Still no plans for Linux editor support?

@zombiegorilla: Have you provement for your statement, that they can easily cover up the cost? I got the 90% number form the link Eric posted, sorry for not linking it earlier. I don't say that OSX users doesn't come up for the cost, (maybe only partly), but I could imagine that if the 90% windows user would be away, it would be not possible to have so many integrated licensed solutions (enlighten, umbra, etc.), thus Unity would not be the same as we know it currently. The additional solutions also means an increased maintaince cost, I expect far higher from Unity 2.5.
So it is good that the disiversity is there, which also means the linux version doesn't necessary needs to be covering the costs, when other positive effects overweight them (more asset store user, maybe "hype"/ better company reputation).

And just to let you know: I am not a linux user, and I would not use a Linux editor version. You are missing/ didn't read my earlier point, that I think Unity isn't quantifying the linux demand in a good way with the method Graham stated. Thus there is a chance to miss aditional income, even if the maintance cost is high. Of course Unity has probably made other surveys for information gathering about the current linux demand, but we don't know if they did. We just have an impolite answer.

 

Haven't seen any...would be interesting though.

--Eric

 

The simple fact that it is exists, and the company gained its success as initially a Mac only product. But beyond that, mobile is dominated by Unity, and many big mobile studios are largely Mac (our company alone has several hundreds, possibly well over thousand company wide, Mac Unity bundles) and a mobile studio isn't going to be using just desktop license but the iOS/Android as well. Most of the large mobile studios (that I am aware of) in the Valley are largely Mac for the primary development. That 90% is editor usage alone, it doesn't reflect Pro usage or the fact that Pro mobile users are going to 3X the revenue. Its probably the case that a handful of top mobile developers justify the cost of maintenance alone. Unity is not maintaining the Mac version at a loss by any stretch of the imagination.

 

I'd imagine the reason Windows is so high is because you get a lot of gamers that think of a great new idea. Download unity then come on the forums or reddit and say "I downloaded Unity now what?"

Forward thinking (hypothetical) valve dominates the market with their steam machines. Sweet relatively cheap gaming machines that can be used as a console or as a PC or a bajillion other things. Now the same people come up with a great new zombie game idea and come to Unity and download their new Linux editor and the numbers start to look quite a bit different

These people might not be buying your pro licenses right off the bat, but the % that stick with it and actually learn Unity create youtubes, join the community, etc.. There is value in it.

It's not just Unity that's going to have to start considering Linux as a serious desktop contender if Valve's dream comes to fruition.

 

I generally agree with your post, cod3r, except this one:

Should be

 

Ah good point. I can't wait!!

 

At least they got further along than the average Linux user who, rather than simply select a different game engine, will sit around complaining about lack of an editor for their pet OS. Once again this platform has popularity in the single digits.

At this point Linux needs a miracle to become successful on the desktop. I simply do not feel like SteamOS has any real future or will be that miracle. Not when Microsoft can already handle existing products and is almost to the point of giving away their OS. Windows 10 is basically free to users of Windows 7 or newer.

 

Success on the desktop is becoming less and less important, though. Desktops are looking more like tablets all the time, getting plugged into TVs and used in non-desktop-like manners more and more often, and consoles/tablets/phones are invading many of the tasks previously considered as a desktop's domain.

 

I could have said Linux on the gaming device, but I suspect most people in this thread are actually thinking of their desktops and laptops more than a console-like device. Not that I believe SteamOS will impact the chances of a Linux editor for Unity.

 

Unity still lives in the past, while UE4 just dropped subscription. There are no reason to not switch to UE4 if you're on Linux anymore and 5% royalties isn't that much, you still have 95%.

 

There is no need to turn this thread into a license discussion, which already takes place here:
http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/unreal-engine-4-free.305902/

 

Do take care, then.

Or, as someone already said in a less roundabout way:

 

Looks like it might be coming. There's a reference to "the linux editor" in the docs here:
http://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/PluginInspector.html

 

Just an error on a doc page. Sorry to disappoint. (And I fixed the page, which will be published onto the website soon.)

