Notch Won't Certify Minecraft For Windows 8 303
MojoKid writes "The backlash against Windows 8 from various developers continues, but this time a game's creator isn't just expressing discontent. Notch, the developer behind smash hit Minecraft, has declared that he won't be working with Microsoft to certify Minecraft for Windows 8. Note that this doesn't mean Minecraft won't run on Windows 8. The certification process in question is Microsoft's mandatory rules for submitting content to the Windows game store. In order to be listed there, an application must be Metro-compatible and conform to a laundry list of other conditions. The real problem with Windows 8 is that it locks ARM users into a second class experience. If you buy an x86 tablet, you can download programs from SourceForge, GitHub, or any file mirror. If you're an ARM user, you can download programs from the Microsoft store and that's it. The bifurcated permission structure is the problem, and it makes WinRT tablets categorically impossible to recommend for anyone who values the ability to install whatever software they please."
Well... (Score:5, Interesting)
Sometimes I feel like Microsoft si kind of flopping around like a fish on land when it comes to tablets. Even though they technically had a headstart, they've only just started their move to tablets and it feels rushed. The current release cycle of good > bad > good > bad will most likely continue and Windows 8 will flop. At least I hope it does and it will force them to rethink their stupid Start menu removal, amongst other things.
Re:Transformer Infinity looks better and better (Score:4, Interesting)
I have the Transformer Tablet with keyboard and, while yes it is very, very useful it really still isn't a general purpose computing device. You can run linux on it in a chroot, but that only gives you X over VNC. Its possible to evetually dual boot it since it boots linux already anyways. People have been doing this one the prime. In that context it is actually fairly impressive and had 3d acceleration...though I don't think sound works yet. From the videos I've seen it performs much like a netbook running linux. Like a 2nd generation netbook. Most of the apps for android are optimized for phones, so that is a downside. There aren't a huge number of productivity apps for android on tablets. There are some nice apps though. Honestly I use this more than my notebook now. The screen has the same resolution roughly and is smaller so it looks better. For internet communication and web browsing this thing is pretty awesome. Also I am photographer and I can just plug in an external usb powered mini drive and dump my sd cards straight to the drive pretty quickly. Ghost commander works well as a file manager too. I have the bootloader unlocked and I'm running the hydro jellybean rom atm. Its still a little buggy and the i/o is awful right now, but its still a very fast and usable tablet. Some of the games rock too.
Re:Shut up Notch (Score:3, Interesting)
That and I highly doubt this has anything to do with problems with the Windows 8 platform and much more to do with the fact that Minecraft is written in Java, and therefore would have to be ported to "something else" in order to meet the game store requirements.
Of course, astute Minecraft fans would know that the game already has been ported to "something else" multiple times in order to make the Xbox 360 and iOS releases. So presumably, if Notch didn't want to be an ass, he could just make the Xbox 360 version the "official" version and port that back to Windows and - presto, he'd have a Windows 8 game store capable version, right there.
But that would involve not being a drama whore. And would probably improve the game experience by not requiring his users to install a giant security hole just to play the game.
Re:Why is there an official Minecraft for iOS? (Score:1, Interesting)
How about picking your battles. There's no way he'd contribute anything towards making Android or iOS more open, so why not make a (very small, comparatively) contribution towards trying to hurt Microsoft for their decision to follow suit -- while they still don't have as hug an amount vested in the idea as Google/Apple-- and hopefully convince them to let people own their tablets (better for everyone in the long run, esp. in the best case scenario where Microsoft do wind up opening up _and_ sell more as a result).
Re:Shut up Notch (Score:3, Interesting)
Wow. You literally just claimed both that Notch did not create Minecraft, and that Windows RT on ARM will not be locked down to the Microsoft store!
Care to prove either of those claims? Even just a teeny bit?
And whoever modded your lies as insightful should be ashamed.
Re:Shut up Notch (Score:2, Interesting)
...and if you're Joe Q. Public who doesn't know what that means when they're looking at the price tag at Best Buy?
YOU know, and I know, but there's a good chance that even otherwise well-informed nerds won't know or recall when they're shopping around. It happens.
Re:How is this different than any other tablet? (Score:2, Interesting)
If you're talking about "sideloading" Metro apps, you can only do that in the Enterprise version.
Re:You would think (Score:3, Interesting)
Great less competition!
As an indie developer, Windows 8's app store is a boon.
Re:Well... (Score:5, Interesting)
I can't type "shop" into the Windows 7 Start Menu and have it open Photoshop, although it does manage to offer me "Microsoft Visual C++ Express 2010" when I type "vi" in the hope of running Virtualdub. Having selected Virtualdub, it still puts VC++ at the top of the list next time I type "vi". Launchy, on the other hand, has already learned that "VC" means Visual C++, "V" means Vuze, and "vi" or "dub" means Virtualdub.
I personally don't use Launchy to open Firefox - "f" shows me Filezilla. I have to type "fir" before Firefox even shows in Launchy's list, but once I've done that once, it then shows up in the list when I type "fi". If I then launch that, it will show up in the list when I type just "f", and after that it becomes the first choice for "f". But I don't want that, so I just type "f", select Filezilla before pressing enter, and I'm back to how I like it.
Launchy's also a lot quicker than the Start Menu - on my machine anyway - because it's not trying to search through my Messenger conversations or stuff like that (or, potentially embarrassingly as I have just discovered, my recently opened files!)
Launchy is also, thanks to its plugin support, a very convenient calculator.