So basically using a different program that would have made it impossible to extract the installer content without installing it would have been better than the current solution as it wouldn't have been "DRM" by your definition ?

That's where we disagree, that's a technical decision, the fact that it "restrict" some user using the installer in some unconventional way is merely a side effect, a side effect they didn't consider simply because the "unconventional" way in question is not officially supported.

Why is it not a solution ? it would allow Linux users to extract the files without needing Windows.

That's not a good example, a good example would be if it was a soil road meant but be used only by cross bikes and you were here complaining to the mayor that because of the holes in it you can no longer drive on it with your non 4x4 city car... event thought the road in question was never mean to be used by cars but only by bikes.

It's a technical decision based on intent to restrict the user (see Gowor's response). Not needed and unreasonable, let alone not effective. DRM it is. But if you don't agree I don't see a point of arguing further.
Because it solves a problem caused by invalid reasons. And still requires Wine to unpack it. Not really direct. Proper solution is stopping using those passwords to begin with.

The thread for technical discussion of how to fix it is here to avoid drowning it in endless "is that really DRM" diversions.

Your example is incomplete. With care, those cars could still drive there.

The mayor took an excavator to narrow the roads.

In this case the reason is circumstantial. Linux users were the most impacted by this change, since it's more common to use innoextract on Linux than let's say on Windows (especially for games which have alternative engines). Many other users simply didn't notice this change yet.

Thanks, linux users that you noticed this "oversight/technical mistake" early enough. A multi-platform approach helps indeed finding "bugs". ;-)

No need to be so "careful" with your words.
What we are seeing here is *really* an oversight, a technical mistake, a bug, or whatever you name it. It has been done without thinking it could have these kind of implications for users. And I don’t think it would have been done if the discussion that is taking place here could have been predicted.

Rest assured that if GOG really had been trying to put DRM in their installers, I wouldn’t have been able to notice anything in the first place ;)

It would be nice to keep this in mind while discussing this matter: we’re facing some *error* from GOG, and not some kind of big bad DRM conspiracy.

And to all the "journalists" who have been relaying this in their own way, without any research work (I think I would know if they tried to contact anyone knowing anything about this, seeing as I opened the thread they’re basing their rumour on), and as always only motivated by making up "scoops" for cash:
FUCK YOU!! You *destroyed* nearly any hope to have a calm discussion about the matter at hand, you *attacked* the only employee of GOG who took from his time to help us, YOU launched the flamewar you needed to make an cash-generating "gaming news" article.
I hate you, and I hope you’ll die by several awful ways by the end of the week.

No need to be spiteful and hateful in return as well. That's a common thing with journalists. Only some do proper research.

So far GOG can easily fix the situation by inviting their community managers and some higher folks to open a dialog on this. If GOG will pretend that nothing has happened - then it will blow out of proportion I suspect. Practically we shouldn't expect that before the end of the winter break however since many folks are now on vacation.

Well, yes, this is infact my hope too, no more drama required... GOG should classify this as oversight on the technical level (no PR guy or higher rank guy required) and this should be fixed on the technical level by an developer telling us "I fixed this mistake in our procedure and in future we will do it technically this [...] way".

Well, looks like my nerves have been talking for me.

Until now, I believed I already knew this. But this is the first time I’ve been an unwilling part of their trash work, and it somewhat hurts to see your words exploited in this way.
We were going to have a peaceful resolution, we might have worked something pleasing both parties with Gowor, but these "journalists" had to come and turn this into an unstoppable flamewar. Do you think Gowor will ever want to come back in this thread after having his post copy-pasted and decontextualised on several of these "gaming news" websites?

Yep, winter break. That’s why I wished this whole affair hasn’t blown out of proportion so soon. Now a *peaceful* dialogue looks highly doubtful.

Depends on him of course. Usually engineers are more interested in fixing the problem rather than paying attention to flamewars, so I hope Gowor will return and will participate in the dialog about how to fix this. So far he said he'll refrain since many questions were really kind of not to him but to GOG in general and he can't answer those. But technical ones are well in his domain.

I think that we've all said what was needed to be said, and it has been a voice big enough to grab GOG's attention on this matter. I kinda understand vv221's comment regarding journalists, we live in a world where everything that happens is literally on the news of some website less than 24hrs later.

It might take a week or two before things get back to normal considering all the Christmas and new year stuff going on, but disappointed as I am, I'm also optimist that the issue will be fixed, hopefully in a much better way.

I don't expect GOG to come out and say "hey we messed up, sorry for that", Giving me back a password-less installer is enough for me.

If I want to play Duke Nukem 3D with enhanced graphics on Windows, I'm affected because I'm now forced to spend extra hassle running an installer (which takes time) and an uninstaller (which I have to trust to be thorough) when all I wanted was the data files EDuke32 depends on.

Same with getting an enhanced Dungeon Keeper experience via KeeperFX.

Same if I want software scalers or MT-32 emulation on any ScummVM-supported games that GOG distributes with their original runtimes.

etc. etc. etc.

Plus, while it doesn't affect windows users, I should also point out that, for some GOG games (like Unreal Tournament), the official, legal, developer-approved way to use the Linux binaries these days is to buy the Windows version, extract the data files, and then download the Linux binaries from the website.

Another case would be unpacking Amiga games which are now sold on GOG to run them with other Amiga emulators. This can equally affect Windows and non Windows users.

*nod* For me, this is sort of like manual-based copy protection. I either have to babysit an out-of-band supplement to extract it on Linux or I need to retrieve a pirated copy of Windows to run it.

I'm pissed off that it's even seeming like DRM, all things considered. This was really the worst time it could have happened, whether or not some sort of ill will is happening behind the scenes.

Being relatively inexperienced with hash checking methods, is there anything else I could do in a non-technical sense? Already tried to get attention to it on social media. I'm disappointed and not wanting this to be the worst case scenario, but I also know my view isn't the only one.

And if things get out of hand with this story, it means that GOG really underestimates the power of social media broken telephone. No one is ever on holiday from that, and "the news" of public opinion writes itself, no matter what reality is.