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View Full Version : All Open-Source Gaming Center??? (opinions)



Amanda Mayhem
December 24th, 2008, 05:21 AM
I am in the final stages of finishing up a business plan to open an online gaming center in my home town.

In my journey of loving online gaming, I've also learned (ironically) a lot about open-source, Linux, and its role in helping to develop better and better technologies. I'm in love with the entire concept, though I can only be considered a beginning Linux user. I've been using Ubuntu for about a year now.

My biggest disappointment is that while World of Warcraft work on my PC and laptop under Wine (wouldn't work AT ALL on another experimental one) they work with sub-par performance.

My dream is to have an Online Gaming Center using state-of-the-art computers using all open-source software. The idea gives me goosebumps, but I know I don't come close to having the expertise to pull this off on my own.

So here's my point/big question: Is this currently a hopeless cause? Any pointers?
Possible questions:
*Is Ubuntu not the best distro for my purposes? (I wonder from some of my difficulties) But I love how Ubuntu has made exploring linux so friendly to first-timers.
*Could I have World of Warcraft (as one example) working to it's full capacity at all (and it still be legal?)?
*What would be the best hardware I could choose to work with Linux? Are there other ideas, ways of thinking, etc perhaps I have missed?

Any reply would be wonderful.

emails: playmayhem@gmail.com

obsrv
December 24th, 2008, 05:24 AM
Ubuntu and other Debian based distros (Baltix GNU/Linux) is ideal for gaming. There is playdeb repository for a lot of good games. You have very good idea and I hope you will succeed. You can install such classical games in machines like ioQuake3, Doom3, Quake4, OpenArena, Warsow and so on.

Coder543
December 24th, 2008, 05:26 AM
Firstly, WOW + Wine works best with nVidia graphics cards
secondly, Remember: Ubuntu is not windows. This means there are great games out there for Ubuntu, they just aren't the windows games. Though you can run most/some windows apps and games.
thirdly: ubuntu is a great distro, usually some hardware may cause pain but that is normally limited to wireless cards.

A question: is your 'online gaming center' a gaming cafe that people go to physically, or some kind of web site thingy?

If it is a physical center for online play only you could get some super servers locked in the backroom and have some thin-clients out in the gaming rooms (think: edubuntu style) if you are going to be doing LAN you will need individual computers.

Amanda Mayhem
December 24th, 2008, 05:35 AM
Yes, I want a physical center people actually come to :)

I've been trying to consider the pros and cons of going both ways - I like the idea of having individual computers and lan lines because I'm much more familiar with that - plus I would have way too much fun setting it up.

Your first idea is one I've been toying with - but for a business plan I need costs, numbers, computer companies, who to go to, what companies are best (sun systems seems to have some nice setups?)... I don't expect to get all that here unless ppl are willing to contribute that much. It seems to make sense. "Real" tech people I know seem to think this is the best idea all around. I'll look into that more. thx.

Coder543
December 24th, 2008, 05:52 AM
If you decide to use the thin-client/server setup... HP provides cheap thin-clients (like this (http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06a/12454-12454-321959-338927-89307-3341342.html)) that theoretically would work.

Amanda Mayhem
December 24th, 2008, 06:24 AM
I'm dancing in my pants! Anyhow, so yeah... thin clients vs individual towers... I think it's efficiency vs effectiveness/flashy-ness. What do people want to see? A customed rig with flashy lights? Will it matter? I hadn't thought much about this... back (again) to the drawing board! lol

...there's multiple lan line cost, computer cost (would obviously be way cheaper, depending on the price of server, and how it would work (I'm just thinking out loud here now)... I imagine I'd still need to buy graphics cards and all that jazz hmmmmmm I'm wanting to start small w/ about 15 computers to see where it winds up. What will this mean now?... I'm so freaking excited, I can't wait to get exploring. Thanks again for the great brainstorms!!!

zmjjmz
December 24th, 2008, 06:59 AM
This really depends on who you're trying to impress.
You could find a way to set up an arcade booth at a local theme park and just use OSS stuff.
Some good genres of OSS games:
FPS
Urban Terror
Warsow
OpenArena
World of Padman
Alien Arena
Nexuiz
Tremulous
Racing
Ultimate Stunts
VDrift
ManiaDrive
TORCS
Racer
Trigger
Flight Sim
Flight Gear
GL-117

That's a nice list, but I recommend you check out lgdb.org
They have a ton of games there

