I'm just very selective with buying into Alpha games. For example I had no problem buying into Prison Architect because Introvesion are a reputable developer with a good track record and they are genuine guys in real life. Plus British.
At the risk of everyone hating me because of my lack of knowledge...
Can someone explain to me the [I]practical[/I] reason of open source software?
I've tried asking people (no one on facepunch) and I usually only get the whole "NON-FREE/CLOSED SOFTWARE IS EVIL freedom freedom blah" and it doesn't really explain the PRACTICAL reasoning.
I'm just asking because I recently realized how irritating most open source software is to me, someone who's... Only mildly above average joe on computer know-how, difficult to learn and use e.g. Blender, whereas the "closed" alternative is much simpler to use and learn e.g. 3DSMax (but usually costs money).
I'm not saying I hate the concept of open source software. I just don't quite understand it. I don't know enough about it, and so here I am, looking to you guys for answers. Because every other answer I get elsewhere just comes off as pretentious and uppity. Maybe you guys can give me a better answer?
Just so I can stop avoiding Blender at all costs other than to just UV Unwrap shit I make?
[QUOTE=SuperDuperScoot;44753144]At the risk of everyone hating me because of my lack of knowledge...
Can someone explain to me the [I]practical[/I] reason of open source software?
I've tried asking people (no one on facepunch) and I usually only get the whole "NON-FREE/CLOSED SOFTWARE IS EVIL freedom freedom blah" and it doesn't really explain the PRACTICAL reasoning.
I'm just asking because I recently realized how irritating most open source software is to me, someone who's... Only mildly above average joe on computer know-how, difficult to learn and use e.g. Blender, whereas the "closed" alternative is much simpler to use and learn e.g. 3DSMax (but usually costs money).
I'm not saying I hate the concept of open source software. I just don't quite understand it. I don't know enough about it, and so here I am, looking to you guys for answers. Because every other answer I get elsewhere just comes off as pretentious and uppity. Maybe you guys can give me a better answer?
Just so I can stop avoiding Blender at all costs other than to just UV Unwrap shit I make?[/QUOTE]
from my perspective on it, it's "better" because of it simply being open source. people can look through the code, optimized versions might be released by other people, it could branch off (see all the browsers based on firefox and chromium) into something better, etc.
from a users perspective you may as well go with closed source stuff if it's easier to use for you, open source is mostly in favor of the devs really (from what I think)
[editline]8th May 2014[/editline]
atom is a good recent example. it used to be Mac only, but now that the source is available people have built windows and linux versions. one of the wonders of open source!
Okay, it makes perfect sense now. Thanks.
I was mainly confused because people like to dog on me when they learn I use """"non-free"""" programs to do my artwork, modeling and such, and I just wanted to know what the hub-bub was about all this open source stuff other than just bowing down to Richard Stallman. v:v:v
It's like, fuck, I might know some stuff that most people wouldn't but by all means I'm just an average computer user who uses their computer as a means of entertainment and workspace for art mediums. Not a friggen' programmer or something.
What I like most about OSS Software is that in proprietary Software devs can say "Fuck it, I can't be assed to maintain this software anymore" and it will die because no one can maintain it to fix problems and errors.
I'm gonna make an example about Sublime Text.
Sublime Text is a proprietary text editor, and thus has no outside contributions, except for third party packages and plugins.
The dev is really slow at updating it. AFAIK this is because there is only one active developer. It hasn't seen a single update since December 2013.
If the software would be open-source, other people could improve the editor in places they seem fit, and fix problems or incompatibilities without having to rely on the single developer to fix it himself.
Alright, but can someone tell me why open source stuff tends to be...
Varyingly harder to use and understand?
Like.. Again, Blender and 3DSmax can essentially do the same thing. But Blender is so much more complicated, at least, in my eyes.
GIMP and Photoshop. Same deal, except GIMP isn't [I]as[/I] complicated in comparison to Photoshop.
Linux & related and other OSes like Windows and OSX. I managed to fuck up a MBR trying to install Mint, and even when I played with a working installation on someone else's computer, I had no idea what I was doing.
Or is this just a thing limited to the above?
