Linux version

[songnar]

Because, let's face it - when building a cabinet, why bother spending more money on M$ licensing fees?

It would be super-cool to see this program ported to .deb style linux.

[Lashek]

Isn't feasibly possible. HyperSpin is an exe compiled flash program, with external commercial libraries that have been developed to work only in Windows. To develop a Linux version of it would take a lot of work, and most likely, lose a decent amount of features from the migration for such a small gain.

Not too mention, the demand of a Linux version is very minor as this question only seems to crop up once every 3+ months.

BBB, please correct me if I'm wrong in any of this.

[Dazz]

Lashek - You are absolutely correct. You will never see a Linux version.

[akrokan]

sad to hear that, i would love a linux version but let's face it, too few linux user's out there to make it worthwille

[Dranore]

I've looked at a lot of SWF wrappers myself. You've probably considered this early on in the project, but I'm curious why Adobe's AIR platform won't work for the project? You might try re-examining the issue now that Adobe AIR 2.0 has been released. They just added hooks to external applications if you need to hook into other code. It would also give you Windows, Mac, and Linux targets, and is free ( depending on your development environment obviously ).

[abispac]

nononononono nonononononono nonononononono, thats what the boss says....perhaps someone out there can start its own linux version oh HS, more then a linux version i would like to have some sort of its own OS like ultracade...too bad im not a programer...

[Lailoken]

Because, let's face it - when building a cabinet, why bother spending more money on M$ licensing fees?

Not to disillusion anyone, but given the nature of almost the entire ROM community I'm going to say that not everyone pays for a new Windows license for their cabinet computer.

Or am I alone in this...

Am I banned now?

[Lashek]

Not to disillusion anyone, but given the nature of almost the entire ROM community I'm going to say that not everyone pays for a new Windows license for their cabinet computer.

Or am I alone in this...

Am I banned now?

Not banned, but this is not something that should be brought up tbh. I actually purchased valid copies of windows for all of my computers (including my cab). I will admit to having shared a key across multiple computers, but Microsoft has never hard-enforced keeping it limited to one PC. However, this was always temporary until I could get a dedicated key.

Always go OEM on your copies of windows and always look for the sales. This is when I usually stock up on the OS (I do computer repair and builds on the side and refuse to use invalid/pirated keys).

[gixxer61108]

A Linux version would be nice for a mame only cab but can you run future pinball on Linux? Or alot of the other emu's? I know there is wine but ya might as well be running HS in XP inside a VM? Send bill gates a hundred and while your at it send bbbill a fiddy! they have earned it ( for the record I'd probably shell out a hundred for the HS linux distro)

[jukingeo]

Hello all,

I too have been curious about a Linux version as well. But, from the small talk I have seen here in regards to Linux...has ANYONE tried to run Hyperspin using Wine?

I know that older versions of Wine were iffy at best, but I had been playing around with the new version and I was surprised to find that much of the Windows stuff that wouldn't run in the past DOES run on the new version of Wine.

I guess if no one has tested it...I guess I will give it a shot and see what happens.

Geo

[Dazz]

No Linux version will ever be available. I seriously doubt that running it through Wine will be of much use. Most people looking to run emulation on a Linux system are usually lacking when it comes to CPU. HyperSpin requires a descent CPU and unless you are running a quad core processor and 4gb of RAM, I doubt you will have any success in running HS full speed if at all via Wine.

[Contraba55]

I hate to knock something without trying it, but think about it for a second. You want your CPU to emulate an OS (windows) to run HS, which will then launch another emulator to play whatever you are after. Give your CPU a break! You'd end up needing a more powerful CPU (or overclocking gear for your old cpu) which would cost more than a windows license.

Run it natively.

[jukingeo]

... unless you are running a quad core processor and 4gb of RAM, I doubt you will have any success in running HS full speed if at all via Wine.

What you think I am coming to the table with a "toy" computer?

I think when it comes to us "Linux Lovers", I think it does boil down to a principal. Lately software you buy 'needs' to make a network connect to register the program otherwise you cannot use it. So you can buy a piece of software, and a few years later the host company either bellies up or doesn't support the product, so in the end you are stuck with a piece of software you bought, but can't run any longer.

Back when I purchased Windows 98, all you needed to have was the product key. But when I purchased Windows XP, it 'required' an internet connection. So what happens if Microsoft gets a crazy bug up it's bug and says, OK we will only support as far back as the prior OS to the current release. They just may intentionally cut off the old OS, thereby forcing one to buy the current one.

Catch my drift?

Basically long story short. You just never feel you totally own the software you buy.

