Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

My comment is a fact, without the Windows games ecosystem, by developers living and breathing on Windows, with Windows development tools, Proton has nothing to play, even if many of Windows games are developed on top of cross-platform engines.

Unfortunely Valve failed to make native Linux gaming a reality, not even game studios targeting Android NDK bother, which has the same 3D and audio APIs as GNU/Linux.



> Unfortunely Valve failed to make native Linux gaming a reality

Who cares? What would that actually achieve and how would they have practically achieved it anyway? Use their store platform to force or coerce developers? Hold a gun to developers heads?

Valve don't owe anyone shit, neither did PC compatible BIOS manufacturers, nor anyone else who creates a clean room implementation of a pre-existing API. Getting Windows software working outside of Windows is a net good for consumers and developers.


Linux users will care when the fountain of Windows games needed to feed Proton dries out.

Do you think Valve and Gabe will be around forever?


Is anything around forever? What kind of argument is this?

Proton works by wrapping Windows calls to Linux equivalents, which have been improving and becoming more robust as a result of this work. If the Windows game ecosystem collapses (How? When? It's literally never been more popular) then those equivalent APIs can be targeted instead. Meanwhile, the absolutely massive PC back catalogue, the platform's greatest strength, remains playable.

Where's the downside?


Audio APIs on Android are completely different than on GNU/Linux.

3D was also different (OpenGL ES vs OpenGL mess), only now it's starting to become kinda the same with Vulkan.


Nope, they are also available as they are Khronos standards for audio, and Mesa also does OpenGL ES.

Do you need a tutorial?


You mean OpenSL ES? Is anyone actually using that on desktop? On Android there's https://github.com/google/oboe.

While Mesa has OpenGL ES it wasn't always available (for example not all drivers are using Mesa).




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: