Linux Game Development Part 3 Installers

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The need for a distribution-independent installer on Linux is important. Last time, I discussed why I believe you should not use a distribution-specific package manager, but it is worth repeating here. Essentially, you would have to provide a distribution-dependent package like rpm or deb to deliver your game, and allow the distribution’s package manager to resolve the library dependencies for you. While this sounds good in theory, in practice this can be a nightmare for both the developer and the end user. From the end user’s standpoint, it can be a very frustrating experience trying to find and install all of the dependent packages that the package manager says it needs – some package managers do this for you automatically, but some don’t. And when it doesn’t work, some users (particularly those new to Linux) will not know how to solve this problem. This is not the first impression you want a potential customer to have with your game.

Link: GameDev.Net