Reasons not to fear Linux game development

[Rob Kaper <cap@capsi.demon.nl>]

I wrote down some stuff.. it would probably fit best in the LGA part of the
site. I'd like comments on grammar, spelling etc first though. Someone else
can probably add some points and/or rewrite these in a more professional
way.

Grtz, Rob

Reasons not to fear Linux game development:
(aimed at commercial developers)

* Fast growing user install base

Relatively recent projects such as <KDE> and <Gnome> are bringing Linux to
the desktop. Alhough the install base of Linux cannot be measured precisely
because the OS is freely available, estimations vary from anywhere between 5
and 10 million users. A growing number, only surpassed by Windows and MacOS
in size and unmatched in growth rate. A <survey (link needs to be resolved
at /.)> concluded that the growth of Linux in 1998 was 238% and it is
unlikely to stop growing with all the momentum it has been getting lately.

* There IS money in Linux

Because most programs for Linux are available for free just like the OS
itself, many developers conclude there is no money in the platform. However,
there is a huge lack of quality games for Linux. It might be true that open
source developed application can reach and surpass the quality of commercial
ones, this has not been the case for games. There are virtually no high
quality games for Linux at the moment and thus there is a huge opportunity
here.

It is also not true that all Linux users refuse to pay for software: many of
them use commercial distributions. The idealism that all software should be
bundled with its source code and should be allowed to be freely copied can
never be forced upon a vendor and does not apply to the majority of desktop
users: they are not fanatics refusing to run any propriairty software.

* Developing for Linux as investement

By developing software for Linux one would make an investement in a fast
growing and very popular operating system. At the end of 1999 many database
products were said to be ported to the operating system. By doing so, the
vendors made sure that their names were known in the Linux community inthe
likely case that Linux would continue to grow and establish itself as viable
alternative. It is very important to see a new market when it emerges to
stay ahead of the competors - or not to fall behind - and to maintain a
market share or even expand it.

-- 
Rob Kaper | mail: cap@capsi.demon.nl cap@capsi.com cap@capsi.net
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