Steam for Linux Passes 1600 Games Exactly Three Years After Launch

Steam has changed the Linux ecosystem forever

Steam for Linux has been around for three years, and it completely changed the landscape, bringing a lot of games to Gnu/Linux and signaling to the industry that this OS is ready to become a gaming platform for who want to Switch to Gnu/Linux.

The launch of Steam for Linux back in November 2012 has done much more than just convince a lot of developers to port their games to the open source OS. It sent a clear signal to the entire community, not just gaming, that it’s time to look at Gnu/Linux more carefully and start building products for it and expecting more Gnu/Linux laptops for next upcoming years.

Let’s just take the example of Nvidia and AMD. Both companies had drivers for Linux users, but they were in a really poor state, and they didn’t seem to care. The advent of gaming changed all that and we now have much more frequent driver releases, and it’s clear that the developers from these companies have a lot more work to do. Also, Nvidia is working to port the available middleware as well.

Where is Steam for Gnu/Linux going?

Right now, there are over 1600 games (1618) on the Steam for Linux, and the number of releases increases all the time. More developers choose to port the titles for Linux users, developers change their engines to export for Linux, and feature parity between Windows and Linux graphics will be a fact once the new Vulkan (OpenGL spiritual successor) is released.

We can’t really say that Steam for Linux is a success, as it’s still too early to tell. What we do know is that Valve is also heavily investing a new Linux operating system named SteamOS, based on Debian, and it has big plans for the future.

Valve is playing the long game and they don’t seem to expect fast results. As it stands right now, the Linux users account for about 1%, but they do hope that’s going to change in the future, albeit not the immediate one.

Twitter Launches An “Alpha” Testing Program On Android, Invites Users To Give Feedback And Collaborate Directly

Twitter launched a beta testing program on Android which allows users to opt-in to try out early versions of the Twitter application and other unreleased features which are being considered for inclusion in the official Twitter mobile applications. Now it seems the company is taking this testing one step further – or rather, one step back – with the launch of an alpha testing program for Android users.

Alpha versions of the Twitter app “will include earlier iterations of experiments,” says Twitter in a post to the Twitter for Android Alpha Program Google Group, where it shares announcements about its testing programs.The program will also give users the opportunity to provide direct feedback and collaborate directly with the company via a forum, the message explains.

That’s much more involvement that the beta program allows for, as beta users generally just receive a new build of the Android app for testing purposes, but don’t really interact with the company beyond sharing bug reports. Alpha testers, meanwhile, may have the ability to actually influence the direction Twitter heads.

The program will have limited space, and it will be accepting requests on a first-come, first-serve basis. Those who are invited in will receive an email confirmation in a few days if they’re able to get in. Note that joining a test group like this is not for those who rely heavily on the Twitter app working perfectly all the time. An alpha build of an app will have stability issues and far more bugs than the beta or public releases.

Twitter is not the only company to turn to Google Groups and the Android platform to gather up app testers. Other companies have also begun running tests there in recent months, including both Snapchat and Facebook. But Twitter is keen to experiment with its mobile interface, having added a number of new features and changes just ahead of yesterday’s IPO event, including rich media-filled Twitter Cards, a blue line to connect conversations, interaction buttons on the mobile timeline, pre-expanded images, and more.

Not all the changes have been warmly welcomed by Twitter’s user base however – the blue line, in particular, irks some to no end. But with Twitter’s alpha program, there may be room for Twitter’s most vocal and engaged users to have a say in these changes earlier on.

Microsoft Surface Shames Partners in Best Possible Way

You could be mistaken for believing that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was channeling the spirit of Steve Jobs during the launch event of Microsoft's new Surface tablets. Tell me if you think this sounds familiar:

"We believe that any intersection between human and machine can be made better when hardware and software are considered together."

It's a page ripped right out of the Apple playbook, and I don't blame Microsoft for taking matters into its own hands. In fact, Microsoft's self-made tablets look like the best thing to happen to the PC industry in a long time. Nevermind the fact that Microsoft is competing with its own partners. The company just helped them by putting them on notice.

Leading up to the launch of Windows 8, I've seen a lot of laptop-tablet hybrid designs that attempt to marry the two classes of products. Some are Ultrabooks with touch capability while others are slates that detach from a dock. But the Surface is the first hybrid that feels like a fully integrated and holistic solution. The premium magnesium design screams “high-quality,” while the sturdy kickstand that folds out from the device is ideal for entertainment and typing.

