- Desura
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Desura 
The Desura Linux client displaying the game entry for XonoticDeveloper(s) DesuraNET Pty Ltd. Development status Active Platform Microsoft Windows, Linux Type Content delivery Website www.desura.com Desura is a proprietary digital distribution platform developed by DesuraNET for Microsoft Windows and Linux platforms, although a client for Mac OS X has also been hinted at.[citation needed] It is used to distribute games and related media online, with a primary focus on small independent developers rather than larger software houses. Desura also offers community features, automated game updates, and developer resources.
Contents
Features
The Desura client is heavily tied to its website through the use of the Chromium Embedded Framework; most of its services are provided through its online interface, with the exception of the game launcher, installer, and update features. This provides Desura with a consistent interface that does not vary dramatically from system to system.
The interface itself offers various selections based on what feature a user may want to access, with installed games being offered through the "Play" tab, games available for download or purchase being offered through the "Games" tab, user interaction and social networking features from the "Community" tab, information and features for game developers through the "Development" tab, and technical support and client settings through the "Support" tab.[1]
Unlike many of its competitors, Desura does not offer any digital rights management services, and Desura employees have commented against its use in the past, recommending that content producers ship without DRM or at least use a CD Key system instead. However, Desura itself is DRM agnostic, and publishers and developers may sell games that require such technologies to be used. Desura will make sure users purchasing these titles are aware of the DRM it ships with and how it works.[2]
Comparison with Steam
Desura is primarily important as a plausible source of future growth in a market dominated by Valve's Steam platform. However, Scott Reismanis, the founder of DesuraNET does not consider it a competitor, but rather an attempt to address a different segment of the market.[3]
Content hosted on Desura primarily falls into the category of Indie games, which are games by smaller developers who do not have the same amount of name or clout to negotiate deals with Steam and Valve's policies. Desura believes its tighter links to a dedicated community will foster better relationships between player and developer.[4]
Desura is also highly tied to the Mod DB community, as both are run by the same company. Thus, unlike Steam, Desura highlights content distribution for mods as one of its features, although this is not yet available for the Linux client.
History
Near its launch, it publicized itself by offering free keys for games to augment the purchases of the same games made through the 2nd Humble Indie Bundle.[citation needed]
Linux Support
Development on a Linux client was announced during the Summer of 2011,[5] using wxWidgets and GTK+ as the toolkit, and was introduced in a limited beta program in the Fall.[6] The client was publicly available for download and execution, but users could not log into the online service unless they were a selected beta tester.[7] On November 16, 2011 the Desura Linux client was publicly released.[8]
Although Desura is not the only game distribution platform available for Linux, with their being several traditional online sellers such as Tux Games, Gameolith, Fun4Tux, and Wupra, as well as many Linux distributions distributing games through their package managment systems, with the Ubuntu Software Centre even selling commerical game titles, the release of Desura has been heralded by several commentators as an important step to greater acknowledgement of Linux as a gaming platform.[1]
On November 9, 2011 it was announced that the Linux client of Desura would be made partially free software in order to facilitate it's further development. The client itself would be released under the GNU General Public Licence, while the server-side portion of the distribution platform would remain proprietary. The media assets and trademarks would also remain property of Desura.[9]
References
- ^ a b "cheese talks to himself - Desura Beta". twolofbees.com. 2011-10-11. http://www.twolofbees.com/cheesetalks/desura.php. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
- ^ Dawe, Liam (2011-10-03). "Interview with Keith Poole from Desura Part 3". Gaming on Linux. http://www.gamingonlinux.info/index.php?threads/interview-with-keith-poole-from-desura-part-3.506/. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
- ^ McElroy, Justin \ (March 9, 2010). "ModDB presents Desura: an indie take on digital distribution". Joystiq. http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/09/moddb-presents-desura-an-indie-take-on-digital-distribution/. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ^ Denby, Lewis (March 8, 2010). "Desura: ModDB Takes On Steam". Rock Paper Shotgun Ltd.. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/03/08/desura-moddb-takes-on-steam/. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ^ http://www.desura.com/groups/linux-gamers/news/desura-linux-development-we-have-ui
- ^ http://www.desura.com/groups/linux-gamers/news/desura-linux-beta-launch
- ^ Larabel, Michael (2011-09-21). "Desura Game Platform Goes Into Beta On Linux". Phoronix. http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=OTkyOA. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
- ^ Larabel, Michael (2011-11-17). "Desura's Public Linux Client Is Here With 65+ Games". Phoronix. http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTAxNjc. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
- ^ Larabel, Michael (2011-11-10). "Desura Game Client Is Looking To Go Open-Source". Phoronix. http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTAxNDA. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
External links
Categories:- Video game retailers
- Windows software
- Linux software
- Software that uses wxWidgets
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