Coder543
December 24th, 2008, 03:48 PM
following what zmjjmz said with his list of games, a number of those are client/server instead of peer/peer. For example, with Tremulous you could have you thin-client server's acting also as Tremulous servers. In this way, those 15 people at your gaming center would all (on their thin-clients) play in the same game online with possibility of other people from around the world joining them. The same is probably true for OpenArena, Nexuiz, and Alien Arena. You could also have a local server (aka. not exposed outside of the building) that would serve those games to the clients in your gaming center so they could have tournaments among themselves. As long as you aren't trying to play peer/peer only games, thin-clients should work. But remember, the thin-clients are having nothing to do with the gaming/networking/etc. so they cannot talk to each other. The server is unlikely to talk to itself, which means peer/peer games would not function with anything but the internet. Playing off of that, using the client/server model the server would become both the client and the server. If you do want to setup client/server I would recommend installing edubuntu on those computers, since edubuntu has massively simplified the process for the end-user business.

zmjjmz
December 24th, 2008, 04:58 PM
http://www.getdeb.net/app/PainTown Is also recommended.

billgoldberg
December 24th, 2008, 05:29 PM
I am in the final stages of finishing up a business plan to open an online gaming center in my home town.

In my journey of loving online gaming, I've also learned (ironically) a lot about open-source, Linux, and its role in helping to develop better and better technologies. I'm in love with the entire concept, though I can only be considered a beginning Linux user. I've been using Ubuntu for about a year now.

My biggest disappointment is that while World of Warcraft work on my PC and laptop under Wine (wouldn't work AT ALL on another experimental one) they work with sub-par performance.

My dream is to have an Online Gaming Center using state-of-the-art computers using all open-source software. The idea gives me goosebumps, but I know I don't come close to having the expertise to pull this off on my own.

So here's my point/big question: Is this currently a hopeless cause? Any pointers?
Possible questions:
*Is Ubuntu not the best distro for my purposes? (I wonder from some of my difficulties) But I love how Ubuntu has made exploring linux so friendly to first-timers.
*Could I have World of Warcraft (as one example) working to it's full capacity at all (and it still be legal?)?
*What would be the best hardware I could choose to work with Linux? Are there other ideas, ways of thinking, etc perhaps I have missed?

Any reply would be wonderful.

emails: playmayhem@gmail.com

A Open-Source only gaming center with Linux computers is destined to fail.

PC gaming = Windows.

Using only OS games might seem fun and all, but the public wants the big name games.

malleus74
December 24th, 2008, 06:15 PM
I'm sure you could also go for a bit of nostalgia and do some emulated games through Mame, and the like. To cover the legalities you might have to buy a couple dozen broken arcade boards... then you could use Pacman/Galaga/Street Fighter, etc... Mame has thousands upon thousands of older arcade games available for it. I'm sure there's a simple frontend through Mythbuntu... or just go for gmameui and the like. You could even install emulators for a lot of systems like atari, nintendo, super nintendo, dreamcast, nintendo 64, playstation, and the like and play them at blazing speeds (as long as you owned the disks for a few bucks from ebay or your local junk store, why not?)

Why not do some kind of setup where theres a bit of a mix? Windows for the newer games, Ubuntu for the ported oldies-but-goodies, and you could use Windows or Ubuntu for the arcade games most of us grew up with?

Btw, don't forget Entropia Universe if you set up a Windows system. Free to play, and you can make money in it if your'e good:guitar: :)

zmjjmz
December 24th, 2008, 09:29 PM
A Open-Source only gaming center with Linux computers is destined to fail.

PC gaming = Windows.

Using only OS games might seem fun and all, but the public wants the big name games.

Not at an arcade center.
How many big name games (except PacMan) do you see at an arcade center? I have yet to see Halo being played on arcade machines or even TF2.

zmjjmz
December 24th, 2008, 09:30 PM
The problem with using Windows is explicitly stated in the title:

All Open-Source Gaming Center??? (opinions)

Johnsie
December 24th, 2008, 09:41 PM
There are a few good games for Linux, but there are far more for Windows.

Maxxtsch
December 24th, 2008, 11:10 PM
Have Vista on one drive for games and MP3 devices, and the other for your Linux for every thing else.

MasterNetra
December 24th, 2008, 11:19 PM
Have Vista on one drive for games and MP3 devices, and the other for your Linux for every thing else.

Vista kinda voids the idea of a All Open source Gaming Center as Vista isn't open source.

Coder543
December 24th, 2008, 11:38 PM
Look this is a fine idea. Windows would merely take away from the concept.

