Subj : Re: Why Linux is NOT for everyone
To   : comp.os.linux
From : Sybren Stuvel
Date : Sat Aug 21 2004 11:06 am

Pandora Xero enlightened us with:
> Actually, what would be so hard about porting games to Linux? like
> you said "thousands of lines of code" but what if someone were to
> write a DirectX clone, or a DirectX emulator.

DirectX is closed, it's API is closed, and it is all very difficult to
emulate or re-create. Look at how far Wine and Cedega (formally WineX)
are getting.

> We see clones and emulators of other things (Freeciv, LBreakout,
> probably over 1000 pong clones, and emulators like ePSXe, PCSX,
> ZSNES).

That's because it's a game's concept that was cloned, not the game's
code.

> Is it physically impossible for someone to write something to
> "translate" DirectX commands to SDL or something?

Yes. By the time you have DirectX 9 compatability, all the cool games
will be using DirectX 12.

> Thats how all the game console emulators came to be, by making a
> translator for graphics and sound commands from that particular
> console.

But that is relatively easy, isn't it? The Playstation isn't a
constantly changing thing - it stays the same it's entire life.

> I would think that if one could add something like that into WINE,
> perhaps Linux would be able to play higher-end games, such as those
> made for Windoze.

I'm using Wine to play Half-Life and C&C Generals. Doesn't work for
a lot of games, though.

> At any rate, I'm gonna leave this post to itself, this is not the
> place for a flamewar. I hope everyone else (Including
> "Identity/Crisis") does the same. flamewars belong in
> comp.os.linux.advocacy, not here, thank you.

I agree - I prefer a good discussion over a flamewar any day. Well,
almost ;-)

Sybren
-- 
The problem with the world is stupidity. Not saying there should be a
capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the
safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?

.