ID:2460071
 
Isn't it time we had a macbook version?
Doubt it's worth the development time based on market share.
In response to Nadrew
Nadrew wrote:
Doubt it's worth the development time based on market share.

I disagree, honestly.
- US: ~20%
- Canada: ~21%
- UK: ~21%
- Europe: ~15%

So in BYOND's primary markets, about 1-in-5 computers are macOS. (Slightly lower in Europe.) Alternatively you could say that a macOS client could account for up to a +25% user count.

But that's not the whole picture either.
- BYOND IS NOT interested in Enterprise computers, most running Windows or Linux. Just do a mental adjustment on subtracting US government computers, etc. from the Windows market share.
- BYOND IS interested in college students, which yields a bias towards MacBooks. (In 2010, it was 27-70% OS X, though I expect that number has changed slightly in the wake of e.g. Surface Pro.)
- BYOND IS (hopefully) interested in software engineers, which yields a bias towards non-Windows machines. homebrew > chocolatey, bash > bash subsystem for Windows > PowerShell.

I think it's a huge miss to stay Windows-only, and in my opinion I would prioritize shipping a macOS client over small language features and speedups.

Of course, there's always the option of open-sourcing the webclient, which probably provides most of what's needed to build a full macOS client---at least to connect and play as a Guest.
Your entire thing goes out the window when you add the fact BYOND is aimed more at gamers than programmers. The developer tools are already available on other platforms for a reason.
Only a small part of his argument depends on distinguishing developers and players, so your claim doesn't hold water
Windows is the most common platform and that is why BYOND Lummox doesn't pursue other platforms.

//Also, OpenGL was too hard to figure out
In response to Nadrew
Nadrew wrote:
The developer tools are already available on other platforms for a reason.

The compiler and server are available on Linux, but one cannot develop a game without running it.

Your entire thing goes out the window when you add the fact BYOND is aimed more at gamers than programmers.

I'd argue the contrary.
- BYOND - Build Your Own Net Dream. Not: POND - Play Others' Net Dreams.
- "Play" and "Create" have equal real estate on the home page.
- Mission statement leads with the developer appeal: BYOND is the premier community for making and playing online multiplayer games.

Moreover, should it be? This isn't Steam; content has to be developed specifically for BYOND. Without content, there are no players. There is a substantial shortage of quality content---primarily riding on the SS13 horse---so I honestly believe the focus should be:
Drive developer engagement -> More content -> More players -> More developers -> ...

The first step to improving developer engagement is to remove barriers for entry for developers. Being Windows-only is a huge barrier. If I show up for the first time today on my MacBook Pro and see that it's a Windows-only platform, I leave. It's really that simple; I don't try to contrive some Darwin/Wine setup or even switch to a Windows device or use BootCamp or Parallels, I just leave. Hell, if I'm on Windows and I show up and see it's a Windows-only platform, I still probably bounce.

Unity, Unreal, Electron, Qt, wxWidgets, Xamarin, React Native, Ionic, Flutter...the world is shifting to cross-platform. BYOND has to bite the bullet and become cross-platform, honestly whether Lummox likes it or not.

Hell, I'd write the macOS client myself* if Lummox would open-source the webclient or [document] the BYOND API so that independent developers could work on developing interfaces of their own. I've already written most of a cross-platform IDE that I would polish up and release if macOS had a client and tooling.

[*] Before releasing such a client, I would have to apply for inventions approval from Google---my employer---to assert no conflicts of interest. This could be complicated by their recent Stadia announcement. I do already have approval for the IDE, however, and that might be useful leverage to appeal for client approval.