At the risk of getting a little off topic... I have some Pi in my house now. They're great as an emergency desktop for those times when your main PC's parts are spread over the front room and you need to remind yourself of something online. As a media centre with XBMC they're superb, easily outperforming a regular web browser for high def Youtube (and with zero fan noise). They're great for minor server tasks, such as DHCP.
Unfortunately, they're absolutely pants at being a file server. It works, don't get me wrong, but your disks and your network all share one USB2 bus, and performance is pretty pathetic.
Brilliant little boxes, though. With a ModMyPi case and an SD card with RISC OS on it, you have a 100% British designed and built computer, something that hasn't been available since the last century. Computing has finally come home.
Unfortunately, they're absolutely pants at being a file server. It works, don't get me wrong, but your disks and your network all share one USB2 bus, and performance is pretty pathetic.
Brilliant little boxes, though. With a ModMyPi case and an SD card with RISC OS on it, you have a 100% British designed and built computer, something that hasn't been available since the last century. Computing has finally come home.
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I understand what you're saying here, afterall, I have a similar sentiment to the Mac people, whom I cant understand complain about not having some latest game come out on their most endeared Apple system yet continue to think their system is even greater than sliced bread.
But then I have to come back to reality when I realize that I have the same issue when it comes to not having games made for Linux.
At the risk offending you though, I have to disagree with your understanding of the situation. Its a bit of a chicken and egg story and its based around demographics. If you don't know anyone who uses Linux, then you are (probably) in the Windows demographic, and that will always determine your perspective. Professional developers perceive that only WIndows people buy games, so they only make games for Windows. Linux people have largely given up expecting games to be made for Linux, so they run a Windows system just for games and stop complaining.
Another thing to consider is that Linux generally attracts the technical folk, because lets face it, who sells Linux preinstalled systems that the public will happily run out and buy? No, its not happening. Instead, the more technical folk will take older machines or build tailour made systems and throw Linux on it for their own use. Incidentally (and somewhat generally speaking), its the technical folk who have a history of hardcore gaming, and thus its them (me included, I guess) who would love to see our favourite passtime come to our favourite OS. Oh yes, and there are a lot of us, percentage wise we probably rank pretty low, but in physical numbers, there are several million of us around the world, and growing daily.
Some closing thoughts: Linux is free, is improving and evolving far quicker than other OSes, and provides a fantastic workbench to a lot of developers out there. A lot of independent game developers are growing up using Linux and hitting the market with deep Linux skills. And there are some interesting changes coming to the Linux ecosystem which will provide, er, game changing elements for writing games in. I think (hope?) it wont be long before Linux will become a serious contender for a gaming platform. The trend is certainly starting to look that way, if the interests in Steam and the Humble Bundles are any indication. And the limitation is not the OS, but the will of the people.
Staying off topic
Thank you for that.
I guessed that the file server would not be very efficient, but my primary use for a file server is for backups so I won't be using it very much.
I think the whole USB technology is 'pants'. I appreciate why USB is on the Pi (support etc.) but I do wish they could have used firewire it is so much better IMHO.
I had an idea of multiple pi with backups spread across them all, possibly in some kind of Raid set up. I'm going to measure performance with HDD, SSD and/or straight to the SD and see how it goes.
I need an external (to my laptop) MySQL server to play with too.
I'm also intrigued by the Spy Cam and the I/O possibilities - I've not played with hardware before.
Perhaps I should have taken this to another thread.
Thank you for that.
I guessed that the file server would not be very efficient, but my primary use for a file server is for backups so I won't be using it very much.
I think the whole USB technology is 'pants'. I appreciate why USB is on the Pi (support etc.) but I do wish they could have used firewire it is so much better IMHO.
I had an idea of multiple pi with backups spread across them all, possibly in some kind of Raid set up. I'm going to measure performance with HDD, SSD and/or straight to the SD and see how it goes.
I need an external (to my laptop) MySQL server to play with too.
I'm also intrigued by the Spy Cam and the I/O possibilities - I've not played with hardware before.
Perhaps I should have taken this to another thread.
I'd much rather play games on Linux and it seems Steam thinks its worth pursuing as they have released the client as beta pretty recently.
Frontier have done the right thing though, do the homework first and cost it out before really committing as I am sure its worse to promise something only to disappoint later.
Frontier have done the right thing though, do the homework first and cost it out before really committing as I am sure its worse to promise something only to disappoint later.
Most games are compatible with Linux through Wine and I am sure E : D will be amongst them. I run Linux on 3 computers I keep one with a dual boot to windows 7 for one reason, World of Tanks.. at the moment its too unstable on Wine.But everything else I have runs better on Linux through Wine
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Indeed, one of my Pi is doing precisely that. Backing up about 500GB of files per night, an incremental run with very few changes (total transfer of just a few megs) takes it about six hours. Overclocking does little to change this; it's IO bound, and the bottleneck is that USB chip.
Of course, USB was chosen over Firewire because nobody has a Firewire keyboard and mouse. (-:
I think the moderators might want to pick these posts out into another thread...
Just thought I'd add my two penn'orth here:
I have no thoughts on the relative merits of different OS's (yes I probably should but I don't - get over it).
I don't know if this kind of thing falls within the remit of the DDF, but speaking as a member of that forum when it arrives I have to say that this incessant lobbying on behalf of what is by common consent a very small user base is starting to grate a bit.
FD has stated it's case clearly and unambiguously. So, guys, give it a rest for a while....pretty please?
I have no thoughts on the relative merits of different OS's (yes I probably should but I don't - get over it).
I don't know if this kind of thing falls within the remit of the DDF, but speaking as a member of that forum when it arrives I have to say that this incessant lobbying on behalf of what is by common consent a very small user base is starting to grate a bit.
FD has stated it's case clearly and unambiguously. So, guys, give it a rest for a while....pretty please?
Andy, as long as it's contained in a single thread like this it's perfectly easy to avoid exposure. Fact is, there are a lot of people who run Linux and would like to see E: D available on that platform. They feel strongly enough to lobby, and I think you should probably just accept that lobbying will happen.
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So it seems.
As I've said, FD have made their view abundantly clear so knock yourselves out.
Minorities tend to grate the nerves of the majorities. Fortunately, we live in a free world, where there's enough room for everyone.
True enough - but there are discussions about many, many other facets of the game on these forums, where we really have no chance at all of influencing the developers. Still, we continue those discussions.
In the case of Linux support, however, the FD stance seems to be promising: wait and see. They have not denied possible support in future and we can hold our thumbs up, knowing DB's personal interest in the Linux world.
Ultimately, this is something that Frontier would decide.
There is obviously a desire for it, as we keep seeing threads like this appear.
I see Windows in the decline, and Linux (whether it be in the guise of Android, Ubuntu, Valve's 'Piston', or another GNU/Linux implementation) on the steady rise.
As a Gentoo Linux user, Valve Linux beta tester, and DDF member, I'll by offering my encouragement and support in this matter.
...and I for one wouldn't have it any other way. Healthy debate and difference of opinion is no bad thing in and of itself. However (as I believe), FD's choice of primary platform will have been based on a carefully considered business decision as to how they think their business interests will best be served (lest we forget in the euphoria of the moment). David Braben is a visionary; of that I have no doubt. But he is also a businessman.
Considering the oft fervent nature of Linux enthusiasts and the fact that the vote is open to the Internet.
I'd basically edit your post and remove anything that references the poll ... as the only thing it shows is pretty bars ...
Worth is subjective ... If it costs more to develop and support linux platforms, pretty pie charts don't mean much.
That being said. We've had it said to us, that they would look into other platforms to see what's possible.