Dropping Mac PPC support?

[XanthorXIII]

Here are the platforms I think that GLBasic should focus on

iOS
Android(Please )
WebOS
Windows
Windows Mobile 7
OSX
GP32

CPU Architecture
x86/ARM

Sounds like a good idea yes? If there is something I missed speak up!

[MrTAToad]

Cant do Windows Mobile 7

[Dabz]

I think Android is a must, since, erm, I have a HTC Desire!

Nah, seriously... Currently, I'm loving using GLBasic, but BRL's monkey isnt very far from being released, which includes these export options:-

* HTML5 - HTML5 compatible browser required for testing.
* Flash - Open source Flex SDK required.
* XNA - Visual C# Express + XNA framework
* Android - The Android SDK (plus Java SDK and 'Ant' on Windows).
* Native (ie: C++) - Mingw/GCC (will probably add visualc support too in future).
* iPhone - XCode.

Not to be sniffed at... On a personal level, HTML5 (Provide online demos of my games), XNA, Android and iPhone are all targets I'd love to get games on.

Dabz

[monono]

I still use a PPC Mac. 
But as I see, it is just going to be not needed anymore. Even in the casual games market there it is mostly intel only. And if the target audience of bigfish and co (over 40 years old women mostly in the USA) are not using PPCs anymore, who is then? In my opinion, if you are considering to drop any system support it should be PPC, GP2.., Pandora. As I see it, there is a growing commercial interest in doing games with GLBasic, that is why you should maybe concentrate on that, especially the mobile platforms, which suddenly became the heart of GLBasic. My vote for splitting GLB into an old unsupported version and a new one.

[Kitty Hello]

I fixed it. PPC will stay. I think about making PPC optional for smaller binaries and if the mac shop complains.

[mentalthink]

Well, I don´t think you have to drop any platform. Perhaps somebody needs make something in PPC, well is obsolete but...
In case, is for the elgancy of the Ide or Glbasic, well put off of the user interface, but continue compiling making something. Command line or something similar.

Well about the list has comment.
I agree another platform, I think have more revelance than Android, the market of Andorid is similar to iPhone, too much people, bat in Badda, now don´t have too much people, and the same Samsung give to developers great quantities of money, I read sometime ago, in a Quest in the same web of Samsung, this pay 8000$ to the first prize.

Kinds Regards,
Iván J.

[Dabz]

Well, I don´t think you have to drop any platform. Perhaps somebody needs make something in PPC, well is obsolete

I've never actually met anyone with a PPC, to be fair, theres only a few I know with an Intel Mac, then... I know plenty of people with an iThing, on top of that I probably know more people with an Android phone now.

If the platform is obsolete, and a user of that platform says it is... Then I can see no better reason then getting rid!

Dabz

[Leginus]

Rather than thinking about how many ppcs are still out there, is it worth asking the question "have any of us actually written and released anything for ppc?"

Its like finding something that has been boxed up in the roof for years, you dont miss it and forget you had it, until you find it again.  So on that note, it wouldnt bother me if it went.

[ampos]

I will go to drop WinCE, PPC Mac and Pandora for GLB 9 (sorry Pandora, but to keep uptodate for a thing with just 100 units...).

DO you want to develop for such devices? Use 8.

Is like, for example, keeping games with Shaders 1.0 because there are some machines out there that does not support 2.0 or 3.0. Evolution.

[jtassinari]

What about Linux PPC based system?

I didn't know about PPC integration in GLB.
I just resurrected my old MiniMac g4, with both OSX x.4 and Debian.
I will survive without osx, but i'd love to test PPC-Linux based and GLB dev (as linux could be a great server as well with a basic lamp setup).
Cheers,

jt

[MrTAToad]

Very, very few people use PPC Linux, so support for that is out

[XanthorXIII]

PPC Emulation and what not is being dropped for OSX 10.7. Rosetta is not going to even be supported. In my 2 Cents, I say drop the platforms that people won't be focused on and support only the ones we will be.
This really should be a poll.

[doimus]

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss PPC Macs.

There are actually at least two kinds of Mac users (and thus two potential user-bases):

One is what I call the iPeople, who are now on OSX 10.6, Intel, latest Macs, iPhones, whatever...
Those people buy from Appstores and couldn't care less about PPC. Oh and one more thing - these people only buy stuff for $0.99 or take it for free, and expect it to be better than Unreal.

Other group are enthusiasts - people who use particular computer for fun. I know a lot of these and they have latest multi-core PC beasts but still use G4 Powerbooks, Minis or even G3 Macs on the side. They don't use iTunes, don't buy from Appstore and keep their computers as long as they work.
Got a retro-styled RPG that you want to sell for $20? THEY are your customers. Find 1000 of them and you shall prosper.

[XanthorXIII]

I'm not sure what you're going to find for PPC base to sell games to. The average life of a given machine is 5 years. Since Apple went to Intel 2006 we're hitting that mark. I tried to find statistics on this very issue and found a page on Unity's site.

http://unity3d.com/webplayer/hwstats/pages/web-2011Q1-cpu.html

Quite honestly, my real focus shall be mobile devices because that is where a lot of people are going. Sure you will still have the desktop but the disadvantage is that it's easier to copy games for it.
Phones and Consoles would be a safer choice. I know there are those that will steal games on those devices but I will do everything in my power to make it hard for them but not for those that buy my games.