TL;DR: Galaxy is called not a priority for Linux, this angers the bearded ones.

What baffles me is that Galaxy exists for OS X, which at it's core is largely *NIX based.

[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_(operating_system)]To this day, no less.[/url]

You can run bash, install libraries from Gnome and KDE, and even run programs directly from Linux in OS X, so what gives?

Is it the lack of a single unified installer format? (Because that really isn't a problem.)

Is it a perceived lack of interest?

Well, I'll be a crybaby for a sec. Why not?

I've recently built a Linux gaming rig and I am a bit disappointed by the neglect GOG is putting out when it comes to Linux lately, after they embraced what I thought would be a Linux-friendly approach in the past.

I know it's not a priority right now, but it should be in the long run. Vulkan is right around the corner, a lot of developers are building their games for Linux - the trend is clear.

There's no denying that some games are not getting GOG releases due to the lack of a Linux client - I'm still waiting for Cossacks 3 to land here, but perhaps it won't and I'll have to do wine hacks in order to get it running, same thing I did for The Witcher 3. I'm not a fan of Galaxy, but if lack of Galaxy support for Linux is getting us less Linux releases on GOG, I think someone *really* should be focusing on it.

If it's not part of the roadmap, make it part of the roadmap already, get some extra staff and get it sorted. The market potential is there, the spice will flow.

If Linux users that I know in RL are anything to go by, if Linux suddenly started getting awesome support and compatibility, they would probably stop using it and find something new. It would become way to mainstream for them. Linux users revel in their persecuted minority status. The last thing they want is for their OS is for it to be in danger of becoming too popular.

So GOG are doing them a favor by giving only lazy half assed support.

Judging by the posts in the thread you linked I think the problem is, and likely will be for quite some time, simply one of market size.

I'd love to start using Linux instead of Windows, but I won't any time soon because of the lack of support for a lot of things I use. I want a computer where I can just install things and not have to fiddle about and worry about making them work right, at the moment that means Windows.

But because the amount of Linux users is still so small the chances of support for all the games and programs I might want to use happening is slim. It's the same with Galaxy, Gog presumably knows how many people are downloading Linux installers here, or logging in from Linux computers (not sure if you can capture OS stats in tracking?) and that the numbers are so small it's not cost effective to invest in Galaxy for Linux yet.

Ironically, and I was thinking about this in regards to Galaxy the other day, the users themselves may not do themselves any favours. I presume a lot of Gog's info will come from the tracking they use on the site, who is and isn't using Galaxy or downloading Linux games etc.
Now most of the people who don't like Galaxy (and I imagine the ones who use Linux too) block tracking and similar efforts, so they are probably even more under represented in the stats than they already are. I'm not sure how much info Gog can gather about people who have blocked Analytics and other tracking measures, but it's sure to effect the stats of how the website is used..

Oh, I see what you're doing there... but do you? If you need a counter-example, I for one couldn't be happier if Linux became a mainstream desktop OS.

Your right, I am generalising. I said in the first sentance I was only basing it on the real life users thst I personally know. Maybe there is something in the water here. Though, you have to admit, it is odd that all 7 or so users I know well all look similar with scruffy beards, all smell similar, are all single and all operate out of their garage because the government is spying on the house. Like I said, it could just be something in the water.

I'd be more eager to use and download games on Linux if the client existed. :B

Now tell me about the programs you'd need to replace, and I might find replacements for you.

It's Jonathan's fault

I've used linux; tried setting up a gaming pc to be a windows like double click shortcut afair for my nephews using it. It is specifically because it hasn't got mainstream support I no longer jumping through Linux's hoops to get things working.
Hell even wireless drivers are pathetic on linux, but that's not as big a concern on a home LAN as games being supported and us Linux users being respected as in fact part of the marketplace.
Theres a massive big opportunity being missed here to get people away from proprietary bullcrap that GOG should be behind; do they actually think older games are going to be kept running by a microsoft store mentality or a prevailing collective of insentivised programmers?
Look at the logic. Steam doesn't want to be seen as anti competitive, but they damn well don't want GOG becoming anything like them even if it means partnerships to create exclusivity (remember Microsoft has it's hand deep in the console wars and has anti competitive lawsuits that ruled against them).
It's more likely going ahead that games will either be locked up tight through draconian methods or insidiuos multiplay compenents or just plain not supported on Microsoft Insert latest or former number here.
Linux will be your survival, it must go mainstream and sooner rather than later before GOG must due to economic pressure turn into steam 2.0.

keywords: at it's core ;) it's those evil adblockers who are the real source of the problem :p
it's about time that blocking Google Analytics becomes illegal ^^

The most basic stuff like OS and location can be tracked without any analytics whatsoever. But I don't think that's accurate anyway - I for example will typically access and download stuff off of GOG from my laptop (Win7) but will play most games on a Linux-based gaming rig I've setup in my living room. On the other hand, I am downloading all available Linux installers, so if they're tracking that then it's all swell I guess.

A non-negligible amount of people would gladly give up Windows altogether if they could just have a capable Linux alternative. Wine is doing impressive strides in that regard - I'm expecting The Witcher 3 to get its final glitches fixed in the next staging release, but even now it's fully playable and almost glitch-free except for a rather annoying dark ground issue. Older games are also generally well supported in Linux either through Wine or DOSBox.

Now if the new generation of games and game distribution sites would just bridge the gap, we'd have an almost fully open-source OS with native gaming capabilities on par with Windows. I'm not saying everyone will drop Windows because of that, because I'm sure it won't happen, but it would make a lot of people happy and the percentage of people gaming on Linux would increase to the level of what we're currently seeing on macOS if not even beyond that.

As I said before, the potential is there and it's growing. Don't mind the usual Linux user examples thrown out there, we're not all elitists and bearded niche-loving garage dwellers that spew ire and hate at the first sign of a shabby Linux port.

Photoshop and games are the main ones really. Practically everything else I use is free or open source anyway.

And unfortunately while GIMP is excellent for a free program, it really is no match for Photoshop.

And while I could probably play a lot of the games I play through WINE on Linux, I just can't be bothered. Honestly I quit PC gaming entirely and gamed on DS and Wii for a long time because I just couldn't be bothered with trying to keep up with requirements etc. (and didn't have a PC even remotely capable of any kind of modern gaming). The thought of having to mess around and find fixes for games before playing them puts me off entirely.

Yeah, I assumed as much. But if you are using the more advanced analytics there is a chance you'd ignore the basic stuff entirely.
I'm sure they will be tracking the downloads of games for different OSs at the very least.

I agree, but it's a chicken and egg situation. People won't do the work required to make Linux a capable alternative until enough people consider it worth using, but people won't use it and make it worth doing that work until it's already a capable alternative.

There really needs to be some kind of tipping point that makes Linux adoption shoot up and make them more worth pursuing by companies. I would say the release of iPhones and iPads did something similar for macOS.

Have you taken a look at other people that you know? Perhaps you are just hanging out with neckbeards. Most of the Linux users I know have a job, wives, and little time to care if linux is popular or not. Most of them are on the software development/DevOps business. Most of linux users (or at least adult people who use linux) care little of their OS popularity, and most of them care little about gaming.