Well... I feared this was coming for quite some time now.
But I still want to say that it sucks.
Downloading everything via browser is just annoying and tedious with bigger games... Oh well...

I've never stopped using it and am sad to see it go. I wish there was another way to download the offline installers with one simple click, as long as it's not Galaxy.

What's the story with Linux games then? Will you start supporting Galaxy for them on the backend (i.e. provide Linux builds through Galaxy API) or you will again treat Linux users as second class citizens, forcing us to only use the browser (since lgogdownloader won't work either for Linux versions if I understand correctly, once you decommission the downloader Web API).

lgogdownloader supports Galaxy API already, but it's now only exposed for Windows builds of games. Linux builds are excluded from it. So if you don't plan to enable Galaxy API on the server for Linux builds, this announcement sounds like a pure regression for Linux users.

Many, many people prefer to have a downloader to download a large number of their game installers at once, or to download all of the files at once. It is an inherently easier method of doing so. You have no consideration for it? Many others do. The last thing I want to do it go to individual pages to download each and every single file individually. All 800+ of them. yeah...

Pro-consumer should mean more alternatives to fit the needs of the consumer. This downloader was one of them.

I sure hope third party clients like lgogdownloader will keep working.
I did already notice it being a bit weird recently, apparently not finding some files or somesuch.
Without that I don't know what to do, scrape the website? Surely this would be a significantly worse solution for everyone.

Why not Galaxy? It's basically the replacement of GOGdownloader for downloading.

I understand the announcement that they won't, except when using Galaxy API, which is now limited to Windows builds (see my question above). GOG are decommissioning the legacy API.

So my assumption is that GOG are going to fry downloading Linux builds with lgogdownloader. The way to address it for them, is to enable Galaxy API on the server for Linux versions too, then lgogdownloader will continue working.

Since I don't think the GOGBear or his prophets will reply to your queries, I'm going to take a shot at some of the points you've raised :).

I've never actually checked lgogdownloader's source code, but if it's using the Galaxy API I think it's using (there aren't that many choices anyway), then Windows and Mac builds of games should be supported. At least that's what the said Galaxy API provides information on.

Now there are other Galaxy API endpoints which provide download details for Linux installers as well, so I don't see any major roadblocks in adding this functionality to lgogdownloader even as things stand now (with a bit of a headache, most likely treating Linux games as an entirely different kind of beast).

But yeah, the support for Linux games in general clearly does not span the entire API space. Which is why a Linux version of Galaxy is probably not even in the works - there isn't even wide backend support for it yet.

I certainly hope that's not the case. As far as I'm aware the GOG Downloader used a specific (legacy) format for the download URLs, which is what, I think, is being cut from the backend.

hmm I didn't even know this was a thing, I initially just used galaxy, now I just download through firefox.

My heartfelt condolences to those who have been using the downloader.

To those who complain about the need for multiple clicks to download via the browser, may I suggest you look at installing a download manager add-on or extension in your browser. Such add-ons allow you to select a range of links/files to download in one click. I use DownThemAll! on Firefox, which allows me to download all or some of the files I want for a given game (both installers and bonuses) with one click.

Likewise. Was my choice for downloading games, less of a resource hog than Galaxy and to an extent, browser.

So yes those saying that some will 'complain' are right but so what? Not allowed? Tough, to each their own, that is if that too is still allowed. At least there are still some alternatives so we're not -yet- forced to use Galaxy to download our games. Let's hope it will stay optional because here too, there are those who want to use it for whatever reason, and there are those -which am one of, who don't need to nor want to use it and would strongly bulk at being forced to use it against my choice and will.

Goodbye

I didn't quite understand then. Is it possible or not? I.e. is enough of the Galaxy API exposed now for Linux builds to download anything, or not?

They surely planned to do it in the past, so that's how I see the announcement, decommissioning of the legacy API.

GOG staff need to chime in here - how is this change going to affect open source tools like lgogdownloader which allow us to keep our backup libraries on Linux based NASs up to date (to say nothing about downloading on Linux desktops)

A download manager. I liked to use it before it became wonky probably due to neglect. It was a nice bloat free middle-ground between the somewhat leghumping "LOOK AT ALL MY SALES!!!1" Gog Galaxy storefront and the 50% fail and updates maybe a decade after Galaxy browser download.