Linux Support and Curse

[bgh251f2]

So Is there any new regarding support for Linux when the migration for the Curse Launcher arrives? It's been a long time and nothing has been said.

just to point a few things, let's skip any speculation, and talk only about published facts. Hopes and "I have inside information that I cannot say and may mean nothing" or what people think about is kind of pointless. Until now nothing has been said about how the "Linux solution" will be and the curse launcher already has several packs only posted there that Linux users cannot use in a official way.

From the top 10 packs on Popularity on Curse:

• 3 have no mention off Linux support or Server download;
• 2 have the server download(that can be used to provide some kind of Linux support by the users manually) but no mention of Linux;
• 1 has the server files and mention of Linux support trough zip, although he has already several updates that Linux users can't enjoy because said zip is not available;
• 2(from jaded) has support to Linux trough zip;
• and 2 are available on the old ftblauncher(agrarian skies and crash landing) so until the ftblauncher is replace there still has a way to play it on Linux without much hassle;

Everyone will agree that the zip download sucks to both the pack manager(that has to make an extra effort to post it) and the players(If you don't have a small experience building your own small pack you may not know how to install it, and if people have problem on how to install it they may simply forget it or think Linux is bad when in reality ftb and Curse are the ones not supporting Linux).

So any real updates?

 

[Hambeau]

I'm not disagreeing with you, just taking a more positive outlook here. I want to share my personal experience on AT&T/BSD Unix conversions, however.

In the mid 80s I was given a SUN 2/100 workstation that my company was tossing. About 6 months later I won $5000 in the state lotto, so I rebuilt the 2/100 into a full SUN2 Tower w/keyboard. monitor and mouse.

I joined SUG (Sun Users Group) and downloaded their public domain source code tape and built a SunOS 4.0.3 tape set I had the license for... I think the engineers were taking bets on whether I, a "simple R&D tech" would succeed or not. ... After I did I was offered a small raise and the System Admin duties.

Fast forward to the mid 90s, when Linux first came out. I built myself a brand new PC and relegated the old one to playing with Linux. Since I was running my own 10base2 ethernet network at home I was able to copy source files to the Linux box easily.

SunOS was based on BSD (Berkeley Software Development) Unix, which itself was based on an older AT&T release. Linux was based on AT&T Unix directly, although a newer version... I can't remember if it was System 5 or System 7. At that time I had to modify the source code to take into account the differing directory structures and change the name of some library files.

After a test compilation I had to manually go through both sets of libraries (I had the source code for all of these) to correlate and change some of the function names and global variables but it wasn't too difficult. Keep in mind this was before personal development environments... just the Vi editor running on two screens (Sun and PC). I managed to port all the interesting programs, however. Later on in the process I found conversion libraries and header files on-line.

Curse runs as a client for a lot more software than just Minecraft, so I can see them not wanting to announce solid plans unless a lot of that other software could also run on a Linux client.

I'm just not taking the position that it'll never happen.

 

[bgh251f2]

Curse runs as a client for a lot more software than just Minecraft, so I can see them not wanting to announce solid plans unless a lot of that other software could also run on a Linux client.

I'm just not taking the position that it'll never happen.

But the problems here are:

1. There is no information regarding the future of Linux support;
2. The actual way to provide Linux support is hard on both players and modpack creators;
3. The way to provide support for Linux is not simple, neither it is automatic. Every pack creator has to take a set of steps to provide support for Linux and repeat these set of steps for every update.
4. This disparity on the support side makes some pack creators simply not provide any support for Linux(which prevents Linux players to access some of the content provided, effectively make them, and anyone that want to play with them go the competition).
5. Lack of communication about the situation.
6. Curse don't offer now any option for Linux users, so every Linux player cannot play any Curse modpack that the author doesn't offer Linux support on the side. That's only a concern because there are already several Curse only modpacks, and it was promoted some form of support for Linux when the launcher was released. But when it is released there will be already several modpacks with no Linux support and Linux users will not be around anymore, because they can't play the modpacks that were launched in the meantime. Then Linux support will be useless.