MaxIBoy
December 24th, 2008, 11:42 PM
There are enough Linux games to make it work.

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Quake 4, Alien Arena, Nexuiz, Warsow, OpenArena, World of Padman, UT2004, Promode, Urban Terror, PREY, and Quake 3, all have native Linux versions. I'm an FPS person, so I wouldn't know, but I bet that there are also a lot of native RTS and space-sim style games for Linux as well.

A great many other games work quite well under WINE.

Finally, a lot of games will come out for Linux in the near future. Almost all the Source engine games and UT3, for example.

Coder543
December 25th, 2008, 12:22 AM
Also, though "windows is for hard core gamers" I would beg to differ. Imagine this: 90% of the market share is Ubuntu, 8% Mac, and 2% Windows. Those "hard-core" gamers would be used to OpenArena, and Tremulous, and other games native to Ubuntu. They might switch to Windows and be like "This is trash, they don't have game x." It has nothing to do with the fact that there aren't good games for Ubuntu, it is people's terrible stereotypical nature. "I want this app, and I want it now." They might not care that there is a perfectly suitable replacement, or that they could probably get it to run in Ubuntu. You present the FOSS gaming center in a way that entails a different set of games.

Amanda Mayhem
December 25th, 2008, 09:06 PM
LoL. I shoulda been checking on this!

And I guess I should clarify my initial vision... (thanks for ALL of your replies, by the way)

I want a gaming center focused on online RPG's and some (I suppose) FPS games. I may not be a "hardcore gamer" exactly, but I have been playing WoW for a solid three and a half years. I've spent the last year playing on a Linux system running Ubuntu. WoW with WINE aaaaaalmost ran out of the box. My main issue is that my graphics are crappy, my laptop is a HUGE pain in the butt (with bad graphics) and the other five-year-old laptop I had could hardly run the newest (at the time) Ubuntu (feisty) let alone WoW with WINE. So I guess my limited personal experience with Linux doesn't give a fair overview of whether or not my undertaking would be possible - I'm not going to buy screaming fast processors, and the biggest baddest graphics card if Ubuntu and WINE won't bring it out for my purposes of playing WoW. (Maybe some of you could comment on your experiences)

Now, I do stand corrected - selling the time to play games like WoW, Eve, Guildwars, Prey etc, does NOT make this an ALL open-source gaming center/arcade kind of place, since these aren't open-source games. (I do, however, plan on bringing in plenty of Linux games) I also intend (as I've said) to use Ubuntu.

I think that there is a HUGE misconception that these are "Windows" games. Actually, the individual games themselves have NOTHING to do with Windows. Linux users (like me) are forced to use WINE/Codeweavers, or Cedega because THE GAMES DO NOT SUPPORT LINUX. (and this is because they say there isn't a "large enough" customer base...erg) And therefore Windows users able to play the games so much easier. I don't think this is right, because I believe in choice, the furthering of technology, and because Windows has taken over the virtual world, sooooo many people think Windows is simply the only way to go. I want to prove this wrong.

I really, really, really with all of my heart want to prove (and I'm getting more encouragement as I go along!) that I CAN run a business with Linux, that I CAN game with Linux - even the big-name games (heck, ESPECIALLY those lol), and that we do have a choice. I hope for this to be my little contribution to show other people, and maybe even these companies that there are other choices and that people want them. Maybe people who come in will wonder what Linux is all about and learn about and even learn to love Linux games - and this would expand our ever-growing community. *goosebumps again* I have a million ideas...

I'm so happy and proud to be able to bounce this off on you guys.
Thanks again for sharing.

playmayhem@gmail.com

P.S. - I got an email from Codeweavers today! They are on-board and confident that this can be done :D eeeeek! AND this was said in the email:
"... we also use and recommend Ubuntu. We feel it is one of the best and most stable Linux distros on the market today. You can't go wrong with this software."

MaxIBoy
December 25th, 2008, 09:14 PM
Sounds good!

My main question is, if you're going to have people dropping in to play RPGs, how are you going to do that? For example, with WoW, can you log into an account from multiple different computers?

It seems to me that even just a few FPS and RTS games would be a good idea, as those are easy to just "walk in and play."

Also, the ability for people to host servers and play by LAN against other people in the same building is a good idea.

