Kinky,

where is the OP?

Turkey. It's really late over there right now.

The game I intended to download wasn't in need of either, but to answer the question:

"Auto-updates" just provide a developer with additional hardcore DRM opportunities as long as he keeps his game unplayably buggy, and/or relieve a developer of the requirement to release his game in a playable state. "Online features" in single player games have been introduced as and still are used as cheap DRM as well, it's just more obvious than in auto-updates. ;)

Would love to believe that, but that's just not how they're framing it any more. They're already describing the .exe as antique technology. In marketing, we'd call that "aggressive outphasing". I mean, who wants to be the loser using all that antique tech? :)

Whenever your profile syncs with Galaxy to update stats, whenever your trophies are updated, whenever you're auto-updating your game etc., they're incidentally verifying whether the game's in your account.

Technically, the difference to Steamworks DRM is non-existant, sorry. You want to use these "features", they're checking whether the game belongs to you.

It always was Valve's master trick to sell these additional DRM measures – plus the ultimate, the social media copy protection mechanisms that industry strength glue you to one service provider – as "features" on their platform. :(

Hold your horses (and your apocalyptic visions).

I... don't see how that's relevant...? :|

Excuse me, your rant totally sounded like you hadn't connected to GOG for a couple of weeks, saw the library changes, and flipped out. If you already knew about the announcement and still think the end times are nigh, I'm not gonna try to convince you otherwise.

What if, stay with me here -puts on his tinfoil hat- they're watching you play through your webcam if you use Galaxy.

I think you're too biased against the whole DRM thing and services like Steam. And I know no matter what we say, you will just answer with the same conspiracy theory stuff. At some level I don't blame you because GOG staff has yet to make a statement or something to put these concerns to ease, there's like a daily post here of people hating on Galaxy and prophesying GOG suddenly turning into DRM heaven.

Yeah, I hate it too.
Whenever I'm visiting https://www.gog.com/account and/or attempting to download any game, THEY are verifying whether the game is in my account!
Even worse, whenever I want to buy a game, THEY want somehow verify if I can afford it!
Not enough? How about:
Whenever I'm committing a post on the forum, THEY can easily read it, delete it or even laugh at!
This went out of hands.. Who are THEY?

Actually, they've repeatedly stated that Galaxy will remain optional. Hell, they even flew 6 of us to Warsaw and told us to our faces that Galaxy will remain optional.

Sure, they're putting Galaxy in your face, and sure, they're promoting it heavily. That's because they want people to use it. It would be pretty stupid of them to pour resources into their client and not try to get people to use it. The thing is, the amount of their user base that doesn't want anything to do with a client and all the features it offers is extremely small. Most people want what Galaxy offers (social features, cloud saves, achievements, time tracking, a central game launcher/installer etc.) There are very few of us that don't really care about that.

It all comes down to whether you trust GOG or not. But if you don't, I don't see why you'd continue shopping here.

And then there's the 'nothing to hide' person ardently defending corporate interests they have absolutely no stake in. I have never figured out what makes a person do this.

As for the conspiracy theory argument, that one is valid if, and only if, the claims are truly outlandish. DRM, data mining, et al. may not bother you one bit. That does not mean they are only imaginary.

Ahem
https://www.gog.com/forum/general/introducing_web_installers_for_all_gog_games/post132

Except they totally did.

Seriously, ever since Galaxy was announced (4 years ago) we've had numerous claims from users that old installers would die and Galaxy would be the only future. Galaxy has existed / been announced for almost half of GOG's lifetime and it is yet to happen, staff have repeatedly reassured that it will never happen, anyone with a shred of business sense knows it will never happen (the one situation where I can see it is if Steam somehow dies or GOG gets superior market share to them, both highly unlikely) and yet every other week we get some doom and gloom post about how GOG is trying to kill DRM free.
If you're not convinced by now that GOG is and always will be DRM free then nothing will ever do it.

(this isn't actually aimed at kizuxtheo as I know he wasn't the one arguing that this is one more step towards Galaxy becoming mandatory, his post just happened to mention an official statement)

:o

Some things come to my mind.
1. Would you tell your customers if you are going to do a bad thing in the near/distant future or would you rather lie to them?
2. Since you brought up the visit to Poland. How are the other (besides not making Galaxy mandatory) promises progressing? Like a new forum or whatever you were promised?
3. Do you have any proof that that most of the users use the Galaxy drm client?