As I understand it, the next step in the beta is to get the payment system up, and to start getting some pay-for indie games on (e.g. Bounce!, VVVVVV, Overgrowth, etc.). Although, yeah, I do feel it's being overhyped somewhat. But hey, mod downloading works and is very impressive, in my opinion.
Yeah, we're going off-topic here.

Been following the discussion despite not being a programmer.
Just curious, since I'm a casual gamer and only know of GOG & Steam, who *is* the current leader?

Seriously? Seriously seriously? Steam may be hated by a vocal minority but the rest of the PC gamers just don't give a shit and use it because it's convenient.
As for not being the leading digital distribution service, would you mind bringing some numbers to compare Steam sales or number of users to the other DD services out there?
Seriously.
Counter Strike started being sold on Steam once it has been acquired by Valve, so since around version 1.6 which used (but not required) Steam. At that point it was no longer a mod and could be bought even without owning Half-Life. Same goes for Day of Defeat.
In short I recommend you check your sources ;)

Gecko is just wrong in that regard. Maybe he's trying to do something tricky like say "Steam isn't the current leader in customer appreciation or service blah blah bleh" but Steam is the undeniable leader in sales/revenue in the DD world. By an absolutely enormous margin.

@Gundato
"So is this marketed towards consumers (gamers) or devs?"
Both gamers and devs can use it. The distinguishing features are focused on developers, though.
"If the former, what does any of that matter? If the latter, why are you advertising here? There are better outlets."
Our conversation has lead to some great information about competing platforms, which I think more than justifies posting here. =) I'd love to hear some other places you think would be even better suited.
"As for libraries/engines: Moddb already has a sister site that does this, so what makes you different than Desura (eww, I feel dirty just pretending that Desura isn't going to flop :p)"
Our platform isn't really a mod database website. It is a c++ environment that provides a set of APIs and standards for modular game development. Included in this is a system for browsing, buying, and integrating other developers' modules and middleware.
"As for "true cross platform capability": does that mean that your service will magically make a library that uses DirectX work in Linux and Mac? Or are you just saying that your client/website works on Mac and Linux. If the former, kudos. If the latter, you probably should go look at Steam :p"
Obviously, developers would have to use Open GL/SDL to be cross platform. What distinguishes us from steam in this case is that developers selling through steam still need to port their game to mac. Steam does nothing to allow games to be more cross platform than they were previously.
Our platform actually abstracts away the OS and handles system calls, etc. So a developer can build a game once and distribute to mac/linux/pc without having to port it.
"So it is just Gamedev.net? Or Unity's forums?"
Since we are a development environment, not a website, we can offer a bit more than these, technologically. We also provide a system to exchange and monetize middleware, which I don't think these do.
"That being said, the entire thing still reeks of another Impulse. Especially since even Stardock is getting in on the publisher-controlled cloud of content thing (from what I have read, Elemental is taking a very Spore-esque approach to mods :p)."
I hadn't heard that Stardock and Elemental were getting into that space and I'd definitely like to learn about it. Do you have links to any articles I could read?
Thanks,
Samuel

So it is marketed toward devs.
GameDev and the Unity forums come to mind. While we do have some amateur (and not so amateur) devs here, this is largely a game playing forum, so this just reeks of poorly targeted advertising.
And everything I have said is pretty common knowledge. So if you don't know that already, I strongly question if your finger is truly on the pulse of indie/"open source' gaming.
So you are trying to make an Impulse Reactor-esque approach. Or Steamworks :p
They don't need to port their game to mac. They just need to provide Steam with the executables for the Mac version.
But making it tied to your platform and killing performance. Yeah, that is going to be loved by people who are already weary of DRM.
The question is if that would even be good for the indie community. But that is a different debate.
But I do see monetizing things hurting, if anything. People are a lot less likely to help people when they are on a service that is about selling your help.
Haven't read any official announcements on it, but go look at some press releases for Reactor, or the dev diaries for Elemental.

Most important question for me: does any of the features/middleware etc. tie the games to your platform or can the games using them be sold on other DD services without having to create an account on yours (or have to install any 3rd party apps similiar to Games for Windows Live or Steam client)?

Yes, you've noticed that Steam isn't universally hated and is, in fact, doing insanely well. That's very perceptive. It was a blatant lie I dropped to illustrate the absurdity of Gundato's claim. Perhaps it was too subtle; I'm surprised nobody picked up on the sarcasm. ;-)
Wasn't CounterStrike 1.6 still a mod? It was a mod pretty much directly up until Valve started selling it bundled with the engine as a standalone game, and it's still widely known that both games used to be mods. Public perception is what counts, and that's what Gundato was talking about; a service having negative public reception due to the sale of mods. For the purposes of this illustration, the technical details about when the games ceased to be mods are unimportant.
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(Sorry, the quote system here is strange, and it seems to be eating quotes as I try to fix them.)
Squamulus, you say that this platform is aimed at developers, then you say things that make it sound like developers have to write stuff specifically for your platform. Unless your wrapper libraries over OpenGL and SDL are significantly more awesome than DirectX and the competing OpenGL/SDL wrapper libraries, nobody will care.

First, you need Gundato to raise a bunch of message pidgeons.
Second, you need to take one of them and travel back to your computer.
Third, you need to write a message on a piece of paper and attach it.
GoG PM system at it's finest.