Amanda Mayhem
December 25th, 2008, 10:38 PM
Yeah, with WoW as long as you have an account with them you can play on any computer with WoW on it :)

A lot of ppl don't have computers, or can't afford a really good one so maybe I'll break a small piece of the digital divide with this too. The actual WoW subscriptions are about $15/mo if you only pay month to month - not too bad. The game/expansions/and computers are the expensive part.

The LAN gaming - in total agreement, I guess my second biggest aim outside of showing people what ubuntu/linux is capable of is to bring gamers back together again. Playing with someone from far away is awesome, but I sure would like to play with all my friends too! :popcorn:

amanda
playmayhem@gmail.com

rickyjones
December 25th, 2008, 11:28 PM
Hello - I'd like to offer some opinions on this topic as I've actually owned a computer gaming center.

The gaming center I used to own was exclusively Windows and the latest and greatest games/hardware. Why? Because this is what our target market asked for. The most common gaming market wants to play the latest games on the latest hardware for the lowest possible cost. We were originally located in a downtown urban area with residents that had small pocket books. They still wanted the latest and greatest and would venture to other gaming centers if we could not deliver.

I find it interesting that you wish to use all open source software - that is certainly ambitious and this post is not to dissuade you, but to lend my opinions and experience.

When looking at the concept for a gaming center I suggest you think of the following:

1. How will you track usage of your computers? Can anyone log on for any amount of time? Will you sell time? How will you track this?

2. Who is your market? Teenagers? Young adults? Older adults? What games do they like to play? How many of these people are near your location? How much disposable income is in this area?

3. How many computers will you have?

4. What kind of an internet connection is available? For example, we began our gaming center with a simple 3Mb DSL line from a local telco. For 20 computers accessing the internet this was OK. For just 10 of those computers playing online games... no good. Internet browsing requires very little, but online games take up a ton of bandwidth.

5. Marketing - how will you sell your gaming center experience? What are you offering that will draw people in? This is where the "latest and greatest" comes in to play -- people like the new shiny stuff.

That is what I could think of off the top of my head.

Personally I'd like to recommend that you consider a compromise. Have some systems configured with the latest and greatest games running on Windows XP Professional SP3. Have a few systems running Ubuntu on the same hardware and get some games on there and see what your customers prefer. Then focus more on what will get the customers in to the door.

The website for the center I used to co-own is http://www.ulxgr.com.

I wish you well in your venture.

Thanks,
Richard

Bölvağur
December 26th, 2008, 04:02 AM
I would be interested in seeing a graph of your estimated profit per month.

As much as I wish to see this working, I cannot see it returning any profit.

There was an italian last year getting help from this forum setting up his internet café with ubuntu. That I can see returning profit mixed up with some games.

man I have been thinking about this and I must advice to you to make a market plan before going forth. There are just too many traps to be able to avoid them all :(

Amanda Mayhem
December 26th, 2008, 08:08 PM
These last two comments are great and perfect advice! Actually, I have been working on this for the past year - it started as a silly and fun idea to work on (it was required to come up with something) in an entrepreneurship class, and between that and the marketing class, we (my husband and I)started to get REALLY excited! We would have moved forward on it more, but money was/is an issue for us. Gaming centers aren't a new idea, and as we studied other models, and did market research, we found that people are marketing to the wrong people and focusing on the wrong games. Many of them appeared to be in areas that seemed to (just by checking out the storefront and general area) not be able to support the business.

I live in a great area with above average income (but not all super-rich) - there are a plethora of people that are in our target demographic, and I really do believe that people in my fun, funky little town (in a great centralized location!) would be open to learning about open-source, green computing, and the like (I could use some more actual market-research there). My husband is the financial guy, and I've been polishing up the business plan this week. We'll be incorporating our name in days.

There seem to be more advantages than not to using Ubuntu. I'm still not convinced that windows will be "easier". Licensing, Hiring Microsoft Techs, and the constant issues of viruses and the ease that hackers seem to have in hacking Windows. You know, I saw an article while I was researching the other day saying that either japan or china outlawed companies to store people's personal information on PC's!

(side note: It's starting to look like WoW can't work on a thin client/server setup - I'm really sad... the pros to this setup are INCREDIBLE.... ah well)


Bolvadur: (can't do special chars, sorry! lol) You're right, there are a lot of "pitfalls". Alllll those pitfalls are just little learning experiences, and if we went through life worried about pitfalls, we'd never get anywhere. As it stands, we're just moving forward one step at a time. If we make it, great. If not.... great! It's been a wonderful experience anyway - we aren't trying to become multi-mega-millionaires here, just do something we really love. And thank you for thinking on this for me :) I'm considering many things, the internet cafe' is a good idea.

