DJL: A Steam-like application for Linux


david_dark_heart

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I've just discovered an interesting free application called DJL:

http://en.djl-linux.org/?q=node/17

It is a program that shows a list of freeware games (as free beer) and free games (free as freedom) for Linux and let you select one of them. After that, the application downloads the game and install it automatically in a user directory ( /home/username/.djl ), this way you don't have any problem with system application and share libraries. Finally, you can execute or delete the game from inside the application with a single click and you can also chat with other online users.

The application is programmed in Python, so that shouldn't be a problem: "DJL requires a GNU / Linux distribution with the Python interpreter (version 2.5.x required) and the library PyQt (Python-Qt4) version 4.x". At this moment they only host x86 games, but they also want to host games compiled for 64bits and PPC architectures. I've asked in their forums if they would like also to host Pandora games or if we could create our own games repository only for Pandora users, but they haven't answered yet. If we can create our own repository easily, I think that every Pandora should have this application or another similar application pre-installed. It would be the easiest way to install a game if you have a the Pandora connected to Internet.
 
this could be a cool feature but I think it needs to be some special Panda version or we will have even more confusion about what works and what not.
I would also like to have an other appearance. I have some kind of aversion wpf-looking apps
 
Bagera said:
this could be a cool feature but I think it needs to be some special Panda version or we will have even more confusion about what works and what not.
They haven't answered yet, but I think we'll be able to have our own repository only with Pandora software. If that is possible, the next step will be modifying some configuration files... this way, the program would use our repository instead of the official repository.

I'm not sure if we would be able to do that, but it would be very cool.
 
As a developer, I'm far more interested in having a Pandora-specific repository that all Pandoras can access, from the factory, out of the box. I think one danger we face is the fracturization of the distribution in such a manner that -nothing- works without tweaking out of the box (OPENMOKO! DISTRO FAIL!) .. so I'm hoping that from the opening of the Pandora box, we'll have a common source of software that our end-users can rely on, and that we developers can count on being there, stable and friendly, to pour our efforts into ..
 
When I said "the next step will be modifying some configuration files" I wasn't talking about end-users, but "the people who manage the repository" (hopefully OpenPandora Ltd.).

I agree with you, a software repository should be available to the users out of the box without having to configure anything. That mission could be achieved by this application or by a "classic package manager" (Synaptic or something similar), but there must be some way to access to the software manager out of the box... and it has to be done before the first shipment because after that, it might be too late.
 
and it has to be easy. I know many out there dont like fluffy little apps that do things you can easily do in the terminal but many ppl don't even know what that is. Windows or Mac ppl need a easier approach. As do ppl who like linux but are not 1337 haxxorz (like me).
This or something like it could be the answer if it is in the distro.
 
Bagera said:
and it has to be easy. I know many out there dont like fluffy little apps that do things you can easily do in the terminal but many ppl don't even know what that is. Windows or Mac ppl need a easier approach. As do ppl who like linux but are not 1337 haxxorz (like me).
This or something like it could be the answer if it is in the distro.

Yes, it should basically be a command line utility, like pacman, apt, ipgk, ..., just for installing programs in the user's home without the need of root-privileges. Ideally it should make use of the Pandora File Archive. Then a GUI could be built upon this tool for the mouse-freaks.
So, who has a lot of free time at his hands? ;)
 
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