Linux is community driven and for the most part most Linux distributions can be easily set up on any Pentium to modern computers (heck I have seen some Linux applications run on Pentium II's!!).

Many Linux distributions support multi-core processors right out of the box. With Windows you need Windows XP Professional or higher in order to take advantage of multi-core support. Windows XP Home Edition users and back are out of luck.

Setting up a Windows machine generally takes longer than a Linux machine because of all the drivers that have to be loaded on. The amount of times you have to reboot your machine are countless.

I am not saying that Linux isn't without it's problems. You certainly can run across some doozies. But it is just a choice, an alternative, instead of always running to Mama Microsoft.

Sorry for the rant, just my 2 cents.

Geo

[Lashek]

No one's trying to stereotype you as a "linux lover" at all.

Personally, I love Linux more then I do Windows, but I primarily use Windows for my job as well as for gaming as Linux just isn't up to par for the games that I play, and Cedega/Wine/etc don't run at full speed on the games even on my rig. I'm sure many people are in the same spot for this reason.

As for a Linux build, it's just NOT possible, until the commercial libraries and utilities used suddenly support Linux, which the developers have stated won't be happening any time soon.

[gixxer61108]

I have an all linux house here got linux mce in my theater room, love it and a dedicated mythtv backend serving up files in a closet.I have 2 thin clients runnin myth and boxee. I set my wife up with the latest ubuntu in her office and it works great! there are 2 reasons i have 1 windows box in the house 1 is itunes for my i pown at least till my contract is up and i go droid The other is HS I have gotten itunes to run on linux and it was junk tried HS and gave up probably because i remembered what a waist of time itunes was. As a linux fan boy I do feel a little dirty having the xp machine in my cabinet but thanks to instantsheller i can change the boot screen to say ubuntu and none of my friends know the difference. lol As for the "windows Genuine" errors? come on guys I dont want to promote piracy but im quite sure some of the people reading this have gotten bitten by that one or know someone who got bit and asked if you could fix it and learned how easy it is to validate windows. I have seen some really awesome stuff done on linux so im sure something is coming down the pipe i'm no developer so ill wait and when it comes I will for sure without a doubt!!!..... duel boot?

[Dazz]

Two words... BIOS modding

[jukingeo]

Personally, I love Linux more then I do Windows, but I primarily use Windows for my job as well as for gaming as Linux just isn't up to par for the games that I play, and Cedega/Wine/etc don't run at full speed on the games even on my rig. I'm sure many people are in the same spot for this reason.

Oh, sure, I definitely agree to that as well. I am not totally Windows free myself, but I am 'looking' in that direction. I ran double boot computers since 2006 when I first made the plunge into the world of Linux with Ubuntu.

The biggest problem that I (as well as most have) with Linux is hardware support. I ran into that issue right off the bat trying to get an unsupported sound card (SB X-Fi) to work. In the end I got fed up and had to choose from a list of devices that are proven to work in Linux. So it is somewhat of a restriction not being able to choose the hardware piece "I" really want.

I do have a knee-shooter of an audio interface (Alesis IO-26) that I would like use with Linux, but Alesis doesn't have Linux drivers for the unit. I also use Ableton's Live with that unit. This is my 'preferred' editing program. So naturally I have to have Windows to run the setup.

Also for games. There are specific games that I like to play of which there is no way to run them in Linux. Or (as Lashek mentioned) they can run through Wine but at a performance cut.

I like to do a lot of embedded work with computers and while many of my applications DO run with Linux under Wine, there is always some idiosyncrasy I have to deal with.

Usually for embedded systems, I try to use Linux first, but if the computer (or OS) is uncooperative, then I try to use Windows 98SE. But Win98SE is really only good with older computers. Usually most computers I run across are Pentium 4 machines and those motherboards don't support Windows 98SE. So then I am back to using Windows XP.

I have two projects I am considering right now, one being a MAME cabinet, and one a jukebox system. Both I have to use Windows XP for.

I know that Windows XP can be very bloated, but I have heard that you can use programs such as nLite which can reduce Windows XP's footprint to around 500meg or even less. With an embedded application in which Windows doesn't need to access the web, it can stay pretty small and run pretty fast, even on an older Pentium 4 machine.

Fast forwarding back up to my current machine. When it comes to going on-line, web surfing, emailing, blogging, face-booking, etc...this is where Linux really shines. Linux has the added benefit that it is difficult to write viruses for and the general 'virus creator' usually picks a more mainstream OS (like Windows) to create a virus for. Same is true for spyware. So you have a bit more 'freedom' in that aspect.

