An Attempt To Push Ubuntu As A Gaming Platform

[jakubo]

so theres hardly gonna be wayland adoption due to focus on integration of binary drivers in the next few releases...
I like that they take the issue seriously and that they dont want to dissappoint valves trust, though.
i guess browsing through bug reports and listening to the forums and irc will have to get a much higher priority.
I must say that i very much doubt that they will get their hands dirty on low level work.

[allquixotic]

Admirable goals, but good luck implementing them (especially, the library compatibility) without stagnating or forking so far from other Linux distros as to be a total outsider.

[Kano]

When multiarch is so important then i really think that steam is still 32 bit just like it was in august. That's really boring...

[johnc]

When multiarch is so important then i really think that steam is still 32 bit just like it was in august. That's really boring...

They said they're targeting 32-bit Ubuntu for the external beta... so you're probably right.

[garegin]

that's what happens when you use an operating system to run a lamp stack all the time.

[boast]

Admirable goals, but good luck implementing them (especially, the library compatibility) without stagnating or forking so far from other Linux distros as to be a total outsider.

worked for Android

[kgonzales]

worked for Android

Perhaps but Canonical isn't Google...

[jannis]

Audio latency? Maybe they'll finally get rid of pulseaudio and choose jack-audio-connection-kit!

[Adarion]

Process clean-up actions seems important. I was left with a 640x480 screen several times in the past when something goes wrong or even when exiting a game normally.

True, but that sounds also like a problem of the very software (game e.g.) itself that it doesn't leave tidy and properly.

Audio Support ... Longevity of Binaries ... Graphics Support ... Input Devices Support ... Multi-Arch Libappindicator etc.

LOL. Sounds somehow well known to me. Regardless of distribution. Besides their Unity etc. stuff that is their own thing and fault. Why did they invent that horrible DE/WM anyway?

Then a LOT of things mentioned in this list depend on HW manufacturers.
I mean, okay, the unix world could actually also use a GUI for mouse button / keyboard layout management. (Still keeping the command line tools). But then, there are few mice where you can actually use or reprogram/rebind all keys and wheels they have. Neither with any GUI nor command line. Same goes for non standard keys on keyboards. And prolly gampads or joysticks, too.
Audio: Also HW enterprises need to give specs. Hello, Creative.
I even have a strange bug on my box with the onboard chip so that sometimes sound is completely gone until I just pull out the headphones plug and plug it back in.
This is far from being perfectly working. It might seem minor since everything else works but it just isn't the way to go when you have to unplug and plug it every 3rd boot.
Longevity is one thing FOSS devs could do something about. Or we will need emulators/layers like DOSBOX or WINE later, e.g. to emulate Linux 2.6 and libc abc behaviour on Linux 5 kernel + libc xyz to play an old game.
Audio latency. Well, I wish most of that was done via ALSA so we wouldn't have to have esds, jacks and pulses running around in userspace.

So we have a few acutal shortcomings in FOSS code but also it needs specs and/or drivers from the HW vendors.
And I dearly hope that gaming won't be restricted to Ubuntu.

[przemoli]

1) Improvements in HW space are more likely to come from Valve starring at HW vendors than Canonical shouting at them
2) Focus on perf of Unity is always welcome though!
3) Canonical can help a bit with OGL though, there are some IP matters to resolve (at least we could use info WHO owns those damn patents and IF they are willing to share them)
4) Where Canonical can actually shine is integration and Q&A. Hardcore gamers* tend to care about their PCs and have deeper know-how. Since Ubuntu have good options for feedback and bug reporting, Canonical can be important man-in-the-middle between those gamers and upstream component developers.**
5) And probably best thing Canonical can do: Become de facto Linux Desktop Distribution. So 3rd party devs can just forget about myriads of other distros. (Other distros can care about compatibility with Ubuntu without much fuss after all. But more important is SINGLE(1) focus point for those who want to enter Linux Desktop market)


* this name in game dev refer to people who play AAA titles as oposed to Casual gamers who play farmvile
** as opposed to popular viewpoint, developing program is not about writing new stuff, but about caring about old stuff if judged by the time spent on those