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50 games for the free OS available right NOW!

A while ago, [url=http://www.gog.com/news/gogcom_soon_on_more_platforms]we've announced our plans to add Linux support as one of the features of our digital platform, with 100 games on the launch day sometime this fall. We've put much time and effort into this project and now we've found ourselves with over 50 titles, classic and new, prepared for distribution, site infrastructure ready, support team trained and standing by, and absolutely no reason to wait until October or November. We're still aiming to have at least 100 Linux games in the coming months, but we've decided not to delay the launch just for the sake of having a nice-looking number to show off to the press. It's not about them, after all, it's about you. So, one of the most popular site feature requests on our community wishlist is granted today: Linux support has officially arrived on GOG.com!

The first 50+ titles we've have in store for you come from all the corners of our DRM-Free catalog. Note that we've got many classic titles coming officially to Linux for the very first time, thanks to the custom builds prepared by our dedicated team of penguin tamers. That's over twenty fan-favorite GOG.com classics, like &[url=http://www.gog.com/game/flatout_2]Flatout 2, , <a href="http://www.gog.com/game/darklands">Darklands, or Realms of the Haunting we've personally ushered one by one into the welcoming embrace of Linux gamers. That's already quite a nice chunk of our back-catalog, and you can expect more from our dedicated Linux team soon!

Now, for the recent titles. We've got some indie games with native Linux versions that finally find their well-deserved spot in our store. Among them, debuting on Linux, - a well received original comedic Sci-Fi puzzler. On top of that, be on the lookout for two new additions to the GOG.com catalog: [url=http://www.gog.com/game/gods_will_be_watching]Gods Will Be Watching (coming in a couple of hours) and Unrest:Special Edition (Linux build coming right up!), both of them very fresh and intriguing. This is the very first time we can provide you with all the PC versions of a premiere game, and we will continue to do so in the future. If there's a Linux version of a title we're releasing, our aim is to deliver it to you Day-1. But enough about us, let's talk about the games. Here's what you can be playing on Linux today:

Anomaly Warzone Earth
Ascendant
Bionic Dues
Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold - first time on Linux!
Blake Stone: Planet Strike - first time on Linux!
Bloodnet - first time on Linux!
Braveland
CLARC - first time on Linux!
Darklands - first time on Linux!
Darwinia
Defcon
Don't Starve + DLC
Dragonsphere - first time on Linux!
Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition
FlatOut - first time on Linux!
Flatout 2 - first time on Linux!
Fragile Allegiance - first time on Linux!
Gemini Rue
Gods Will Be Watching
Hammerwatch
Hocus Pocus - first time on Linux!
Kentucky Route Zero
The Last Federation
Legend of Grimrock
Litil Divil - first time on Linux!
Long Live the Queen
MouseCraft
Multiwinia
Normality - first time on Linux!
Pinball Gold Pack - first time on Linux!
Pinball World - first time on Linux!
Pirates! Gold Plus - first time on Linux!
Realms of the Haunting - first time on Linux!
Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender Bender - first time on Linux!
Rise of the Triad: Dark War - first time on Linux!
Shattered Haven
The Shivah HD
Sid Meier's Colonization - first time on Linux!
Sid Meier's Covert Action - first time on Linux!
Sir, You Are Being Hunted
Slipstream 5000 - first time on Linux!
Space Pirates and Zombies
Spacechem
Stargunner - first time on Linux!
SteamWorld Dig
Super Hexagon
Surgeon Simulator 2013
Sword of the Samurai - first time on Linux!
Teslagrad
Unrest:Special Edition (Linux build on the way!)
Uplink
VVVVVV

As if this wasn't exciting enough, we've put more than half of these titles on a special promo! Head out to the promo page and find out which of them you can get up to 75% off until Tuesday, 9:59AM GMT. Of course, all of the games from the list above that you already own will be updated with Linux versions with no additional cost for you, just as you might have expected from GOG.com.

"OK, but how will Linux support actually work on GOG.com" - you might ask. For both native Linux versions, as well as special builds prepared by our team, GOG.com will provide distro-independent tar.gz archives and support convenient DEB installers for the two most popular Linux distributions: Ubuntu and Mint, in their current and future LTS editions. Helpful and responsive customer support has always been an important part of the GOG.com gaming experience. We wouldn't have it any other way when it comes to Linux, and starting today our helpdesk offers support for our official Linux releases on Ubuntu and Mint systems.