So that is how I break down my OS usage. So with my current projects, I do want to use ITX motherboards (for small cabinets) and I do want to use Hyperspin for my Mame project. So that will dictate Windows XP right there. For the jukebox project, I have ran through all the OS testing and the program just runs best with XP.

While I only started using Hyperspin this week, I will say that as of now it has completely trumped Mala in terms of setup and appearance. So yeah, I am sold on it. I probably still use Mala on older rigs though, since it can do Windows 98. On a Linux box, they do have a front end called Wah!Cade, but that front end is based on MameWah and the interface is starting to look dated. Still it is good for a retro themed cabinet.

So Linux is getting better and better since when I first started with it, but yeah, I STILL have to use Windows myself...and for a great number of reasons.

I DO understand the amount of work that goes into creating a program...especially one like Hyperspin and I can understand why the developers don't want to (or can't) do a Linux version. I ran into the same situation with my favorite jukebox program, DWjukebox. The developer will not create a Linux version for that program too. However, with some minor idiosyncrasies it DOES run fairly well under Wine in Linux. So Linux IS getting there. It is just a bit slow at doing so.

Anyway, since I wrote another novel here, I think it is time to shut my trap.

Two words... BIOS modding

Ok, you got my attention, enlighten me

G'nite all!

Geo

[sairuk]

On a Linux box, they do have a front end called Wah!Cade, but that front end is based on MameWah and the interface is starting to look dated.

First post, so should be interesting. A small disclaimer first, I haven't spent much time under windows with Hyperspin. I had recently joined the forums amazed by quality of the 3D boxart guys here are releasing.

I have a linux based htpc (which runs Wah!Cade) and a windows based cabinet (soon to be linux). After seeing some of the amazing artwork Hyperspin has inspired i have spent some time looking at what is actually possible when Wah!Cade is treated as a standalone application (instead of just a MameWah compatible application). I agree with the statement that what we have seen with Mamewah (and therefore Wah!Cade) layouts in the past looks dated, the same goes for most frontends in my experience before the htpc/hyperspin era where the layouts were created using a background, image and text box.

While with the current code base for the layout engine (python/pygtk), we shouldn't expect to see Wah!Cade become a Hyperspin for linux; I think the results of looking at what can actually be done with the current Wah!Cade layout engine are encouraging.

First post so I cannot post links or images, which is fair enough. Obviously I cannot link to the results; they are available on Youtube or Wah!Cade forums if you are interested (terms: sairuk, wahcade, mahcade). I will try to remember to update this post after I get some more posts

[SophT]

What you think I am coming to the table with a "toy" computer?

Likely not because you're asking about Linux, but because the biggest complaint we get is that HS doesn't run on a P4 with 256Mb of RAM - that's just the general demeanor over at BYOAC (which isn't bad, I might add) so adding another layer of emulation is going to make it even harder, which has been mentioned.

[jukingeo]

Likely not because you're asking about Linux, but because the biggest complaint we get is that HS doesn't run on a P4 with 256Mb of RAM - that's just the general demeanor over at BYOAC (which isn't bad, I might add) so adding another layer of emulation is going to make it even harder, which has been mentioned.

Yeah, I can see that coming off very often because mostly people have an older computer laying around that they would like to recycle in an arcade cabinet. Sure I can do that too as I have MANY computers laying around. But even though I am considering a new build. I am going to use a new ITX based motherboard for the project. Granted that will not be as powerful as my current i5 machine (as the ITX board will use a dual core Atom processor), but it still will be better than a Pentium 4. I believe it should run Hyperspin. If I like how Hyperspin/Mame runs on it, I probably will get the same Intel Atom setup for my jukebox project.

Sadly though, I did want to go with Linux for both projects, but I am probably going to go with an n-Lite(d) version of Windows XP, to keep the install down to a minimum foot print. For hard drives I am going to use Compact Flash cards on a SATA converter. This will be an SSD. Plus the cards could easily be pulled out and edited on my main computer.

So that is the plan. Nope, no toy computers here.

Geo

[UbuntuGamer]

So I thought I would throw my hat into the whole HyperSpin for Linux arena. I've been reading through some of the threads on the forums and some of the arguments, notably Dazz, has used regarding developing a Linux port has to do with the relatively low amount of Linux users vs Windows users, along with concerns about ActionScript 3 on Linux. Correct me if I'm wrong.