 

Very... specific mistake, especially since editor is now only for Windows and OSX so there's no need for formulations like "X, but not Y or Z", namely:

Sounds like you have some leaks. Better call a plumber.

 

They successfully withheld the details concerning Unity 5 Personal Edition despite how big of a change it was. I can't imagine this is anything but a simple mistake. Most likely a miscommunication between the author and the developers.

 

Believe me, Linux editor would be even bigger of a game changer and since it's top requested feature on feedback site, someone might've sneak some clue that it is being worked on.

Here what'll happen when Linux editor is released: Up to 60% of unity developers, both Free/Personal and Pro will change OS. Some already do so, trying their look with Wine (I'd do so as well, but only once they figure out how to get Asset Store working on Linux). Because Linux is just better for developers: Better editors, you almost never has to google for library api reference because of that little thing called man pages and so on.

 

Is it just me or do these statements only come from those who want a Linux editor?

 

I'd love to see a Linux editor, Unity 5 is awesome but really hate getting an old slow variation of Windows 7 to operate with it.

 

There is no such thing as an "old slow variation" of Windows 7. What are your computer's specifications? What are you using for anti-virus/malware? Which browser do you typically use and do you use an adblocker for it?

 

It is the top requested feature or the feature with most faked votes to be more precise.

 

You had the decimal in the wrong place, so I fixed that for you. No charge.

--Eric

 

He said "up to". 0.6 is indeed less than 60.

Even if that did happen... what benefit would it bring to whom? Even right there you're saying it won't bring in more money, but it will incur more cost, which means resources diverted from other things which might bring benefits to many people.

 

I don't think 60% of existing Unity developers will change their primary OS to Linux, but the benefit will not just be for those who change their primary OS. The biggest advantage I see for a Linux editor is when developers are testing their games to make sure their games work properly on the intended platforms. With a Linux editor, developers would be able to copy their source files to their Linux machine and run their game in the editor and rapidly iterate.

Without the Linux editor, developers need to build for Linux using their Windows or Mac, copy the output to their Linux computer, test on Linux, then go back to their Windows or Mac computer to tweak. Iteration is slower currently when testing the Linux build because of the lack of an editor for Linux. The current situation leads people to ignore Linux as a potential target for games, or release a Linux build of their games without extensive Linux testing.

 

Just run Linux in a VM. I build to a shared folder, flip to VirtualBox, and run the build. Iteration is absolutely no slower than it is for builds on the host OS.

--Eric

 

Clearly you've never ordered a laptop from iBuyPower or Toshiba. A gigabyte laptop they sent me had so much stock crapware... and also an outdated BIOS. I crashed during the BIOS update over a month ago and my laptop is still at the RMA department while the monkeys in the technician building juggle bananas.

Seriously. Called them to ask about it and they said (in the course of a month) they didn't do anything with it (or think to contact me) because the system wouldn't boot. Well no derp, it's at RMA because the BIOS needs to be flashed. GAH

 

I always replace the stock installation, verify the BIOS is up-to-date, and grab the latest drivers. None of these are the fault of Windows 7 though. They're all the fault of the OEM. I can guarantee you that if Linux became popular enough that OEMs started offering it, they would do the same thing for it.

 

No it wouldn't because
a) In Linux it would be easy to uninstall crapware, much easier than in Crashdows
b) Linux wouldn't boot on outdated BIOS

 

Linux is excellent for many things, but it will not fix PEBKAC. Switching OSes does not magically make you competent.

As for your bullet points, they're moot. You can easily remove bloatware from Windows. One of the easier ways is simply installing a fresh copy of Windows. You can also manually extract it, but that requires a competent user. See my initial statement above.

Modern OSes, with Windows very much included in this, truly do not care about the BIOS. The only real task the BIOS has to handle at this point in time is whether or not it can initiate the process of booting from your installation medium (USB, CD/DVD, etc). Beyond that the OS merely runs a quick scan and proceeds to ignore it completely.

 

It may be so, but it will remove incompetent people from using OS. OS shouldn't hold your hand. It should require knowledge about your hardware, you ought to know at least difference between IRQ and DMA and which IRQ/DMA your sound and graphics card uses.