Which brings us to the Touch Cover. It's an ingenious accessory that attaches to the device magnetically but does Apple's Smart Cover one better by building in a ultrathin, pressure-sensitive keyboard and touchpad. Add in Office 15 and you have the Microsoft equivalent of the iPad Pro.

The Surface will come in two flavors, one powered by an Nvidia ARM processor running Windows RT and another with an Intel CPU running Windows 8 Pro. The former product looks like it has more potential for success because it’s lighter (1.5 versus 2 pounds) and will be cheaper. The Surface for Windows 8 Pro looks more like an enterprise play, with the distinct advantage of supporting Microsoft’s huge library of desktop apps.

Nevertheless, both Surface tablets seem to cater more to mobile professionals than everyday consumers. After all, lots of iPad owners seem content typing on a touch screen. But to me, that’s a smart move. I’ve yet to use the iPad for work on a regular basis because it simply doesn’t do enough for me as a productivity machine. There’s a real opening here for Microsoft.

The Surface launch event left a lot of questions unanswered. We don’t know the exact resolutions of the screens, just a vague ClearType HD for the ARM tablet and Full HD for the Intel one. And we don’t know the rated battery life of either product. Most important, Microsoft hasn’t yet provided details on pricing, although the company does say the Surface for Windows RT will be priced competitively with other ARM-based Windows 8 (we’re guessing $500 to $600) slates and that the Surface for Windows 8 Pro will have a similar cost to an Ultrabook (probably about $1,000).

Microsoft shouldn’t be the least bit skittish about going head to head with its Windows 8 licensees. It should be proud of the Surface’s sexy industrial design and for forcefully rebutting Apple CEO Tim Cook's claim that putting PCs and tablets together is like mashing together refrigerators and toasters. If Microsoft’s partners are wise, they’ll turn that jealousy into inspiration — or just get out of the way.

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Microsoft terminates Windows Gadgets with extreme prejudice

Hey, Windows users! Microsoft has some bad, or possibly good, news.

It's recommending that all users disable the Windows Sidebar and Gadgets — immediately.

"Disabling the Windows Sidebar and Gadgets can help protect customers from vulnerabilities that involve the execution of arbitrary code by the Windows Sidebar when running insecure Gadgets," states a security advisory released Tuesday (July 10) by Microsoft.

"In addition, Gadgets installed from untrusted sources can harm your computer and can access your computer's files, show you objectionable content, or change their behavior at any time."

Fidget, widget, gadget

Gadgets are those little mini-applications, resembling animated icons, that hang around the desktop to tell you the time, weather, news headlines and so on. (Other software makers, including Apple and Yahoo!, call them "widgets.")

'Gadgets installed from untrusted sources can harm your computer.'
- Microsoft security advisory

Gadgets, and the Windows Sidebar they live in, first appeared in 2007 as a default setting in Vista. Many users hated them, complained that they took up too many computer resources and turned them off immediately.

Windows 7 has Gadgets built in as well, but they're turned off by default. Instead of being in a sidebar pinned to the right edge of the screen, Gadgets are in a floating window that can be placed anywhere on the desktop.

If you're running Windows 7 and really want to see them, right-click on your desktop and select "Gadgets."

But Microsoft now wishes you really wouldn't. Its security advisory points to a download page that contains a tool users can run to disable Gadgets and, in Vista, the Sidebar. 

The page where Microsoft used to host additional Gadgets for download now states, "The Windows website no longer hosts the gadget gallery."

Pre-emptive execution

Graham Cluley of the British security firm Sophos thinks Microsoft's sudden decision to kill a five-year-old piece of software has to do with a presentation, entitled  " We Have You by the Gadgets," scheduled for the Black Hat security conference later this month in Las Vegas.

"We will be talking about the Windows Gadget platform and what the nastiness that can be done with it," state the presenters in less-than-perfect English on the Black Hat website. "We will be talking about our research into creating malicious gadgets, misappropriating legitimate gadgets and the sorts of flaws we have found in published gadgets."

Presumably, the presenters will demonstrate how easy it is to create Trojan-horse malware in the form of gadgets.

It's likely that the problem lies with third-party gadgets, not Microsoft's own, but Cluley found it noteworthy that Microsoft isn't even trying to fix the problem.

"Microsoft hasn't issued a security patch to fix the vulnerability," he wrote on Sophos' Naked Security blog. "They're suggesting you completely nuke your Windows Sidebar and Gadgets."

Gadgets have not yet appeared in the preview versions of Windows 8, due this fall, and likely never will.

