Yet, and correct me if I'm wrong, you don't seem to be in favor of the convenient way that people in this topic are advocating: bringing back Downloader.

To address the rest of your comment, look, I am very grateful for what this store is and the fact I can get offline backup installers via browser. I just don't like the trends I continue seeing in the meantime. As I have said on numerous occasions, GOG represents the only DRM-free branded store that also has what I would refer to as "big releases" (like the recent Deus Ex releases, current DLC issue notwithstanding). For people who don't care about DRM, the shopping options are endless across Scheme and everywhere else. But for someone like me who wants big releases DRM-free, GOG is essentially "it". It's no wonder I advocate so much for DRM-free and against any client requirements here...because if this place turns for the worse and allows DRM (well, more than it already does via things like Galaxy-required multiplayer), I am basically done wanting to be a consumer of PC gaming unless another store can fill the void, which judging by trends in the industry is imo unlikely. That's a sad thought to me.

But it gives peoples who don't want to wait for the normal process to take place a way to get those updates faster while waiting for the updated installers to be released.

There are time of course where mistakes happens and the installers are not aligned, but usually when that happen and it's reported to support they end up updated soon after.

A monopoly on a feature that never existed before and that was created as a safeguard for Galaxy because it would allow untested patches to be posted by devs without having been QC by Gog. It was never meant as a way to be able to rollback 20 major version in the past and even with Galaxy the number of version you can rollback is limited to the X last minor patches.

Your attention for a moment, please.

I want to take a moment to remind everyone posting to please remain civil. For the most part, the last few pages have done that, and I thank you for it. That said, I have seen some sparks, and I'd like to be preemptive about putting them out before they turn into fires that get people moderated.

People have some very strongly held ideas on either/any side of this discussion, and that's fine. Just remember to be polite to the other users, even if they disagree.

Thanks for your attention. Carry on.

I have nothing against bringing back the downloader, I just know it won't happen and think you should focus your attention elsewhere. I also think we can be cautious, like with the Deus Ex thing, without assuming the worst of GOG at every turn. Those are my two main points/arguments.

Both fair enough for sure. I'm not sure why it couldn't happen to bring back Downloader though I will admit I am pessimistic as to the prospect of it happening. That said, in a couple cases, I think other significant changes to the site have been rolled back, such as the auto-playing videos which iirc were even deemed something to the effect of "non-negotiable"; also the listing number of games next to reviews I'm not positive but pretty sure that was rolled back at one point or made optional versus originally the only way. My memory is fuzzy on all this though.

It's not exactly comparable, re-enabling the downloader could be a little more complicated than simply re-displaying the links (Disclaimer: I don't know how Gog infrastructure works but that's my personal opinion as a developer working on client/server applications). Not only those linked needed to be created but they also needed to have something in their backend responding to call to those links and provide the files. And all this functionality was a duplicate of the one provided by the Galaxy API.

So the decision to remove the downloader was more, IMHO, a way for them to cut the fat and remove some obsolete code from their code base rather than a plan to push peoples to Galaxy. So adding back the downloader would not only mean keeping this older, obsolete code but maybe even adding it back if they already got rid of it, and that can be a lot more effort than peoples imagine.

Personally I wouldn't be surprised (again pure speculation) if both getting rid of the downloader and forcing peoples to upgrade to Galaxy 2.0 was linked, as in they plan to change/update either their backend or at least the Galaxy API and they wanted to get rid of the older, soon incompatible, clients. I wouldn't be surprised if the next forum drama is peoples still using Galaxy 1.0 complaining that it suddenly stops working.

What about a brand new GOG downloader for all the reasons already mentioned?

I never missed an online mom to teach us manners...

The downloader hasn't worked for me in years, I buy fewer games here because of that.

Have you tried out galaxy 2+?
Would you like it if that client had a good downloader in it?

I really don't understand what the big deal is with the complaints over the removal of the Downloader and the previous version of Galaxy. If you really don't want to use Galaxy 2.0, you still have the option to download the offline installers; they're simple and easy to use.
It has nothing to do with being an "online mom". Moderators are meant to facilitate discussion by ensuring that people are respectful. There's nothing that kills discussion more than trolls and jerks.

It does, as they always want to teach us how to behave. Here basically wrote don't be naughty kids or I get my stick.

Moderators kill most discussions that's a fact.
I can ignore the trolls and jerks , but if topic is closed then the discussion is dead.

What about over modding? I think that could be seen as a close second way to kill discussions on any site.

Or spam. That is also a bad thing that kills some forums and sites.

The crass nature of that user's reply aside, they seem to maybe have a crumb of a point(they need to work on their wording some tho).

Over modding is a thing, but we're talking the mods that act like forum police and kill any discussion if it even LOOKS like it may get heated. A good moderator facilitates discussion by keeping the discussion in a civil, friendly tone. This encourages rational adults to talk, rather than childish trolls who complain about everything.

That is the type of some of the ones we have here tho. Ones who kill off discussions that even look like they may get heated or break some rule.

But this is getting offtopic(which is against the TOS), so I will leave it there for now. I would be willing to chat whenever in another thread or other means if you feel like discussing this further sometime tho.