[QUOTE=SuperDuperScoot;44753261]Alright, but can someone tell me why open source stuff tends to be...
Varyingly harder to use and understand?
Like.. Again, Blender and 3DSmax can essentially do the same thing. But Blender is so much more complicated, at least, in my eyes.
GIMP and Photoshop. Same deal, except GIMP isn't [I]as[/I] complicated in comparison to Photoshop.
Linux & related and other OSes like Windows and OSX. I managed to fuck up a MBR trying to install Mint, and even when I played with a working installation on someone else's computer, I had no idea what I was doing.
Or is this just a thing limited to the above?[/QUOTE]
No massive budget to hire UI designers. On most projects the GUI was made by programmers, not designers. Many many programmers.
[quote]What I like most about OSS Software is that in proprietary Software devs can say "Fuck it, I can't be assed to maintain this software anymore" and it will die because no one can maintain it to fix problems and errors.[/quote]
That happens with OSS too and I'm going to fucking bring it up. I got out of running Linux because I kept running into incompatible software packages where the dev stopped working on it, nobody else who used it cared and now it wouldn't compile even if you were paid to make it so we all end up running ancient distros to make half our Flashware work. Fuck GCC.
[QUOTE=pentium;44753289]That happens with OSS too and I'm going to fucking bring it up. I got out of running Linux because I kept running into incompatible software packages where the dev stopped working on it, nobody else who used it cared and now it wouldn't compile even if you were paid to make it so we all end up running ancient distros to make half our Flashware work. Fuck GCC.[/QUOTE]
Yes, that can be the case too.
But in OSS it's possible to make it work again, because you have access to the source.
When it's an abandoned proprietary project, you're completly fucked. No chance at all.
[QUOTE=kaukassus;44753286]No massive budget to hire UI designers. On most projects the GUI was made by programmers, not designers. Many many programmers.[/QUOTE]
I didn't think you needed to be/have a UI designer to support drag and drop texture applying (3dsmaxhfdas) instead of clicking 5 or 6 different things in several different menus just to apply a texture (blerder)... :v:
But, I guess it makes sense all in all.
In short, I have gathered that open source software is good to help prevent abandonware from fucking over everyone who uses it, and allows for bugfixes and other such patches to be released without waiting for the program's actual developer(s) to do it themselves which would take longer.
On the downside, since a large majority of people that work on and use open source software are not all that great at UI design and don't have the budget to hire someone to do it for them, most of the programs are harder to use for the average joe.
That sounds about right, thank you guys.
Now I can think about open source stuff without scoffing in the back of my head due to all the superiority circlejerking I've been subjected to over the matter elsewhere on the internet!
Sipwickett saves yet another user
[QUOTE=Tezzanator92;44753131]I'm just very selective with buying into Alpha games. For example I had no problem buying into Prison Architect because Introvesion are a reputable developer with a good track record and they are genuine guys in real life. Plus British.[/QUOTE]
Ever played DEFCON. Fucking amazing game.
Just put in an order for an Asus AMD Radeon R9 270X DCII TOP.
Awwwwwwww yeah.
[QUOTE=kaukassus;44753247]The dev is really slow at updating it. AFAIK this is because there is only one active developer. It hasn't seen a single update since December 2013.[/QUOTE]
FYI there was an update on the 5th of May, aka last Monday.
[url]http://www.sublimetext.com/3dev[/url]
I think the guy behind Sublime Text went to work for GitHub, at least that's the rumour I heard, and it would explain a lot of things: why there's been no real, proper updates in half a year, why Atom is basically a ST clone etc.
I just casually ordered a new laptop.
[url]http://www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/UX32LN/[/url]
I got one of the earlier zenbooks and I really love it.
I hope it runs Linux well.
[editline]8th May 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=nikomo;44753508]Just put in an order for an Asus AMD Radeon R9 270X DCII TOP.
Awwwwwwww yeah.
FYI there was an update on the 5th of May, aka last Monday.
[url]http://www.sublimetext.com/3dev[/url]
I think the guy behind Sublime Text went to work for GitHub, at least that's the rumour I heard, and it would explain a lot of things: why there's been no real, proper updates in half a year, why Atom is basically a ST clone etc.[/QUOTE]
I know about the update, and I am aware of the rumor that the Guy behind ST works for Atom, but it's a rumor and nothing has been confirmed so far. AFAIK.