Microsoft's secret weapon in mobile gaming: DirectX on Windows Phone 8

Not many people remember this, but the original Xbox got its name from Microsoft's plans to deliver a "Direct X Box" to the home console market. Feeling the need to counteract the growing influence of consoles at the turn of the century, Microsoft sought to bring DirectX — its proprietary collection of programming interfaces (APIs) used to build games for Windows — to the living room. 

While its first attempt was rightly derided as a chopped-down desktop PC dressed up in home entertainment garb, the consequent Xbox 360 has been a runaway success with users, and its slim second iteration has also been a fantastic feat of hardware engineering to boot. And it all started with that seemingly innocuous group of APIs. Now, Direct X is coming to Windows Phone.

Before we all get too far ahead of ourselves, let's recall just how many years it took Microsoft to perfect its home console recipe with the Xbox. Wading into a new market is always difficult, mistakes will inevitably be made along the way, and progress will be slower than interested observers will want it to be. So no, you won't soon be taking your Crysis 2 gaming session on the road with just the Windows Phone handset in your pocket. But the potential is most certainly there.

Whereas the commonalities between the original Xbox and the desktop PC were initially scorned, with Windows Phone 8, being similar to Windows is the point. Obviously not in hardware terms, but Microsoft's message from the Windows Phone Summit is crystal clear: the software underpinnings of Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 have a "shared core," which is composed of the same kernel and multiple other coding interfaces that make it easy for developers to port apps between the two. The reason I consider DirectX the most critical one among them should by now be self-evident, but it's easy enough to illustrate by pointing out that DX incompatibility is the main reason why the Mac has long trailed far behind Windows in terms of desktop and laptop gaming.

WITH WINDOWS PHONE 8, BEING SIMILAR TO WINDOWS IS A GOOD THING

Microsoft has already signed up third-party middleware providers like Havok and Autodesk to support WP8, with yesterday's Summit including multiple demos showing off the Havok Physics engine. The most encouraging aspect came at the end, when Head of Product Management Andrew Bowell noted that it took Havok" under three weeks" to port its rather gruesome "full fat" body simulation asset.

Yes, Havok already supports Android, iOS, and plenty of other platforms, but it's just another solid piece in the mobile gaming puzzle that Microsoft is putting together. Adding native development support, giving game makers access to the low-level APIs that they've wanted and been denied on Windows Phone until this new version, is going to drive a lot of interest. Microsoft is still going to face challenges in increasing its smartphone market share, but at least now games like Shadowgun won't be prevented by technical barriers from appearing on its platform.

Beyond giving devs access to mature and familiar tools in DirectX, Microsoft offers another big advantage over Android: a consistent hardware platform. Calling Android fragmented may sound like a tired and ancient complaint, but it remains sadly valid. If Android devices could offer consistent baseline specs to game developers, we wouldn't need things like the Tegra Zone or Play Station Mobile to tell us where to find games with higher-quality graphics. Microsoft may be in the midst of performing another hardware reset with Windows Phone 8 — the lack of backwards compatibility to Windows Phone 7 devices is a bitter pill to swallow — but its continued focus on standardized specs gives game makers a set of goalposts that isn't shifting as rapidly as on Google's platform.

THERE'S A LOT OF WORK STILL TO DO, BUT WINDOWS PHONE'S GAMING POTENTIAL NO LONGER HAS A CEILING

In choosing the snapdragon S4 Plus as the processor and a high-res 1280 x 768 as the max resolution, Microsoft is going for the best currently available technology with its new platform. That's a lesson learned from its initial launch of Windows Phone 7, which ran very smoothly in itself, but was released on a Snapdragon core that was immediately superseded by faster and more efficient parts.

None of the foregoing factors are guarantees for success, as Microsoft's timing and execution with Windows Phone 8's release will still be decisive, but there's great reason to feel encouraged about the future of mobile gaming on Windows Phone 8. Whereas Android has a massive and hungry audience and seemingly no consistent way to sate it, Microsoft looks to have all the pieces in place to deliver compelling new gaming experiences. The former is the opportunity, the latter is the tool with which to exploit it.

Now it's just a matter of convincing game makers to make games — shouldn't be too hard, right?

Google Earth, now in 3-D!

 

With 3-D imagery, expanded street view, and offline access, Google Earth and Google Maps got a pretty major boost this week. Rumor has it that Google is beefing up their services before Apple launches its own competing map app.

 

   Google announced a new offline Maps mode which, when paired with a little foresight, will let you use the service even when you don't have Internet access. Just save an area of a map while you're connected, and you can call it up later no matter how deep in country backroads you are.