One item I saw in a previously closed thread looked something like this as justification for not porting to Linux:

Number of Windows users

|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Number of Linux users

|-------------|

However, my brother has been using HyperSpin a lot and one thing I've noticed is you have to be pretty technically inclined to use HyperSpin. So you can't really look at just the absolute amount of users for an operating system. If I were to make a similar little chart like the one above for the percentage of people who are technically inclined on windows vs Linux distros it would looks something like this:

Percent of Windows users who are technically inclined

|----|

Percent of Debian based Linux systems who are technically inclined

|----------------------------------------------------|

Also lets look at another comparison. The amount of games available.

Games available for windows

|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Games available for Linux

|---|

Compare this with the user base for each OS and you will notice that HyperSpin is in a very competitive market on Windows. However, you will see very little competition on Linux systems. Here's one example of how HyperSpin can make money by porting to Linux. My brother is interested in making Media Center boxes along with HyperSpin for people - however the deal breaker is having to buy a ~$100 license key for Windows 7 or Windows 8 on each box.

We can guess at numbers all day long so lets look at some real numbers for the amount of interest in games on Linux based operating systems. Take a look at this article from OMGUbuntu. Now scroll down towards the bottom of the page and you will notice that there are about 650,000 Ubuntu users who use Steam. Keep in mind that is just one distro. There's many other linux distros that would be running Steam that would add to that 650,000 number - but for the moment lets just focus only on Ubuntu. You know at the very least there are 650,000 Ubuntu users interested in games. Lets say you put HyperSpin in the Ubuntu Software Center for $10. Lets say only 50,000 people bought HyperSpin from the software center. That's $500,000. Would that be worth it to port? Keep in mind, again, thats only one linux Distro. There's also Linux Mint, Arch Linux, Gentoo, Fedora, etc.

[hiorik]

Compare this with the user base for each OS and you will notice that HyperSpin is in a very competitive market on Windows. However, you will see very little competition on Linux systems. Here's one example of how HyperSpin can make money by porting to Linux. My brother is interested in making Media Center boxes along with HyperSpin for people - however the deal breaker is having to buy a ~$100 license key for Windows 7 or Windows 8 on each box.

ohh my... its for business.

[Polemicist]

Linux??? Hmmm. How many of the over 100 different emulators I can see on my system do you think have been coded to work on Linux? Good luck with that.

[UbuntuGamer]

Linux??? Hmmm. How many of the over 100 different emulators I can see on my system do you think have been coded to work on Linux? Good luck with that.

Here are some Linux emulators. Also many emulators programmed for windows can be run on Linux systems using WINE as if they are native Linux applications. However, there is no listing for HyperSpin in the AppDB on WINE HQ.

68000

8051

Acorn - BBC Micro

Amstrad - CPC

Amstrad - PCW

Apple - II Series

Apple - Macintosh

Arcade - LaserDisc

Arcade - MAME

Atari - 2600

Atari - 5200 SuperSystem

Atari - Jaguar

Atari - Lynx

Atari - ST, STE, TT, Falcon

Atari 8 bit

Atari 800, 800XL, 130XE and 5200

Coleco - ColecoVision

Commodore - 64

Commodore - Amiga

Commodore - C16 / C116 / Plus 4

Hewlett Packard - HPxx Series

Magnavox - Odyssey2

Mattel - Intellivision

MESS

Microbee

Microsoft - DOS

Microsoft - MSX

NEC - PC8801

NEC - PC98

NEC - Turbo Grafx 16

Nintendo - 64

Nintendo - DS

Nintendo - GameBoy

Nintendo - GameBoy Color

Nintendo - GameBoy Advance

Nintendo - GameCube

Nintendo - NES

Nintendo - SNES

Nintendo - Virtual Boy

Palm OS

Palm Pilot

Philips - P2000

PSX

Scumm VM

Sega - Dreamcast

Sega - Genesis / Sega CD / 32X

Sega - Master System / Game Gear

Sega - Mega Drive

Sega - Saturn

Sharp - X68000

Sinclair - ZX / Spectrum / QL Series

SNK - Neo Geo

SNK - Neo Geo CD

SNK - Neo Geo Pocket

Sony - PlayStation

Sony - PlayStation 2

Tandy - TRS-80 Series

Texas Instruments - TI-xx Series

Thomson MO5

Thomson TOx

YAME

ZX Spectrum

[cdjm]

I agree with UbuntuGamer that porting HyperSpin to Linux is a good idea and should be definitely done.

But please don't do it for the money!

Donating is a good thing and I'm quite sure that most Linux users know how much work has been done for "their" operating system.

Most of them will also appreciate the work done in HyperSpin and will gladly donate (and - if you want - contribute) to your project once there is a sign of a Linux port.