Linux related post(you were warned;))

Hi everyone.

I know the following has been over, but I don't feel like I would be being fair to other Linux users, and to Linden Labs, if I didn't post.

I've just downgraded my account back to basic access, since I've recently decided to switch entirely over to Linux on my PC, and there isn't a native client for my operating system.

I'm not going to try and petition for a Linux client or anything like that, I just wanted to make public that Linden has lost my subscription until a client comes out that I can use. The arguements for and against a Linux client have been discussed at great length and I only make the following statement as an expression of my opinion and as an explanation of my decision.

Linux is gaining a larger market share of the desktop market, and its growth will be difficult to ignore indefinately. Getting a client out sooner, rather than later, would mean that the bugs could be ironed out now, while the target audience is a smaller and generally more helpful and technically minded one than it will be by the time Linux has a more prominent and unignorable market share. AAA title games are being released with Linux support, and if Doom 3 and the latest Unreal Tournament iteration can run fairly predictably on Linux then the technology has almost certainly matured to a level that it could support Second Life.

I understand that the requirements from a after sales support point of view are different for persistant world games, but I feel that gaining experience and client maturity for the Linux world early on probably negates the possible cost of fixing the problems, and certainly in the long run, reduces them.

That's all. : )

F

(edited for spelling, punctuation, etc.)

You may not be fully clued up, but there is a Linux client in development right now, which I recently saw a screenshot of when a Linden posted one on a thread (anyone care to post a link to that thread here? )

Basically we got worried they had dropped or downgraded the Linux client, but they are still plugging away with it, so nothing to do but wait or travel to San Fran and offer to do free debugging / code documentation to speed things up!

Yes, a linux client is finally - finally! - on its way. SL is the only thing that ties me to WinXP anymore, I have my copy of Fedora sitting to one side waiting anxiously to be installed on my system.

BTW - I believe if you search the voting board, the Lindens have marked the Linux proposal as accepted.


- Newfie

I'll try to sneak a peek if I can when we all invade LL on July 22nd.

I actually PAYED 15 USD only to find out that Transgaming Cedega + my ATI card still don't work with SL

(And I actually bought an XP Home a while ago, mostly for gaming, but dual booting to SL sucks...)

So if anyone says Linux people are cheap bastards, who want everything for free, think again!