Le Vendredi 7 Septembre 2001 12:04, Gr�goire Colbert scribit :
> I agree. In fact, I only noticed Olitec (www.olitec.com) that recognizes
> the existence of Linux among the french companies. That seems to be a
> small exception.
There's alcatel too. They take the time to make some drivers.
> I feel UbiSoft and Infogrames could greatly improve their audience if
> they were the first major "entertainment" companies to release some
> titles for Linux, but they simply *have faith* in Microsoft (some people
> are just too stupid to see that Microsoft's motto is "kill them all").
Linux market is at this time small, and actual linux users don't like to pay
for something. i read several post concerning that point on /. and DLFP ( it
was whan Loki was under chapt 11 ), and several times there were users
against the fact to buy games ( for several reasons : type, philosophy,
commercial, ... ). If it's not OpenSource, they don't want. Hard Core Gamer ?
lose 0.1 FPS is a nightmare for this kind of gamer.
It's true that if there were Linux games next to Windows games at FNAC/Virgin
store, it will be better. But it's a big risk. Given the economic conjoncture
and slowdown, invest in a market as the linux one ( many incertitudes, low
earnings, high risk because of the typo of linux users ).
> They believe that Microsoft is not just *a* company, that it is *the*
> company, and logically, they believe that the Xbox will be a great
> success that will fill their pockets with money for the next 3 years. On
> the other hand, they probably think that if tomorrow they released some
> Linux ports of their games, they would be at risk to lose their precious
> Xbox licenses, just to gain a little more money.
Maybe, but the risk can be evaluate, and the earnings too. You have MS
marketing power. Console Market don't know crisis as the PC game market.
Console users use to buy a lot of games : they just want fun.
> The real problem is that these companies have always considered
> themselves worthless (due to the "french inferiority feeling"). But in
> fact, Microsoft simply *cannot* live without some big and faithful
> software editors like UbiSoft or Infogrames. Hence, Microsoft would not
> take away the Xbox licenses if some Linux ports were done, because our
> two french companies are important for Microsoft success (imagine if
> they released all their games "only" on the Playstation2, Dreamcast or
> GameCube!).
There are other great games company, so ...
You know if there was a coalition, better economic perspectives maybe they
wll try to invest in Linux.
But Linux also really suffer of a lack of technology in the domain of game
and multimedia. So it's less interesting to play under Linux. Where is EAX ?
A3D ? feedback force ? good 5.1 suppport ? good DVD/divx support ? low
latency for sound ?
Most of the time it's because of constructeur, but we have to see that Linux
is not optimised for multimedia. BeOS was optimise for that, ... and BeOS is
dead !
Of course, we will have OpenAL, maybe a beginning of feedback joystick
support and better DVD/divx support. But it's hypothetic.
Impose Open technology ? hum. Look at for the web. PNG , little succes ( 2%
site ). SVG ? too late, Flash is really well implement, and there's no
software of big company at this time.
Linux will have to wait in order to have more mature technologies for
multimedia for example. But it have to follow the fight on desktop to have a
visibility as it will be usefull and helpfull in the future.
but Linux distribution CAN'T survive with just the desktop market. How many
users buy a pack ? How many use the after sale services ?
Few ! There are insterested because of the fact Linux is free. When they want
help they use forum/IRC. So the only way for a distribution Linux to survive
is to have a big foot in PME/server market.
Unfortunately MandrekeSoft lack of big parrain, and in Europe no big Company
invest in Linux at this time. Mandrake may have a chance thanks to desktop
user who may bring Mandrake in PME. But concerning servers, big servers I
think mdk lose the battle ( but maybe not the war, yeah yeah, optimism ).
Big company are more interesting when you have an IBM, SGI, Intel, HP, Sun
behing you. It's a pity isn'it ? How are you going to do to survive next year
and if you survive to have the critical size when the desktop war will really
begin ?
--
Copyleft Faber's prod. 2001
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/linux_wizard/index.html
