Outlook is Microsoft's new data collection service

Re:Outlook is Microsoft's new data collection service by ok_dad on Thursday January 11, 2024 @01:56PM (#38956955)

Once proton works on everything, the companies that make the software than bans you will fix their stuff to work in those confines as well. Valve makes the biggest, VAC (edit: I was told EAC was bigger below, but that it supports Linux), and they also make proton, and they own steam, so they’ll be able to force other companies to submit in any case. I’m more worried about peripherals myself, since there are some gaming peripherals that were made with windows in mind only. AAA game developers only have the power if people choose to load their launchers (EA's for example) but most people I know avoid those and use Steam or Epic stores or GOG or whatever for non AAA games.

Edit: I am "posting too fast" it seems (a few messages per hour, I guess?), so here's a response to a comment below here about the mixed-OS household:

I wouldn't mind using macOS or Linux, and I actually would pay if I could install macOS on my PC tower. I might be the idiot here, jumping out of the MS frying pan into the Apple fire, but I find macOS to be just fine for my use, and not too locked down overall when it comes to running the software I need on it and it's very well integrated with some of my other tech stuff. Sure, I can't tweak every aspect of the OS, but I don't mind how it works out of the box so I am cool with that. It would also be nice if I could use some of the macOS features on other platforms, like iCloud, Messages (whatever the blue-bubble messages are called), and iPhone integrations.

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Re:Outlook is Microsoft's new data collection service by bastardoperator on Thursday January 11, 2024 @02:21PM (#38957402)

I'm saying that the companies that make these games, many have been swallowed up by MSFT, so it would fantasy to believe they're going to change their position or hire people to make changes to a game that is a decade old.

Kernel level cheat engines (not VAC) will catch you on a different OS 100% of the time. EAC is vastly more popular for detecting in game cheating, versus VAC which scans the users computer for possible cheats and typically doesn't work well when it comes to preventing cheating if at all.

Many companies invest heavily in kernel level anti-cheat and having to support multiple OS's when the other two big OS's account for less 0.5% of the profit, I just don't see business folk lining up to ensure non-windows users can play video games given the fact it's probably Microsoft making or publishing the game in some capacity.

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Re:Outlook is Microsoft's new data collection service by dmonitor on Thursday January 11, 2024 @02:29PM (#38957541)

There are a few Microsoft games that have received patches to enhance Linux (Steam Deck) support, like the Halo game collection.

Could change if Linux numbers on Steam hit double digits, though.

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Re:Outlook is Microsoft's new data collection service by FridgeSeal on Thursday January 11, 2024 @02:28PM (#38957526)

Even EAC has Linux support though, and enabling Linux support basically amounts to a config change for devs.

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Re:Outlook is Microsoft's new data collection service by bastardoperator on Thursday January 11, 2024 @03:10PM (#38958260)

It does, but they're not kernel modules and run in userspace so no game studio that values their game or protecting players from cheaters uses it, and it is not just a config change.

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Re:Outlook is Microsoft's new data collection service by ok_dad on Friday January 12, 2024 @03:10AM (#38965424)

There isn't any reason it can't be a kernel module, it could even be dynamically loaded if you wanted to.

Anyways, from what I am seeing from tech trends, the future is multi-platform, and it's only becoming easier to code for everything all at once. Smart people are taking time and energy to research things like WASM and APE (which supports Cosmopolitan Libc), not to mention long-running initiatives such as containerization, the various JS engines and other languages which run anywhere, etc. Even with ARM vs x86 happening, software runs cross-platform more and more.

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Re:Outlook is Microsoft's new data collection service by FridgeSeal on Friday January 12, 2024 @06:02PM (#38975337)

I’m not sure whether you’re aware of this, but EAC is a joke anyway. It’s pretty ineffectual, and often causes more problems for legitimate players than cheaters. At least having devs enable it would enable Linux users to play without obstacles.

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Re:Outlook is Microsoft's new data collection service by Projectiboga on Thursday January 11, 2024 @02:21PM (#38957393)

I'm guessing dual boot will be the transition step. I don't game so I just got a used dell without an os installed and went with Linux, printing and scanning are my only difficulties so far. So I'm totally a mixed household, Wife and our TV are macs, Teen son is windows, and I'm Linux, using boot-camp on a Macbook for the occasional scanning.

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