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As time goes on GoG has actually gotten less friendly toward the Linux community rather than better. Personally this has resulted in me using the platform and store much less. Sometimes, and too often, they even refuse to offer versions of games that have Linux native options available. When going to a game's website or to Steam, you will see that a Linux version is available, but when you see the same game on this platform it excludes the Linux option. This is very frustrating. I wish they would do better by Linux gamers -- and at least make an attempt to offer Linux versions if they are available. Instead it is starting to look like they are engaged in some sort of silent cold war against Linux that has only gotten worse with time.
Post edited October 31, 2021 by chaostheory6682
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chaostheory6682: As time goes on GoG has actually gotten less friendly toward the Linux community rather than better. Personally this has resulted in me using the platform and store much less. They even refuse to offer Linux versions of games that have native options available. You will see by going to a game's website or to Steam that a Linux version is available, but when you see the same game on this platform it excludes the Linux option. This is very frustrating. I wish they would be better to Linux gamers and at least make an attempt to offer Linux versions if they are available.
Often they don't because Galaxy for linux isn't a thing
I'm sorry, paladin181, but that only reinforces my original point. They could very easily offer Galaxy for Linux but actively choose not to. Their primary competitor does. And even the ones that don't have managed to make their clients more Linux friendly than GoG has. It is both leaving GoG behind as a platform and creating animosity toward them by people who see that they intentionally engage in this behavior. They don't have to do anything exciting or expensive, honestly, they can just choose to level the playing field and offer both a Linux compatible client and try to ensure that if a Linux version of a game exists they will offer it alongside the Windows and Mac versions.
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Because Linux is not even 2% of the PC video games market.
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Because "Linux gaming community" barely even exists.
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Crosmando: Because "Linux gaming community" barely even exists.
Perhaps, but we are long lived and the grace of the Valar protects us :P.

About OP's point, someone else had the same impression a few days ago, but IMHO it's not better or worse, it's the same - currently an afterthought, supported only where low hanging fruits abound and the developers are interested in pushing a Linux version of their game. There are plenty of games that lack a Linux version due to lack of a Linux client or simply due to lack of interest from the publisher's side. GOG is clearly not in a position to help with the latter, since its own interest in Linux is marginal at the moment.
Post edited October 31, 2021 by WinterSnowfall
The native linux support is usually supplied. The games that would use Wine are a waste of their time, because chances are. You will already use something that does the job with a windows version. Like Lutris. So they figure why hire someone to do it when chances are a freebie will present itself.
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chaostheory6682: As time goes on GoG has actually gotten less friendly toward the Linux community rather than better. Personally this has resulted in me using the platform and store much less. Sometimes, and too often, they even refuse to offer versions of games that have Linux native options available. When going to a game's website or to Steam, you will see that a Linux version is available, but when you see the same game on this platform it excludes the Linux option.
Lack of Galaxy on Linux may be GOG's fault but the Steam = Win + Linux vs GOG = Win only situation is often due to the fact a 3rd party publisher was hired to make a Linux version and they refuse to do a DRM-Free one. Virtual Programming in particular are well known for that (eg, Bioshock Infinite, Saints Row 3-4, etc).

As for Linux market share, clearly there's something going on that has caused Valve to take Linux seriously enough to really push Proton in spite of market share (possibly long-term insurance against Microsoft doing something stupid in future like deprecating "legacy" DirectX5-11 or Win32 or 32-bit WOW or locking down Windows into a UWP only world or some other unforeseen move that could potentially cripple old games on Windows-only stores outright). And if the Steam Deck is really successful, that may well change the situation too. DRM-Free games should naturally go well with DRM-Free OS's though, not one or the other.
Post edited October 31, 2021 by AB2012
They should have run the numbers. If the cost of the development exceeds the expected benefit, they won't do it.
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chaostheory6682: As time goes on GoG has actually gotten less friendly toward the Linux community rather than better..........
I don't think it has. As far as I can see nothing has really changed.
We still get some new games with Linux versions ... even the odd demo.
Why some games and not others? Maybe ask the game provider, who I suspect holds the answer.

GOG don't sell Linux games, never have.
What they do do, is provide a bonus Linux version of a game if it is feasible enough to do so ... and I imagine, like others have said before, it may even be down to cost ... and cost vs profit.

