant to Apple because of their market share.
So some people might support their trend of cease and desist letter, because Apple needs to maintain their market share. But if they were something like M$ in market size, then everyone would be complaining like we usually do on M$'s case.
In the end all corporations are the same if given enough market share.
Most of the european countries like Portugal, have national id cards, for centuries !!
So what's the big deal ? The state has an id with your information. They already have that in your SS#, in your driver's licence, in your insurance,
in your bank account, and so on.
Face it, nowadays the governments have tons of information about their citzens, like it or not.
It's about time to US stop creating laws that cripple our rights.
<rant>
They want us to stop putting information that they don't like? No problem. Just move the information to a server outside US, far way from their stupidy laws. If they somehow manage to get to that change, change country again and so on.
</rant>
Re:Discussing an entire marker/industry in one boo
on
Linux Game Programming
·
· Score: 1
I have been a GNOME fan, but know it seems that KDE is where I can really appreciate it and it is coded in C++:)) So I am starting to think to change into the KDE field.
Yes, most of the Linux software oblige the people to adhere to the GPL, so what ? The software is free to everyone to share. I think that he is upset because of the GPL, he can't make more money than he is already making.
Slashdot Mirror
That is what many developers fail to see. At the end of the day, a PC + Visual Studio costs more than a Mac, which provides all the developer tools together with the operating system.
It is true that you can get the Windows SDK + Visual Studio express versions for free, but those are the light versions, so to speak.
If Microsoft is really serious about convincing developers to port to WP7 from iPhone, they should offer native access to the platform to everyone and
not just special partners.
Most developer shops don't have enough resources to keep parallel versions of the application code in different languages.
Thanks for the heads up. I guess I'll keep 10.10 around then.
The problem is not the game developers, but the publishers.
The game industry works in a similar way to the other entertaining industries. A game studio needs to find a publisher that sponsors the game development, the publisher then gets to say how the game gets developed and which platforms are to be targeted.
This is the main reason why only Indies are targeting Mac and Linux platforms.
Because the publishers only want easy money, they only accept consoles first and the type of game style proven to make money.
We need more Indies.
As if Perl modules don't monkey patch as well...
It used to have until XP, then they removed it and replaced it by the Windows Services for Unix package.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308259
Why should I say goodbye to modern computing?
As an example, there are OS implemented in Modula-3 and Ada. They are quite fast, and the languages are not "like C", though they do the job and there aren't buffer overflows to worry about.
Maybe getting rid of C is what we need to finally embrace modern computing?
Let me tell you a secret.
There were other systems languages before C and there *will* be others after C.
Although C is a nice language, it is also the major culprit of today's lack of security in major OS.
I dream the day when the OSs are coded in a systems language not prone to buffer overflows and memory leaks.
There are many examples of such OSs, unfortunately they didn't get any major impact on our daily lives.
Maybe singularity will change that.
Another problem for Linux gaming is lack of proper support for the whole game cycle development.
All the console manufacturers and Microsoft for the Windows side, are present in all major game development conferences.
They also arrange their own conferences and help all major studios to explore their hardware as much as possible.
There are also tons of tools that provide information about all code paths on the game engine and underlying OS and how it affects the game/graphics performance.
Finally the "just use OpenGL" reason is not a good one. Not all cards provide a proper driver support for OpenGL, and besides contrary to the popular belief there isn't a single console that uses OpenGL, so the engine coders have nonetheless to program against proprietary APIs anyway.
For those of you that will shout, that the PS3 supports OpenGL-ES, that is true, but OpenGL-ES is not 100% like desktop OpenGL, and actually many PS3 games use another API, more low level.
I would also like to see the situation on the Linux side improved, but I think it will never happen. Even myself, a long time die hard Linux user, am now only using XP on my laptop, mostly due to my gaming needs.
That is not that easy.
With OpenGL extensions it means that each manufacturer will add its own extension until the OpenGL review board standardizes on a common one.
With DX version x, all manufacturers will have the same capabilities.
Please note that we (developers) don't want to code the same algorithm n times, just of different extensions.
Unfortunately the list seems to shrink rather than grow.
NWN is a good example. They were supporting Linux and they went
all the way with DX9 and C#/.Net for the editor in NWN 2.
I am a lot into games, even being a IGDA member so I do get to
see a lot from the developers point of view.
And the sad reality is that developing for Linux doesn't pay off,
and most publishers aren't interested on the market. Except a few
ones.
The support they get from Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo is way lot
better than what they would get for developing for Linux.
And today's graphics cards are hardware implementations of the DX API,
so OpenGL also lags behind (I do know about extensions). So there is
little hope this will ever change.
I used to be a huge Linux fan, I do Linux development professionally but
lately I have started to only use Windows as a home environment.
Because gaming is about the game not the the platform.
Here in Germany it is possible to buy blank blue-ray disks in many stores.
And a few of them are already selling blue-ray burners.
I am yet to see a blank HD-DVD on sale.
This will help a lot the people decide in which format to invest.
favorite target platform. If you would use an OpenGL wrapper it would have to run
on top of DX9c API available on the 360.
That is exactly because of this type of behaviour that sometimes I think that Apple is no different than M$.
/., but people are only conscendant to Apple because of their
I now I'll get bashed by all the Apple fans in
market share.
So some people might support their trend of cease and desist letter, because Apple needs to maintain their
market share. But if they were something like M$ in market size, then everyone would be complaining like we
usually do on M$'s case.
In the end all corporations are the same if given enough market share.
As much as I hate M$ for doing this kind of move, I am also old enough to remeber a time where you didn't got any compiler with your OS.
Yes boys and girls in the old days of DOS, Windows 3.X and Mac System X. We had to BUY our tools, there were good free alternatives available.
Even products like DJGPP were out of reach for many of us in Europe without BBS access.
So, again, even though I don't like their move. I do understand it.
And just think what OS vendors do offer their development environments for free and I'm not talking about gcc based ones.
Spain ?!?!?!
Last time I checked, Portugal is closer to the Atlantic than Spain.
It's nice to see some slashdoters around CERN :D
Most of the european countries like Portugal, have national id cards, for centuries !!
So what's the big deal ? The state has an id with your information. They already have that in your SS#, in your driver's licence, in your insurance,
in your bank account, and so on.
Face it, nowadays the governments have tons of information about their citzens, like it or not.
I really have to agree with this.
It's about time to US stop creating laws that cripple our rights.
<rant>
They want us to stop putting information that they don't like? No problem. Just move the information to a server outside US, far way from their stupidy laws. If they somehow manage to get to that change, change country again and so on.
</rant>
Unfortunally it appears that all the books in this collection suck. The Game Developer Magazine has a review on Beginning Direct3D Game Programming and they give it a 1/5 score
After the agreement with M$, this HAD to happen ! Why do you think that M$ has bought Corel shares ?
Beware of world domination now that Python 2.0 is on the loose. Python4Ever
I have been a GNOME fan, but know it seems that KDE is where I can really appreciate it and it is coded in C++ :)) So I am starting to think to change into the KDE field.
Finaly no more need to create partitions below just for LILO. :))))
Yes, most of the Linux software oblige the people to adhere to the GPL, so what ? The software is free to everyone to share. I think that he is upset because of the GPL, he can't make more money than he is already making.