Well said, the poster forgot to mention that the Linux installation was more difficult than the Windows installation would have been. Normally, software installation is easier on Linux than on Windows, one aspect users like me get used to over the time. Fiddling around with Wine is not appropriate if I pay the full price for a game.
I play games on Linux, and enjoy it very much. There are high-quality games available, like Civilization-Call to Power (my first), Majesty with Expansion Set, and Unreal Tournament 2004. All these games I have bought and some lesser known, but I really would like to play an RPG, standalone party-based or multi-user. WoW has a special business case for a native Linux port: It requires an Internet connection and opening up the gamers' system. I would never allow access from the Internet if I would use Windows, and I have no time working around security problems.
My Linux system is rock stable, no problems whatever. No bluescreen, no reboot even after installing new software, no slowdown over time, no EULA for every patch to read through, no activation, tabbed browsing, all in all a real time-saver. Installing the games was very easy as well. So I have more time to actually play my games and to buy new ones;-)
This is an easy case: I only buy native Linux games. And I like to buy original games with some goodies in it (maps, etc.) even if they cost a little bit more. If there is no new high-quality Linux game to buy, I play again my collection which is quite nice.
You pay for the freedom to secure developers' jobs in many software companies.
People have to pay for the product in some way. Normally, if people get something for free, they won't pay for it. Only if there is added value in doing this, they pay. For example, buying an audio CD often gets you a beautifully designed cover, lyrics, good audio quality, and a very robust medium. Many people like this and pay for it, even if the music can be downloaded somewhere for free (paying only for bandwidth). They know that the artists get their part as well, so the added value can be small. Of course, if the audio CD is not conforming to Red Book (CDDA), the "added value" might be negative;-)
For an application, using a free license and offering service is another possibility, but it depends on the product and the market. This is at the discretion of the company to decide, and customers can then decide if the offer is acceptable or develop a free alternative (but everyone has to earn money somehow in the meantime).
Qt still is not as free as GTK+, because it is a library and licensed under GPL. GTK+ is licensed under LGPL for a reason. If you use Qt, the license of your application cannot be chosen freely. Either you use the GPL, or you pay for the freedom to choose another license.
A GUI toolkit is part of the critical infrastructure of a software component on the desktop. Every application needs such a component (apart from fullscreen applications like games). And a GUI toolkit is commodity, nothing special anymore.
Many developments begin at home, and these developments are the programmers' own crown jewels. I want to secure my investment in time and energy, and want to be able to deploy my ideas anywhere I see fit. Of course, I want to take my developments to the workplace and go on without interruption. This is freedom, and highly productive.
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Well said, the poster forgot to mention that the Linux installation was more difficult than the Windows installation would have been. Normally, software installation is easier on Linux than on Windows, one aspect users like me get used to over the time. Fiddling around with Wine is not appropriate if I pay the full price for a game.
;-)
I play games on Linux, and enjoy it very much. There are high-quality games available, like Civilization-Call to Power (my first), Majesty with Expansion Set, and Unreal Tournament 2004. All these games I have bought and some lesser known, but I really would like to play an RPG, standalone party-based or multi-user. WoW has a special business case for a native Linux port: It requires an Internet connection and opening up the gamers' system. I would never allow access from the Internet if I would use Windows, and I have no time working around security problems.
My Linux system is rock stable, no problems whatever. No bluescreen, no reboot even after installing new software, no slowdown over time, no EULA for every patch to read through, no activation, tabbed browsing, all in all a real time-saver. Installing the games was very easy as well. So I have more time to actually play my games and to buy new ones
This is an easy case: I only buy native Linux games. And I like to buy original games with some goodies in it (maps, etc.) even if they cost a little bit more. If there is no new high-quality Linux game to buy, I play again my collection which is quite nice.
You pay for the freedom to secure developers' jobs in many software companies.
;-)
People have to pay for the product in some way. Normally, if people get something for free, they won't pay for it. Only if there is added value in doing this, they pay. For example, buying an audio CD often gets you a beautifully designed cover, lyrics, good audio quality, and a very robust medium. Many people like this and pay for it, even if the music can be downloaded somewhere for free (paying only for bandwidth). They know that the artists get their part as well, so the added value can be small. Of course, if the audio CD is not conforming to Red Book (CDDA), the "added value" might be negative
For an application, using a free license and offering service is another possibility, but it depends on the product and the market. This is at the discretion of the company to decide, and customers can then decide if the offer is acceptable or develop a free alternative (but everyone has to earn money somehow in the meantime).
Qt still is not as free as GTK+, because it is a library and licensed under GPL. GTK+ is licensed under LGPL for a reason. If you use Qt, the license of your application cannot be chosen freely. Either you use the GPL, or you pay for the freedom to choose another license.
A GUI toolkit is part of the critical infrastructure of a software component on the desktop. Every application needs such a component (apart from fullscreen applications like games).
And a GUI toolkit is commodity, nothing special anymore.
Many developments begin at home, and these developments are the programmers' own crown jewels. I want to secure my investment in time and energy, and want to be able to deploy my ideas anywhere I see fit. Of course, I want to take my developments to the workplace and go on without interruption. This is freedom, and highly productive.