Hello guys, I'm sure you all followed the news from Valve about the announced release of Steam on Linux. And in the storm of news, articles and other announces related to gaming on Linux, I read this one this afternoon : <a href="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/08/21/how-easy-is-it-to-play-windows-games-on-linux">How easy is it to play windows games on Linux?</a> Then I thought: what Linux and Ubuntu particularly have to bring more than Mac OS or Windows? Why gamers and game developpers would want to come here and stay? I think part of the answer can be found in the recent interviews of Gabe Newell: the openess of the platform at a time where all other major OS makers are closing their systems more and more : - Microsoft is r<a href="http://arstechnica.com/business/2011/09/only-enterprise-and-developers-can-bypass-windows-store-for-metro-apps/">educing access to Windows 8</a> with its Windows Store - Apple in its just released 10.8 had also reduce the access to the system with <a href="http://arstechnica.com/apple/2011/11/apple-pushes-back-sandboxing-deadline-as-devs-struggle-with-tradeoffs/">sandboxing</a> and <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/software/operating-systems/os-x-10-8-mountain-lion-1089822/review?artc_pg=9">gatekeeper</a> Then I though about the future: how will we search for and buy a game on Linux? We'll have the choice between Desura, Steam, Play On Linux (and other Wine wrappers), the Ubuntu Software Center and why not, eventually new other ones. The life of the user will be more complicated because he'll have to switch from one software to another to search for games although desktop environments are trying to have a better integration of remote and cloud ressources. So I thought the best I would want as a user is to search for everything I want to install on my desktop from the Ubuntu Software Center. Although I'm not aware of the future plans for the application I think it would be really amazing to have a plugin system on the Ubuntu Software Center to plug external content database to its search engine so we could see the content available from Desura, Steam AND Play on Linux (and maybe others). These plugins should work (and keep updated their databases) even without these applications installed. So the user should be asked to install it to be able to install that game or that software. First argument against this idea : why Valve, Desura or others would want to do it? I'm not sure but if the Ubuntu Software Center only open these softwares at the right page (so act as a search engine but don't host the content itself) I don't see why it would be a problem? They would also gain more visibility since even if Steam or Desura are not installed on Ubuntu by the user, he could be asked to install them if he search for content they are hosting. Second argument against this idea: why Ubuntu and the Ubuntu Software would want to do it? Firstly to ease the use of the desktop for the end user. Secondly to offer what guys that are coming to our platform are searching for: freedom. You may think it's ironic since we are talking about closed-source softwares but it is not. I'm talking of freedom as in freedom of choice. Regarding this topic I think the Ubuntu Software Center should really tag clearly what is open-source, closed-source, free of charge and not. It should also really well highlight who is providing the software: Ubuntu, Steam, Desura, others? So we'll have the choice: if I'm searching for the "video" keyword and I want to use only open-source softwares provided by Canonical, I should be able to click on a filter to only see it. But if I'd want to play the last Crysis it would be so simple to type "crysis" in the search box of the Ubuntu Software Center :) Third argument against this idea: offering more visibility to closed-source softwares will weaken the open-source ones. But I think the open-source software has grown in usage and gained visibility because of their efficiency and users want to use them. Secondly the Ubuntu Software Center could give a better ranking to open-source so if there is more than one result, open-source will be first in results. Maybe that the Ubuntu Software Center could give the user an option in the preference menu to choose to give advantage or not to open-source. So again the user have the choice. The Ubuntu Software Center as a central entry point in Ubuntu for managing softwares, that would be the best experience we could have as a user ; better than on Windows or Mac OS. It would ease the access to games, contents and would give more choice to the user. What do you think? -- Nicolas MICHEL