Apparently making your store usable by a whole generation of people too stupid to double click on an exe file and install a game.

A gimmicky way for GOG to try(key word here) to compete with Steam and co.

===============================

It's not just that bad....it's worse.....some cannot seemingly even do simple tweaks to get their games working in the rare case a game that their OS supports won't run(via things like dosbox conf file edits and such).

(I don't know how to do everything, but I can do some of that & I can search for the rest)

Heck, some cannot even seemingly handle a few extra clicks(per game) to get said game and install it.

(To all: None of the above is meant as a mean spirited dig on anyone....just my musing on some bad aspects of my fellow humans that I felt like musing on that relate to the topic being discussed)

Accessibility for the less computer savvy and 'social networking' and other features that are so obviously popular in today's world ?
Thanks , but I usually don't bother to download until there is 'enough' , my DRM-Free collection resides on an external drive not turned on unless used - for minimum drive wear., so really not an option for me..

Not too mention it provides a mechanism for companies control over you. There is the no need to download and store your installers, but more than this there is the playing habits and other data capture, the tying you into requiring systems for those “achievements” or to access your saves. It’s all geared towards that now take everything out of the users control because they can’t do it, and then profit from what you get. Sure it can still be argued that gog are better as they still provide the installers, but apart from a small group, I don’t expect the masses even know what that (or drm) even means, or ever even see anything like that. It’s just the front end and a big play button. Who cares if you gaming activitiy data is being sold on to Facebook so they can target advertising at you, it’s not like anyone is merging all these vast profile databases for nefarious...

Yeah , well , our whole discussion here IMO is a result of that GOG at this point in time really do not care very much about us getting our DRM-Free installers.
Had they really cared then they would have had an even better solution in place - to replace the GOG.com Downloader - before taking the GOG.com Downloader from us....
IMO GOG has lost it's way. I mean I were all for making GOG more accessible to more people (the less computer savvy) so a better download and install manager than the GOG.com Downloader IMO were needed to make GOG attractive to more people (important for GOG longevity) but none of this should be on the expense of the old core GOG user group (we that first and foremost want our DRM-free downloads !!!!)

My original vision for a better GOG.com Downloader were something like what I wrote here :
https://www.gog.com/forum/general/we_do_not_want_say_goodbye_to_gog_downloader/post625

And the absolute minimum mending of GOG Galaxy ought to be something like what I asked for here :
https://www.gog.com/wishlist/galaxy/easier_download_of_new_purchases_and_updates

I *do* understand that we ideally should get GOG to give us the GOG.com Downloader back but as you can see then GOG has spent so many resources on GOG Galaxy that they are willing to screw us original users in order to propagate GOG Galaxy use so I do not think that we are going to get the GOG.com Downloader back when GOG is hell bent that they want us to use GOG Galaxy.
So best case scenario for me at this point would be that GOG wakes up and modifies GOG Galaxy to something that can *ALSO* act as a bulk download manager - like I have asked for - of DRM-Free install files and goodies for both old ,and new purchases as well as for 'updated' games. So in a nutshell give us GOG.com Downloader back in the sense that all it's functionality - and maybe even more and better - should be built in to GOG Galaxy

Referring to 'better' , I mean , when having made better sorting of All Games in Galaxy (like sort by time of purchase and by "updated" then GOG could also just add a tick box next to all games and then let user be able to select whatever number of games and then an action such as 'Download *all* DRM-Free installers and Goodies' or 'Install All' . I am sure that something like that would be an acceptable solution to many....

However since GOG could *not* come up with any of the above by themselves as a GOG.com Downloader replacement *before* retiring it then it appears as if they want to ignore the needs and wants of us the long time core user group for as long as possible, so I am not really that optimistic about getting the superior *download* manager solution from GOG built into GOG Galaxy !!! :-(

Honest question(I want to hear your reply to this).....what is the big deal if companies know that misc data?

(I mean besides them selling stuff to people using said data, that is)

To me, I couldn't care less who knows how many games I play and for how long(I don't mean in galaxy, I mean in general) or other misc data.

1) I could not see it n the OP and with a quick scrolll through I wasn't even able to find it on page 1 at all ... but maybe I just overlooked it.

2) You know how this goes - you know what happens in giveaway threads. People clicking this thread will always get to the end of the thread and in most cases (unfortunately) they won't even read the OP at all. Even making the OP sticky often does not change much (as you can see in the giveaway threads).

