"Out There" Inquiry: Linux Support in the Future?

[Thaeris]

Hey Jumoschwanz,

It's good to know it seems to work reasonably well. However, is it wrong, per-se, to inquire about the possibility of the software being made to natively run on Linux?

[TheGrunch]

Originally Posted by Thaeris

Hey Jumoschwanz,

It's good to know it seems to work reasonably well. However, is it wrong, per-se, to inquire about the possibility of the software being made to natively run on Linux?

Sorry for thread necro...

Short answer is it's very unlikely: the Java code is relatively easy to port, but a lot of the game's code is already compiled code from an elderly non-free Microsoft compiler (mixture of MSVC++ 6 and 7 I think).

I don't think that even DT have access to the original source code for that stuff.
That's why the DT patches add a new DT.dll instead of replacing the original .dlls.

Porting the game would mean reproducing all of the original code, without having the original source code, at the same time as porting it to a new platform.

Not impossible: see e.g. OpenMW where some dedicated individuals have reverse engineered and reimplemented the entire Morrowind game engine in modern cross-platform C++, but it would require a lot more development effort than most in the community are prepared or able to offer.

[Jumoschwanz]

If you want to update IL246 I do it on an old Windows xp box, then just copy the updated install to the linux machine with the network or a thumb-drive. As old as this sim is, it will never have native linux support.

[Thaeris]

Gentlemen,

Many thanks for the responses here, and apologies for my own late reply. It is a bit disappointing to hear that such a crossover is unlikely, but it's not unsurprising either. A man can still dream, right?

I will get around to playing with WINE one of these days, though I'm not sure when. Until then, there are other things to do.

...In any sense, it's better to have an answer than not - thanks!