My favorite author (neil gaiman) says that Iceland is a truly magickal place.

Wow, I didn't think anyone would give a crap about my little idea... once again, thank you.

MaxIBoy
December 26th, 2008, 10:59 PM
Buy some brackets, some bolts, a long chain for each row of computers, a long wire for each chain, and some padlocks.

Bolt one bracket to each computer. Using padlocks, attach each computer to the chain. Weave the wire through the chain, and hook the wire up to an always-closed relay, such that if the wire is severed, the relay closes. If the relay closes, it sets off an alarm.

Now, you can't steal one computer without stealing the whole row, and you can't cut/move the chain without setting off an alarm.

Coder543
December 27th, 2008, 07:46 PM
Also worth noting is that in my area there are a number of (probably) good businesses, however the problem is that they do not advertise and are off the main street so they don't get any business. Make sure you create some attractive (and not annoying) billboards in your area that will get people to go to your gaming center. Without adverts, your success is (probably) based on word of mouth.

Capt. Mac
December 27th, 2008, 08:35 PM
I suggest that you consider it 'open-source powered' instead of 'all open-source' if you're going to run proprietary commercial games. It may or may not be helpful to advertise it as an internet cafe as well. Also, if you're interested in more traffic to your location, you might consider offering free wifi. Just some thoughts :)

Good luck with your venture, your idea sounds pretty cool.

jpittack
December 27th, 2008, 08:46 PM
Someone tried this is in Southeast Asia, but I don't remember what country. No "big name" games came there, so every one was content with what was offered. It all worked out well.

Coder543
December 28th, 2008, 01:48 AM
Free Wifi is definitely a good plan.
Also, before you buy your hardware... it has come to my attention that nVidia cards would most likely work out for the betterment of the experience. (esp. if you at all plan on seeing WoW with Wine, for it runs best with nVidias on Wine for some reason)

MaxIBoy
December 28th, 2008, 02:02 AM
ATI cards tend to give you slightly less bang for way less buck. If you're building a whole bunch of these machines (definitely don't buy prefabs,) you'll want to weigh cost vs. performance.

Coder543
December 28th, 2008, 02:44 AM
I don't think she (or her husband) want to sit down and build twenty computers. Do you?

MaxIBoy
December 28th, 2008, 03:13 AM
I actually would. But I see your point.

Still, don't just waltz into alienware.com, point at a good model, and say "I'll take twenty of those." You'll loose a lot of money.

Coder543
December 28th, 2008, 03:27 AM
A valid point. I also would not recommend getting alienware. That is about the same as buying apple computers... except without the awesome OS and the awesome tech support (aka. paying for overpriced hardware).

MaxIBoy
December 28th, 2008, 03:38 AM
That was kind of the first OEM name that popped into my head, after Dell. And Dell obviously doesn't specialize in gaming equipment.

But yeah, you need to either pay someone to assemble the computers for you (providing the parts,) or find some way of buying in bulk.

Coder543
December 28th, 2008, 03:53 PM
So, "Amanda Mayhem", have you anything to report on how the gaming center is occuring... or is it not?

BatsotO
December 28th, 2008, 04:13 PM
I'm installed some open free game to in my internet cafes, assaultcube and open arena.
The hardware i use is not really high-end, just gigabyte mobo, p4 3 gigs, and 512 ddr2 ram, with 3d capable onboard vga. It can run most of the open source game smoothly, after i disable compiz, so for hardware you can choose what fit you most, decent processor, dont have to be dual core thing, always good graphic card (nvidia please) enough ram, and you set, for open source gaming center. But It would be different if you go to graphic intense game, savage 2 need minimum 1 gig ram and 128 graphic card. I would suggest you dont by built up because you can choose wider range of hardware and can bargain for cheaper price too.

Swarms
December 28th, 2008, 06:35 PM
The idea of using Ubuntu is interesting, but remember that in the end it is not about using "idealistic correct" software but turning a profit. Using a open source operating system can and will be a problem.
It is about offering the latest and greatest games plus the classics that people still play like CS 1.6. If you are unable to offer them, customers will be dissatisfied and take their business elsewhere.
Though your contact with Codeweavers sounds very interesting, anymore info on that?

Amanda Mayhem
December 31st, 2008, 10:05 AM
Oh wow! I hadn't logged in for about four days... and I sort of figured you guys lost interest... I hope I haven't lost you for good!