 

[Hambeau]

But the problems here are:

1. There is no information regarding the future of Linux support;
2. The actual way to provide Linux support is hard on both players and modpack creators;
3. The way to provide support for Linux is not simple, neither it is automatic. Every pack creator has to take a set of steps to provide support for Linux and repeat these set of steps for every update.
4. This disparity on the support side makes some pack creators simply not provide any support for Linux(which prevents Linux players to access some of the content provided, effectively make them, and anyone that want to play with them go the competition).
5. Lack of communication about the situation.
6. Curse don't offer now any option for Linux users, so every Linux player cannot play any Curse modpack that the author doesn't offer Linux support on the side. That's only a concern because there are already several Curse only modpacks, and it was promoted some form of support for Linux when the launcher was released. But when it is released there will be already several modpacks with no Linux support and Linux users will not be around anymore, because they can't play the modpacks that were launched in the meantime. Then Linux support will be useless.

Here is a hypothetical situation:

Let's say that Curse does come up with a Linux client that works like the PC client and the upcoming Mac client.

In this situation, the response to your points:
1). See my response #5
2). Not a problem since the client handles the support.
3). Pack creators don't have to do anything special, since the client handles creating the directory structure and installing the mods/config files from the same repositories.
4). See my response #3
5). You yourself mentioned not getting peoples' hopes up. That's why there is no communication until they have something to announce.
6). What Curse does now has no bearing on what will happen if they release a Linux client. Non Sequitor. Your last two sentences actually provide a great argument to not waste time on a Linux client, if they choose to believe your opinion.

 

[bgh251f2]

The last is only if they continue not offering anything now. There are several packs with no support to Linux not even download of a zip. From the top 10 on Curse 4 have no support to Linux(not even a zip download) and 2 don't mention anything, although they have a zip download for the server. They are losing people already(and FTB is losing too, by association) for communities that they know they will be well received. If they continue this, there will be no reason for them to support Linux, and if they release the launcher months from now, don't be surprised if it flops because they would already have alienated most of the people that would download it. They will have to reconquer a part of the community that FTB already had conquered and is now losing.

 

[FyberOptic]

It's not elegant but you can use software like this to fetch modpacks off of Curse. No extra effort required for the pack maker.

I still prefer MultiMC for everything, so if something I want to use goes Curse-only I'll either pull it with that or just copy it out of the Curse client anyway.

 

[bgh251f2]

Curse clients crash on Wine, I would have to buy a Windows copy to use it(not gonna happen) or use the program that you mentioned, that has a lot of work to make function which would frighten new users. I would never mention Curse(or ftb) to anyone, because I would already have mentioned Linux, and there is no reason for me to mention something that would have no support for me and which I would not be able to offer any help at all(most of the people I know don't speak English, so sending them to any forum would only be a waste).

 

[LokiChaos]

I would not expect any official support. MultiMC is already a better launcher for MC, and installing modpacks is something that can be handled by an external tool, eg: the curseDownloader. Is it ideal? Depends on one's perspective. The downside of official support is the community doesn't have control over whatever solution they decide to implement, Curse would. I have zero interest in Curse voice, or what amounts to a dumb-wrapper around the awful Mojang launcher.

Honestly as long as Curse doesn't meddle or deliberately thwart attempts for a third party to address support of Linux, I would be content. That is the minimum I ask of them: stay out of the way of those who will do what is needed that you either can't or won't do.

If I could have cake and a pony: it would be that Curse releases an official OPEN standard & protocol for distribution of mod and packs for any launcher to implement that is both content-host and client agnostic. Meaning the standard would support both Curse and non-curse servers hosting mods and modpack data, and any client/launcher can implement the standard freely to use those repositories (and all content hosts would treat every client the same). There is absolutely no valid reason for the current balkanization from different MC launchers.

 

[FyberOptic]

If you're using Linux then you should already be familiar with being a third-class citizen in any situation where money is a motivating factor. There's only so much money to be made from Minecraft modding. They've already covered Windows and Mac, which basically covers just about any computer sold on the market, and is reflected by Minecraft players in general. That's not to say that they won't still support Linux eventually, and certain folks from FTB have assured us that the Java launcher will remain in service until Curse can match existing functionality. Of course that's under the assumption that the sentiment is shared with the people in charge of actually making those decisions.

To be honest, I would have assumed that as a Linux user that you would have turned tail away from FTB at the first sign of corporate involvement. Like I said, I'm sure you're already familiar with not being able to do what the majority of others can do, or having to go to more trouble to do it. It's obviously still possible to play FTB or Curse-affiliated modpack developers' packs with some slight effort. But there's also plenty of alternative modpacks and launchers out there which don't have this problem to begin with.

If Linux users truly want to use Curse modpacks, there's nothing stopping someone from integrating support for getting and using them through the existing FTB launcher. The source is all available. Curse may not have an API (which was something they promised early on), but obviously there's still ways to accomplish it.