Diversity and freedom of choice have always been an important part of the GOG.com way. We're very glad that we could improve our service with the addition of the free (and DRM-Free) alternative to the commercial operating systems. Talking with gamers is just as important, so we're counting on your feedback! If you've got any questions, suggestions, or run into any trouble, just tell us in the forum thread below this post. Just please be gentle, this is [url=http://youtu.be/qBxbPts5tOk" target="_blank]our very first time[/url] with Linux. Happy launch day, everyone!
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TheOperaGhost: Between GOG and Steam, Microsoft will have to reconsider its less-than-appreciative posture toward PC gamers.
I think MS faces a much more significant change - Linux will become a stronger competition on the desktop because of these milestone developments. The situation when Windows was heavily dominating as the desktop OS will start changing faster than before.
Post edited July 25, 2014 by shmerl
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TheOperaGhost: Between GOG and Steam, Microsoft will have to reconsider its less-than-appreciative posture toward PC gamers.
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shmerl: I think MS faces a much more significant change - Linux will become a stronger competition on the desktop because of these milestone developments. The situation when Windows was heavily dominating as the desktop OS will start changing faster than before.
This all depends on their philosophy with Win9. If they keep going like this, yep. If they do a big 180 like with the Xbone, it might not be so easy.
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bln: You're no better at portability than the guy who did the "Linux support". If done right, it would support everything from the start. Actually, if statically compiled, a binary in a given format (ELF, for example), and with a portable start script, could run on ANYTHING. And the combination of different binaries formats to provide would be minimal (a handful).
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silviucc: I'm getting a slight draft that you don't know what you're talking about or trolling. I shall not engage you further. Statically compiling applications may be "right" for small, simple programs. Does not work for something like wine. But you know what? Do prove me wrong, point me to a "statically" linked build of wine that works everywhere and I shall eat my words.
Indeed, you know nothing about what you're talking. Just wait for a port to be made for morpheus Linux (every port for that distribution is statically linked. So please stop guessing, start learning).
Post edited July 25, 2014 by bln
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realkman666: This all depends on their philosophy with Win9. If they keep going like this, yep. If they do a big 180 like with the Xbone, it might not be so easy.
It's too late for MS. They managed to hold the market for a very long time using various dirty lock-in tactics, but now competition found a way through the side entrance - gaming. It's amazing how things changed just in a few recent years. For a very long time situation with Linux was practically static (I mean attention given to it by various software vendors). And now? It's a huge renaissance of sudden attention. Humble Bundle, Valve and GOG are playing a key role here.
Post edited July 25, 2014 by shmerl
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bln: I call shenanigans on that one. This is NOT Linux support by ANY mean. It's DEBIAN-BASED GNU/LINUX and some other distributions (thanks to the tgz) support.
Funny enough, GOG staff exactly predicted your reaction earlier...

Anyway: Should I start blubbering that GOG does not support Windows? Because it doesn't run on Windows NT on 64bit Alpha, and neither on Windows on ARM, and most not newer games don't run on Windows 98 either.

Quite clearly, you can't support _every_ version of an OS, when not even the producers support every version. That is true for Linux as well as MacOS or Windows.

Anyway. I just wanted to tell that _I_ am glad for linux support, it means I don't have to jump through hoops anymore to unpack games for dosbox, and to be able to get native linux-versions where they exist (which for me was a total showstopper: Why would I want to buy a game for which native support exists elsewhere from gog, when gog didn't give me the native version?

So once again, thank you GOG!
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bln: I call shenanigans on that one. This is NOT Linux support by ANY mean. It's DEBIAN-BASED GNU/LINUX and some other distributions (thanks to the tgz) support.
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Seegras: Funny enough, GOG staff exactly predicted your reaction earlier...
I too, when I do bullshit, know that I'm doing so.
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Seegras: Anyway: Should I start blubbering that GOG does not support Windows? Because it doesn't run on Windows NT on 64bit Alpha, and neither on Windows on ARM, and most not newer games don't run on Windows 98 either.

Quite clearly, you can't support _every_ version of an OS, when not even the producers support every version. That is true for Linux as well as MacOS or Windows.
Excepted that Windows and MacOS are trademarked Operating Systems. Linux is a trademarked kernel. Please learn the difference. And as you can read, I didn't complain about the lack of support for older versions of Debian. If GOG had posted "We support Debian/GNU Linux", I wouldn't have posted anything but congratulations.

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bln: 1. /bin/bash is never guaranteed to exist. [url=http://www.in-ulm.de/~mascheck/various/shells/]Actually, the ONLY way to be sure that you get a shell is to call /bin/sh and, WITHIN it, try other shells, if you really want another shell. [/url],
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shmerl: Install it if you don't have it. If you can't, I doubt your system is suitable for gaming. Your post looks more like trolling.