 

 Offline Maps support was just one of the new features Google announced on Wednesday. It's also going to start offering high-resolution 3-D imagery, or what the company calls the "next dimension" of maps, in the Google Earth program. Google is putting Earth cameras on a number of small planes, which then fly around buildings and over strips of cities, snapping thousands of images from different angles. Google then stitches all the images together to make a 3-D map of, say, a city skyline.

Google Earth has featured 3-D images of certain buildings for a while now (to see an example, enable the "3-D buildings" layer in Google Earth, then take the program's "sightseeing tour" of famous landmarks), but the new technology can show a whole metropolitan area in 3-D. For now, you're limited to zooming around the San Francisco skyline on the mobile Android app, but Google promises to have 3-D coverage of more cities and suburbs -- covering at least 300 million people -- and a roll-out to the desktop version of Google Earth by the end of the year.

Google is also turning its attention to less-populous areas with the new Trekker service, which aims to do for foot-accessible areas what Street View did for streets. As the service expands, hikers and bikers will be able to get a ground-level view of trails and locations that can be reached by foot. Trekker is powered by a 40-pound, backpack-sized Street View camera that captures 360-degree views of any place you can hike to.

 

There's a long string of rumors suggesting that Apple is preparing its own mapping service, which could be unveiled at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference next week. If that's the case, then Google's launch this week is probably aimed at showing just how committed they are to Maps. Currently, iPads and iPhones ship with Google Maps pre-installed, but it's no secret that Apple doesn't particularly enjoy having to rely on Google to provide mapping on the iOS platform. The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that the new version of iOS will contain Apple's own mapping service, and that Cupertino will begin encouraging app developers to use their maps, in place of Google's, in applications.

Are you excited about the new Google Earth features? Are you expecting Apple to roll out something even better? Let us know in the comments section below.

 Follow us on www.networkupdate.blogspot.in for more tech news.

 

Microsoft takes on Apple with plans to bring Xbox gaming to tablets and smartphones as firm launches 'next-generation smart TV'

Microsoft has revealed plans to bring its Xbox gaming service to tablet computers and mobile phones.
New software called 'Smart Glass' will let console owners use their phone or tablet as a remote control for their games console, and to see information about shows as they watch.
They can also 'beam' video and music from their phone to their Xbox.

Launch: Microsoft's Phil Spencer speaks at the Xbox briefing event in Los Angeles on Monday

Network: Future versions of the console will work with smartphones, tablet computers and televisions

Smart Glass: The new technology is believed to be an attempt to compete with the likes of Apple

Connected: The next generation of televisions is expected to be hooked up to the internet by default

Browser: A new version of Internet Explorer is designed to work with the XboxSpectacle: R&B star Usher performed at the Microsoft event which came ahead of the E3 convention

Anticipation: Queues for the Microsoft media briefing show the excitement around the new Xbox launch

'Every TV becomes smart next-generation TV,' said Xbox's Don Mattrick at a glitzy press conference which featured a performance from rap star Usher.
It comes as Apple is also believed to developing a smart TV which some analysts say could be on sale early next year.

Xbox showed a demonstration of its technology using HBO show Game of Thrones, with users seeing a map of the show's locations which changed in real time as the episode progressed.
The software is set to be launched later this year, and is expected to be free for console owners.

'This is a breakthrough in entertainment that makes all your devices work together,' said Mark Witten of Xbox live. 'Xbox Smart Glass works with TV, phone and tablet.'
Microsoft also revealed it is releasing a version of its Internet Explorer web browser for the console, which will let users use a phone or remote as a trackpad to navigate web pages.
The company also unveiled a new music service for its Xbox console designed to take on iTunes and Spotify.
Called Xbox Music, it is set to launch later this year, and will also work on phones and tablets running Microsoft software.
It will allow users to download and listen to music through their living room TV, as well as on their mobile. The firm also showed the service running on tablet computer, but refused to reveal any details of pricing.
The firm also showed off a raft of new games for its Xbox console at the E3 gaming conference in Los Angeles, including a new version of the hugely popular Halo and Call of Duty.
Microsoft has also signed a deal with Nike to create a new fitness game using the Kinect camera, which can track players as they work out, and even let them work out with others.
'Nike plus Kinect training will give you access to the same training as our elite athletes,' said Nike's Stefan Orlando.
'You can earn fuel points, and be reminded via your phone every time you are due a workout.'