GOG have never given support for Linux games. It has always been done by others here or by the game provider.

I say all the above as someone who always collects Linux versions of the games I buy here, whenever I can.

If a Linux version isn't here, then there would be a reason for that ... likely a good reason from GOG's perspective.

One the one hand, GOG seem to be doing really good.
But then on the other hand, they seem to be running on the smell of an oily rag.
They certainly don't seem to be willing to spend much money on necessary improvements (i.e. Servers etc).
Anything Linux based, would be well down the priority queue ... from what I've seen and read, always has been.
Post edited October 31, 2021 by Timboli
It's less...unfriendliness and more staggering indifference.
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chaostheory6682: As time goes on GoG has actually gotten less friendly toward the Linux community rather than better. Personally this has resulted in me using the platform and store much less. Sometimes, and too often, they even refuse to offer versions of games that have Linux native options available. When going to a game's website or to Steam, you will see that a Linux version is available, but when you see the same game on this platform it excludes the Linux option. This is very frustrating. I wish they would do better by Linux gamers -- and at least make an attempt to offer Linux versions if they are available. Instead it is starting to look like they are engaged in some sort of silent cold war against Linux that has only gotten worse with time.
There are too few Linux users on gog. Therefore they won't put any ressources in develloping for Linux. If gog sees that there are more and more users that switch to linux, there will be more support for linux. Steam has more money and Microsofts is one of their biggest competition. Therefore they invest more in linux in hope that the users also switch the system.
There's a lot of crap that has been said about this topic.

Be clear: GOG is a marketplace for games, it doesn't develop games (sister company CDPR excepted).

So GOG is neither friendly nor unfriendly towards Linux. It can only sell what it's given. However it could do better keeping parallel versions at the same version number, etc.

As for lack of Galaxy for Linux, I don't think anyone is crying themselves to sleep over that one.

Yes Steam is friendlier to Linux as it has ported Wine -> Proton and tries to make games that work on Wine have a similar plug and play experience. But the number of games that are playable on Linux when bought at GOG or Steam is roughly the same. Just that you might have to go through the extra step of installing through WINE if you buy from GOG.

Plus all the usual valid complaints against Steam.
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chaostheory6682: As time goes on GoG has actually gotten less friendly toward the Linux community rather than better. Personally this has resulted in me using the platform and store much less. Sometimes, and too often, they even refuse to offer versions of games that have Linux native options available. When going to a game's website or to Steam, you will see that a Linux version is available, but when you see the same game on this platform it excludes the Linux option.
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AB2012: Lack of Galaxy on Linux may be GOG's fault but the Steam = Win + Linux vs GOG = Win only situation is often due to the fact a 3rd party publisher was hired to make a Linux version and they refuse to do a DRM-Free one. [url=https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Company:Virtual_Programming]Virtual Programming[/url] in particular are well known for that (eg, Bioshock Infinite, Saints Row 3-4, etc).

As for Linux market share, clearly there's something going on that has caused Valve to take Linux seriously enough to really push Proton in spite of market share (possibly long-term insurance against Microsoft doing something stupid in future like deprecating "legacy" DirectX5-11 or Win32 or 32-bit WOW or locking down Windows into a UWP only world or some other unforeseen move that could potentially cripple old games on Windows-only stores outright). And if the Steam Deck is really successful, that may well change the situation too. DRM-Free games should naturally go well with DRM-Free OS's though, not one or the other.
True, Feral Interactive is another company that handles Linux ports but refuses to release them DRM free, though from my own experience you get better performance running the Windows game under WINE than using the Feral Linux port.

As for why Valve takes Linux so seriously there are varying reports that Gabe Newell had some bad experiences when he worked at Microsoft and is pushing Linux so people have an alternative...... though some people frame it in a way that it's sound like he is doing it out of spite and others frame it as he is trying to ensure that Microsoft does not have a full monopoly with the Microsoft Store (which is hilarious since Valve had a PC game Monopoly on Digital Sales and still hold a heavy stranglehold on the market.)
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with less than 2% of gamers share , I dont wonder at all why
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Johnathanamz: Because Linux is not even 2% of the PC video games market.
oh you were faster
Post edited October 31, 2021 by Orkhepaj