First off, I don't know if any of you have MySpace (I personally hate it, but it seems to be a necessity these days) my first "online presence" for the company is here:
http://www.myspace.com/playmayhem
I've been blogging every day about what I've been up to. I'd really love to be "friended" lol

The big news: WE ARE "OFFICIAL"! WE ARE REGISTERED WITH THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND OWN THE NAME MAYHEM, INC!:guitar:

Lessee...
I noticed some really good ideas in here, thank you!
Um, actually Coder, Yes. Yes I DO want to build my own systems! I can't think of anything more blissful right now than sitting in my store, smelling fresh paint, and assembling boxes of pretty shiny new parts.

Boo on Alenware, Dell, oh god - and have you guys looked at Gateways "gaming systems"??? Sheeesh! When getting down to the nuts and bolts of it, some of these places are practically LYING to you... I've seen one where you have the new sexy dell i7 processor but some crappy junk graphics card. Wow.

Codeweavers: They are the guys who make WINE. Codeweavers is the business they have that you can pay to "make" wine work for your different ******* apps across different platforms. They have "Crossover Mac" - "Your Windows Applications, Seamlessly Integrated On Mac OS X", "Crossover Games" -"With CrossOver Games, you can run many popular Windows games on your Intel OS X Mac or Linux PC", and "Crossover Linux" - "Your Windows Applications, Seamlessly Integrated On Linux". Both their Mac OS version and their Linux one comes with both home and professional versions. Here's their website: http://www.codeweavers.com \
Edit--> I misunderstood the comment about "anything more on codeweavers". lol. Nothing much. He answered all my questions, and I talked to him about licensing. But we won't have much else to say to each other until we're just about ready to launch. I'm pretty psyched about these guys.

I think I responded to everything... I'll be checking back more. Take care you guys, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope to see you online soon :)

Amanda Mayhem
Mayhem, Inc.
http://www.myspace.com
/playmayhem (http://www.myspace.com/playmayhem)
playmayhem@gmail.com
***oooh I feel so... Official!***

Amanda Mayhem
December 31st, 2008, 10:30 AM
I LOVE "Open-Source Powered". Thank you thank you thank you Capt. Mac. I am going to use this... MUCH more accurate!

Absolutely on the "free WiFi". I'm do see my place as a community place. God, because it's so late I don't remember the actual term for it, but a wonderful professor of mine taught me/us about a public community place where people share their opinions, ideas, and share knowledge and exchange what he called "social currency" (Ironically, he and I regularly argued about whether or not places on the internet be that kind of place... erg) Anywho, that's what I want.

I do plan on turning a profit, and I believe I can do that, and do it at the same time for good, moral, and ethical reasons. I had to think long and hard about being "open-source powered" because I think you have to be careful about money and open-source/"free" software. But I think as a company I can help educate about this movement. By doing this I will "grow the revolution" so-to-speak and create buzz for my business at the same time. While I haven't put it into "real" practice (oh boy will that be the true test, but I'm still pretty freakin' confident) I'm absolutely certain that I CAN bring big-name games to people on these systems, and at the same time show others that there are also some pretty kick-azz open-source and linux-supported games out there too. I'm sure there'll be issues, and some challenges, but I kind of feel like more businesses out there - businesses of every kind - need to take the step and just do it. That way it can be easier later on.

Man, I really need to go to bed. lol. What if no one ever reads this? What if someone does, who has money, takes all this and I never get this thing that is my dream - off the ground? I believe in being open, and in the power of information-sharing, but what if it bites me in the butt? Pretty hypocritical of me to be thinking as I've been benefitting from open-source for a million in one ways for at least the past ten years. This is what keeps me up at night. Don't tell *snicker*

Yeah, I'm going to bed. Night all!

Coder543
January 1st, 2009, 01:14 AM
About online presence, Facebook is a ton better than myspace. (Do both) And no, you haven't 'lost' us (at least not me, I'm still subscribed to this thread.) I don't see a problem using open-source for profit.... but I am no lawyer and have not actually read the GPL or LGPL.

Have fun building those computers. :)

And if you go to thread tools -> subscribe to thread
then you can get email notifications about postings on that thread.

Coder543
September 29th, 2009, 03:48 PM
-wonders what became of this-

juancarlospaco
September 29th, 2009, 04:12 PM
See the facts at my country, the sucesfullness. (http://ciberplanetaxxi.com.ar/)

moore.davidv11
December 3rd, 2009, 06:43 AM
There are a few good games for Linux, but there are far more for Windows.