Using #!/bin/sh while meaning bash is a very bad practice because it can default to different shells. Using proper shebangs is the way (if you use bash scripting - use #!/bin/bash, if you use zsh - use #!/bin/zsh in your script and so on). If you expect users not to have some scripting interpreter installed (python, ruby etc. included) - warn the users and they'll install it. No rocket science there.
You sir, are definitely harmful. Having a symlink to /bin/sh that is not compliant to the POSIX sh shell is a bug, not a feature. Please stop stating bs as if it was true. And I run Quake 3 on NetBSD without Bash installed. Seriously, it's incredible how many users think they know everything about computing science without checking a single fact.
Post edited July 25, 2014 by bln
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realkman666: This all depends on their philosophy with Win9. If they keep going like this, yep. If they do a big 180 like with the Xbone, it might not be so easy.
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shmerl: It's too late for MS. They managed to hold the market for a very long time using various dirty lock-in tactics, but now competition found a way through the side entrance - gaming. It's amazing how things changed just in a few recent years. For a very long time situation with Linux was practically static (I mean attention given to it by various software vendors). And now? It's a huge renaissance of sudden attention. Humble Bundle, Valve and GOG are playing a key role here.
I'm sure Android and iOS tablets have had a bigger impact so far, but gaming should join in as well.
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bln: Having a symlink to /bin/sh that is not compliant to the POSIX sh shell is a bug, not a feature.
Bash is not limited by POSIX sh shell. And what I said is a common knowledge - using #!/bin/sh while meaning Bash is simply incorrect. What if your sh is exactly that - the minimal sh, and not bash? When you mean bash, use bash shebang. That's all there is to it really.

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bln: I run Quake 3 on NetBSD without Bash installed.
We aren't talking about what you do. We are talking about what shebangs should be used. You insisted that GOG should use #!/bin/sh. And that's a bad idea, when they mean Bash.

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realkman666: I'm sure Android and iOS tablets have had a bigger impact so far, but gaming should join in as well.
Mobile OSes don't have a direct impact on the stable desktop market (unlike some claim that they are killing it). They are growing on their own, and there MS is simply non registering. They missed that boat with their Windows RT and Windows Phone (which are dragging behind in usage comparing to Android and iOS).

Desktop usage however will still be in demand. Mobile devices don't replace it, they supplement it. So competition between desktop Windows and Linux will become stronger now.
Post edited July 25, 2014 by shmerl
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bln: Having a symlink to /bin/sh that is not compliant to the POSIX sh shell is a bug, not a feature.
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shmerl: Bash is not limited by POSIX sh shell. And what I said is a common knowledge - using #!/bin/sh while meaning Bash is simply incorrect. What if your sh is exactly that - the minimal sh, and not bash? When you mean bash, use bash shebang. That's all there is to it really.
You're so off topic that I won't even answer that one. Actually I won't answer anything, your argument is invalid.
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bln: Actually I won't answer anything, your argument is invalid.
Yes, please stop trolling here.
omg! awesome!
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bln: Actually I won't answer anything, your argument is invalid.
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shmerl: Yes, please stop trolling here.
Unlike you, I did give real reasons. Calling me a troll won't make you any right about technical matters. However, it's a great ad hominem argument. You're one step closer to the Godwin point.
Post edited July 25, 2014 by bln
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shmerl: Yes, please stop trolling here.
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bln: Unlike you, I did give real reasons. Calling me a troll won't make you any right about technical matters. However, it's a great ad hominem argument. You're one step closer to the Godwin point.
Wrong reasons though, which look like trolling. Saying that bash might be missing for example, and because of that one shouldn't use bash scripts. So far it was you who was wrong with that, and also insisting that #!/bin/sh shebang should be used in GOG's scripts (which are Bash scripts, not sh scripts).
Post edited July 25, 2014 by shmerl
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shmerl: Saying that bash might be missing for example, and because of that one shouldn't use bash scripts. So far it was you who was wrong with that, and also insisting that #!/bin/sh shebang should be used in GOG's scripts (which are Bash scripts, not sh scripts).
Okay. Please bear with me.

First, some facts:

1. I use Linux.
2. I can't run the GOG games "for Linux".

Second, some technical knowledge for you:

1. Using a shebang that points to a binary/script not on the system causes a failure. Therefore it is wrong to do bash scripts. Because:
2. The ONLY POSIX (it's a norm, please read about it) Shell is sh.
3. Using /bin/sh in a shebang would make the /bin/sh binary (or symlink) called.
4. If that binary/symlink isn't behaving in a POSIX way, it is a bug, not a feature.
5. As soon as you use sh scripts (which are not REALLY different from bash scripts to write, excepted some rare things that you have to re-implement), it would work anywhere. Even for me.

And I could go even further:

The glibc library is awful, buggy, and bloated (aka harmful). So distributing software relying on it is also harmful. So GOG should provide different packages, depending on different libc (musl would be great).
Post edited July 25, 2014 by bln
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bln: 1. Using a shebang that points to a binary/script not on the system causes a failure.
Yes. If you have such failure and need to run that script, install the missing scripting interpreter (bash for instance).

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bln: 2. The ONLY POSIX (it's a norm, please read about it) Shell is sh.
We aren't trying to fit into POSIX system which has nothing else to provide besides minimum required. Let me repeat - if you have such system, better don't play games on it. To clarify, GOG is not trying to develop a POSIX system. GOG is making scripts for managing their games. By your logic you can't use anything in 3rd party applications besides sh. Not Python, not Perl, not Ruby etc. That's complete nonsense.

TL;DR - if your bash is missing, install it. If you can't - find another system.
Post edited July 25, 2014 by shmerl