 

The 1980s called. They want their nerd back.

The entire point of an Operating System is to ease the process of using a computer. While learning some of the facts is important to keeping your computer in working order, you don't need to understanding the underlying concepts and principals that allow it to function.

Making your computer work in an acceptable manner though is not difficult. Worst case you can always bribe your geek friends with pizza and beer. I do it frequently for people in my area.

 

So go and switch to it then, I dare you.

 

<chant style='playground'>
Switch! Switch! Switch! Bok-bok-bok! Switch!
</chant>

 

Really? I called them about some issue, they told me that's a problem from having an outdated BIOS, I ran their BIOS updater, it crashes and my computer bricked lol. Maybe I'll ignore any BIOS issues when I get it back sometime in 2017 because iBuyPower somehow manages to hold a laptop for over a month just to flash it.

 

You said it was a GIGABYTE laptop? I'm not familiar with the state of their laptops, but I know their desktop motherboards have a secondary BIOS chip that acts as a backup in the event that the first chip has a problem. I've never had to see it in action though.

I've gone through quite a number of systems and the only BIOS update that was ever mandatory was for an overdrive module. That was only because it replaced the computer's Intel processor with an AMD processor and it needed a completely different, yet somehow magically jury-rigged to be compatible, BIOS.

The system had some instability booting afterwards, but it was the biggest increase I've ever seen from an upgrade.

 

A revolutionary language to add context to writing

 

That would have been handy, but no lol. It turned on and some hardware lights on the case turned on, but nothing else. I think the fan randomly turned on and off.

They did recommend a BIOS update to fix the issue I originally called about though. Hopefully they patch it before it's sent back so I don't have to do anything else and just enjoy life a little longer.

 

Off topic: I saw it in action on the weekend! My computer got caught in a reboot cycle before even detecting the HDDs. I powered it down, started it again, and a message came up saying something to the effect of it recovering my BIOS from the secondary chip. A few moments later it rebooted again and powered up as usual.

As you can probably imagine, the thought process in my head started at "Aw crap..." and ended up at "Aw yeah!"

It's funny... normally I don't appreciate it when my computer turns on, but that time it made me pretty darn happy.

 

Lucky. The kind of luck I never have even when luck isn't supposed to be a factor.

 

What year the laptop was produced on? Secondary bios chip in GB motherboards started somewhere between 2003-2005 and I wouldn't expect their laptops to have same function until 2k7 (chip sizes and so on).

Also that's why you should know what is inside of your computer and how does it work. Thank you for providing an example, I am very grateful for that.

 

It's a p34gv2. Relatively new. Never heard of secondary BIOS so it's either not on this model or iBuyPower just likes to annoy their customers with unnecessary RMAs.

 

I do love Linux. But dual booting isn't difficult. And many programs are already Windows specific, so it's not like people won't need it anyway.

Also, this thread seems pretty derailed.

 

Haha, I wonder how many machines you operate without fully understanding how they work. Do you own a microwave? Or a car?

 

Running a virtual machine is pretty effective too. It is kinda neat to see the GNOME menu bar at the top and the Windows taskbar at the bottom.

It tends to happen once a subject has been rehashed numerous times. Especially on these forums.

 

I love running my Raspberry Pi headless. All my devices are running tightvnc.
On that note, I would love to see support for RPi. But I'm sure there's already a thread for that here. Gaming support that is.

 

Encapsulation ftw

 

Are there any lightweight WebGL-capable browsers you can bundle with your games?

Edit: Seems like node-webkit fits the bill. It would simply need to be compiled/modified to support ARM.

http://html5hub.com/deploying-hybrid-html5-games-on-the-desktop-using-node-webkit/

 

I'm pretty new the the RPi. The current Rasbian distro is running Epiphany stock. Although as far as I can tell, there is no WebGL support currently. (I could be wrong though)

 

Heh. That idea breaks down when you consider the brain / heart / body machines. No one can yet fully answer how all of it works on so little energy.

And we're 8 pages deep now.

 

Easy. It wasn't made by AMD.