[QUOTE=kaukassus;44753599][url]http://www.asus.com/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/UX32LN/[/url]
I got one of the earlier zenbooks and I really love it.
I hope it runs Linux well.[/QUOTE]
Atheros WiFi, so that's going to work great.
However, switchable Intel+Nvidia graphics, ehh...
Nvidia means proprietary drivers, which means pain.
[QUOTE=nikomo;44753648]Atheros WiFi, so that's going to work great.
However, switchable Intel+Nvidia graphics, ehh...
Nvidia means proprietary drivers, which means pain.[/QUOTE]
I'm most likely gonna use either proprietary nvidia or just the intel driver.
There's been a lot of promising work in the switchable graphics stuff though, you might want to have a serious look at it.
Eventually I might just use Windows 8.1u1 on it and use Linux in a VM.
This is my first laptop that has a GPU that can actually play games.
[QUOTE=Makol;44752100]who is there[/QUOTE]
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/HgNk3CG.png[/IMG]
6 in total including me.
Want in? PM me either your Gmail address or your Google+ profile URL.
I kinda want in, but I'm at work, which would not be the best idea :v:
[QUOTE=kaukassus;44753914]I kinda want in, but I'm at work, which would not be the best idea :v:[/QUOTE]
No one is talking yet so browsing FP will be more distracting
Invite me?
[QUOTE=tratzzz;44754015]Invite me?[/QUOTE]
I said hi, check your Hangouts
send hangout link pls
[QUOTE=PredGD;44753090][IMG]http://i.cubeupload.com/ydzwEA.png[/IMG]
come ooon, whats the deal with that? why are devs with games in early access advertising their games? it's not the finished product, yet they encourage buying it[/QUOTE]
Same reason they advertise them on steam, money.
People to unethical things to get more money? wow
no way it could be worse than Earth 2066
[QUOTE=kaukassus;44754082]send hangout link pls[/QUOTE]
I don't think there's a public link to enter the group chat. Never found it anywhere.
[QUOTE=garychencool;44754544]I don't think there's a public link to enter the group chat. Never found it anywhere.[/QUOTE]
Did they remove that feature?
[QUOTE=SuperDuperScoot;44753144]Alright, but can someone tell me why open source stuff tends to be...
Varyingly harder to use and understand?
Like.. Again, Blender and 3DSmax can essentially do the same thing. But Blender is so much more complicated, at least, in my eyes.
GIMP and Photoshop. Same deal, except GIMP isn't as complicated in comparison to Photoshop.
Linux & related and other OSes like Windows and OSX. I managed to fuck up a MBR trying to install Mint, and even when I played with a working installation on someone else's computer, I had no idea what I was doing.
Or is this just a thing limited to the above? [/QUOTE]
I'm speaking in the most general of terms here, so keep that in mind. Lots of things specifically do not have these problems.
Open source software has a seriously bad track record throughout history when it comes to UI and ease of use. A good portion of that can be tied down to the lack of money. A lot of development is done for free/next to free. Stuff gets to a working state and is Good Enough™. Without financial incentives a lot of projects have a tendency to stagnate in one fashion or another.
UI development is fucking hard. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. An overall unified theme is important, and faking one when things won't exactly fit into a mold is even more important. Then there's automation. Do you really want to include a feature that lets you do multiple actions with one click? Sure it's faster, but such features are generally narrow in their scope of use. OK, you decided you want some of those. Which ones? How do you decide what gets in and what doesn't.
Stuff like that is why almost all major paid tools ask to collect usage data. They are monitoring which tools you use, how often, and frequently in what way too. They have entire dev teams devoted to slogging through the data to decide how they want to move the buttons around for optimal use.
As an aside I've also been seriously bitched at because I dared to complain about the interface in Gimp before. Some of the fanatics have the attitude of because it's free, you can't criticize it. Sounds like you have have had some run ins with the genuine nutcases.
I took some UI classes, and holy shit the analytical stuff is complex.
Everyone can design a GUI, but only very few people can design a good GUI.
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