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Thanks for the candid reply

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The answer is no, because our computers are used primarily for gaming. Many games are available only on Windows.

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There are also increasingly more and more advanced-type games and users for both Windows workstations AND Linux workstations
Less true for *BSD though
Here are some list-sites of some of such games :
- Freshmeat.net's uber Games/Entertainment list found at http://freshmeat.net/browse/80/
- 'LinuxGames - Embrace your inner penguin' found at http://www.linuxgames.com/
- 'Libregamewiki List of games' found at
http://libregamewiki.org/List_of_games
- 'Free Gamer open source games' found at http://freegamer.blogspot.com/
- 'The Open Source Gamer' at http://fossgamer.110mb.com/index.html
- 'The Linux Game Tome' found at http://www.happypenguin.org/

Wow, huh?? Betcha didnt know how many Open Source games are listed and available!!!

You wrote

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We use a Linux server behind-the-scenes, but there isn't any market for having Linux workstations.

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Sure seems to make the most sense. Eudemonia is predominantly a games outlet with the games people do play there -- hmmm, I do sound like a Psychologist here, don't I ?
OTOH, more and more persons are becoming involved with F/OSS, which includes Linux and other software such as the above games.
Something of a big trend that could certainly be considered for marketing purposes -- marketed for gamers of high-school-age and of Cal-Berkeley-age onwards.

You wrote

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They would just sit around unused while everyone played Call of Duty on a Windows machine. If you're a hardcore free/opensource enthusiast
and want to volunteer to show me exactly how to port games over and run them on other operating systems, that sounds like a fun side project.

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Otherwise, it just doesn't make sense to offer non-Windows machines to our patrons. What would they use them for?

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Yes, gaming is for sure your KEY business to bring in and keep your patrons.
AAMOF on this, a number of bloggers continue to clearly express their concerns for why there are less games for Linux machines than there are for
Windows ones.
GBGames nicely addresses this in his blogpost 'Why Aren't There More Linux-Using Gamers?' found at
http://gbgames.com/blog/2008/03/why-arent-there-more-linux-using-gamers/ http://gbgames.com/blog/2008/03/why-arent-there-more-linux-using-gamers/

OTOH, there are certainly these three compelling reasons to offer non-Windows workstations for Eudemonia's expert game-playing patrons :
1. Cost.
Almost all the entire software from the Operating System up to the games themselves are free or nearly so. The Linux OS -- actually Linux
distributions containing the latest GNU/Linux OS 2.6.x kernels -- are all really essentially free or IMMENSELY low cost. No big upfront license cost$$$$$$$ or haggling for any special multi-seat discounts as you might be doing now for Microsoft Windows Vistas OS and beyond at Eudemonia

2. Availability.
Eudemonia can obtain and use F/OSS such as Linux and a wide variety of Open Source games in usable condition NOW, and without having to spend time travelling to local computer stores or paying high fees for ordering and WAITING+WAITING+WAITING for the software to eventually arrive and be successfully installed for you & Eudemonia's patrons.
The terms of the GPL in F/OSS such as Linux and Open Sourced games allow you to download the installable software -- in executable binary format -- from mirror sites Worldwide which are almost always available.

3. Cutting-Edge / Uber-Cool Factor.
Some of the hottest innovation and technology advancements are coming through F/OSS-development efforts instead of through Microsoft's. It is considered hyper-cool to be an Open Source geek or even a Linux-aware "commoner". Witness all the stories around the World -- e.g., in East Asian countries, Australia, England... etc.-- of shops
similar to Eudemonia's, now using Linux for performance and efficiency reasons. Witness all the desktop use of Ubuntu plus that of the other
cool Linux distros listed at the DistroWatch.com site. The fact alone of publicising Linux boxes for high-end game-playing could sure attract more patrons to Eudemonia!

Hey -- as Eudemonia's staff&management will certainly inquire -- What about getting effective low-cost or free support for all this F/OSS stuff?
With the likes of avid F/OSS supporters such as a number of ultra-cool-factor CS students around the campus and myself, Eudemonia'd be hard-put NOT to find voluntary support for installing and running tried-and-true and cutting-edge GPL'd games.
It's now almost Summertime, so some extra time is available for high-school and inter-class Cal students to come around and help out.
Plenty of online support forums to find specific F/OSS help with as well

You wrote

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I do have an interest in indie games, even if they're not free and open source. I've got a friend who's really into Aquaria, an RPG that
won a bunch of awards at IGF 2007. I've been thinking about getting it for Eudemonia, if there's an interest in indie RPGs.

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CSProMod is a free third-party mod (and we have it on our computers!).

Fez is gonna be a cool game. I personally like Audiosurf, but it's impossible for us to carry it because of how Steam is set up (you'd have to own Audiosurf on your own personal Steam account to play it).
And so on.

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And hey, if you've got any suggestions of "fully GPL'd games" we should carry, talk to me! Post them here and why we should like them,
and I'll see what I can do! =)

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Posts: 2 | From: Berkeley | Registered: May 2008

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