It’s then really a good idea to understand what can be happening behind the scenes with pooling of dat and profiling. Sure you play game x might not mean much, other than you can be sent loads of adverts based on that, one way a lot of companies make money. But then if you link that data to other data then it becomes more interesting. There should really be a whole branch of science on this, companies like google and Facebook are based on this type of data and profiling. Essentially you build up massive databases from different sources and then can analyse patterns for whatever purpose. This is why data gets hacked so that it can be sold on.
Think of it in these terms, when you have to reset your pin for a bank, they ask you some personal questions, like mothers maiden name, first school, favourite computer game...
So the emphasis is on forgetting the impact of individual data points, and look at the big picture. Even someone who has little computer use may have a large amount of data collected on them, credit histories, legal backgrounds, location etc. so everything else you add to it is really icing on the cake.

I know you didn't specifically ask me so if you don't care then disregard but I think the "big deal" can be simplified down to say that people should be able to consent to stuff like that. Not a perfect analogy, but it's not unlike how when profiles were instituted here, iirc the privacy settings were basically set to public by default, people could find users here by email address, etc. Some of the users may not care or may even welcome such practices for their own profile/situation, but they (or the gaming companies/stores/etc) shouldn't get to make that choice for all the users.

They make money and send me adverts?

They always make money(the successful ones, that is), and I get sent adverts no matter what.....at least when they know me a bit more they send me adverts I might be interested in(well unless the algorithm is botched).

To make money and sell things, correct? As said above, I honestly don't care as much about that......now if they used it to do things like control my entire life(I mean besides influencing me with ads and such) or similar I might worry a bit more.

This is why I often fill in randomized replies to such questions, or make up my own questions not based on data they might collect or someone else might collect.


============================

I meant more how does it harm people if companies know such(beyond them knowing some of some people's habits and likes/dislikes and using it to make money and serve people ads).....but I agree people should be able to opt out of most of it....or EVEN BETTER, to have to OPT IN(and be opted out by default).

=============================

If it's not there then my apologies.....that said, if the OP is still around then I think they should add it to the OP post.

I know this, but that user posted it twice within the space of 4 or so posts....both posts likely being on the same page for everyone.

As such, there was no need(imo) to post it again....at least not till some more posts had been posted.

It might it might not - again, I refer to what happened in the giveaways.

Agreed, we don't need to post the link every two posts.

Count me among those who had no idea a GOG Downloader ever existed. What the hell timeline is this anyway? Next you'll tell me they canceled Lost.

What was "click-and-forget" in GoG downloader is now "babysit for 30 minutes" in-browser.

GoG downloader was a <2MB download manager.
You logged into the site, went to your game library, and clicked the GoG downloader links for what you wanted to download. One click for the game, one click for all the extra stuff (soundtrack, artbook, manual, etc).
Then GoG downloader automatically launched to handled queuing downloads.
When you were done downloading, you closed it out.

It was much simpler than a browser download, where you'd now have to download 10 different files for something like Witcher 3, with no queuing. You'd have to babysit it while it downloads.
Or the extras, 20 clicks for Witcher 3 which the GoG downloader handled in 1.

And to anyone saying "just use Galaxy". Just use Steam.
Steam is the superior platform if you are ok with a client and it too has "technically" DRM-free games*.
Offline installers are the only reason I use GoG.

*If you install Steam's spyware client DRM on your system.

Well, Steam doesn't let you download offline installers with a single click, Galaxy does. It's missing update notification and some sorting options but as far as downloading offline installers goes it does the job.

If you had the respect you should, and therefor read half as diligently as you should do, then you wouldn't claim any of the above nonsense. Respect is a two-way street and everyone needs to play their part. The excuses you keep coming up with, are just not relevant. People need to do the right thing, end of story. It is not up to me to try and turn around their bad or flawed behavior, by being overly nice and ignoring the bleeding obvious.

Act with respect and apply logic.

This especially applies, when people come to a topic of their own choice, and then set about treating those who are here for the right reasons, as fools. Or they come here, to impart their pearls of wisdom, because they are so uniquely wise ... like yourself for instance. Why are you actually here, really? Look at it deeply, not the fluffy answers you have given so far. In all of the writings I have seen by you, you come across as thinking we need your great insights, as we are simply not smart enough to cope without you. Is it any wonder you have annoyed so many across the forum and gotten all the negative votes.

I don't say any of this to be unkind to you, just to give you a dose of reality about your behavior, which you can change.

Logic should be telling you, amongst a bunch of other stuff, that the very fact I am still communicating with you, and don't give you negative votes, shows you I am indeed a nice forgiving fellow.