Microsoft’s on{x} pushes mobile automation to new heights, but only for Android users [video]

Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled a new app and set of APIs called on{x}, which pushes smartphone automation to new heights. The app allows users to write custom scripts that automate various smartphone functions based on time, location and a number of parameters similar software does not currently support. On{x} opens the door to a wide range of functionality that isn’t widely available anywhere else, but for the time being, users with smartphones powered by Microsoft's own Windows Phone platform won’t have access to any of it.

In a demonstration video posted by Microsoft on Tuesday, Microsoft researchers provide a number of intriguing examples of functionality that might be automated by on{x}. In one example, the app automatically sends a text message to the user’s boyfriend when she leaves work to let him know she is on her way to meet him. In another, the app’s “modeOfTransport” API is utilized to make a smartphone automatically adjust its settings based on whether the user is walking, running or driving a car.

While writing the scripts to trigger various actions does require some programing knowledge, Microsoft includes a number of “recipes” for various actions on its on{x} website that can be pushed to devices without any alterations needed on the part of the user. Users can manage all of their recipes on the on{x} website as well, and new ones can easily be sent to devices right from the site’s control panel.

So what’s the catch? In an interesting twist, on{x} is only available for Android devices.

Microsoft Said To Introduce Office For IPads

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is preparing to release its first-ever version of its Office software forApple Inc. (AAPL)’s mobile devices this year, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

The software will make the word-processing program Word and spreadsheet-maker Excel available on Apple’s iPad tablets and iPhones, said the people, who requested anonymity because the product hasn’t been made public.

Enlarge image

Adding Office software onto the iPad is key to Microsoft’s growth, particularly in the corporate market. IPads accounted for 97 percent of tablets bought by businesses in the first quarter, according to a survey of users by Good Technology Inc., a maker of wireless-device security technology. Devices that run Microsoft software and compete with the iPad won’t be available until later this year.

The software could either be preloaded on some devices or sold as an application at Apple’s App Store. There will be competition: The top-grossing app last Christmas was Google Inc.’s Quickoffice, a productivity tool for viewing and editing Office documents.

Another app, CloudOn, which lets consumers use Word, Excel and PowerPoint on tablets, has had more than 1 million downloads, and raised about $10 million in venture capital, CloudOn Inc. Chief Executive Officer Milind Gadekar said in an interview. The startup has always expected Microsoft to come out with its own version of Office for tablets and hopes to win customers with extra features, Gadekar said.

Tablet sales will climb 85 percent to 126.6 million units this year, according to IHS iSuppli Research . IPads accounted for two of every three tablets sold in the first quarter, according to data compiled by ABI Research and Bloomberg.

Mobile-Phone Presence

Microsoft has been making an effort to increase its presence on mobile devices. The Redmond, Washington-based company struck a deal with Nokia Oyj to place its Windows operating system on Nokia’s handsets and earlier this year Microsoft showed off a version of the system run on ARM processors, which are found on most mobile phones.

The company will release the next version of Office, called Office 15, in the coming months, according to Microsoft. Microsoft’s business division reported $5.81 billion in revenue last quarter, a 10 percent increase from a year ago, as demand for Office 2010 remained strong.

The Boy Genius Report said on May 23 that Microsoft is planning to release Office for Apple and Android mobile devices in November.

Apple may ditch Google maps in next version of iOS

Apple and Google are known to fight on occasion, so we shouldn't be surprised that the two are having a little tiff over maps right now. But let's review what's going on.

As the folks at the Wall Street Journal point out, "the iPhone and Google Maps have seemed like ideal digital bedfellows" ever since they got together in 2007. The iPhone has relied on Google Maps — the search engine giant's map service — in order to keep Apple fanboys and fangirls from getting lost in the real world.

But, based on recent reports, Apple may finally be ready to ditch Google's resources for its own. According to BGR's Jonathan Geller, iOS 6 — the next version of Apple's mobile operating system — will bring 3-D mapping features which use mapping technology developed by Apple. The Wall Street Journal explains that the Cupertino-based company may preview iOS 6 during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote on June 11 2012.

According to current and former Apple employees who've spoken with the Wall Street Journal, "Apple has been hatching the plan to evict Google Maps from the iPhone for years." Over time, Apple has "quietly acquired at least three cutting-edge map companies, melding their technology with its own" and begun developing its own proprietary mapping service.

Google isn't standing by idly, of course. The company is holding a press event on June 6 — mere days before Apple's keynote event — during which Brian McClendon, VP of Google Maps and Google Earth, will show off "the next dimension of Google Maps."