UKUUG Summer Conference
Unix could be the gaming platform of the future, apparently.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(21-Jul-2009, Buntingford, Herts) One feature of the credit crunch is that it has forced developers to look at free software, and how that can help the bottom line of their company. The unforeseen consequence of this has meant that porting games across to Unix systems, such as Linux, is now so cheap that it could threaten the market share of the existing major consoles.
To this end, the UK Unix Users Group has just announced that erstwhile game developer and open source advocate, Steven Goodwin, will be speaking at their summer conference. His talk, entitled "The Dichotomy of Open Source and Computer Games", will demo the use of open source in games, and break down some of the stereotypes commonly associated with companies and corporations when it comes to open source software in general. "I hope this will show that Unix systems are a viable platform for game development", he says.
"This is a rare opportunity to bridge the gap between these two distinct disciplines", said Niall Mansfield, organizer, UKUUG Summer Conference. "We're seeing Unix spread its influence into so many fields, that having games is an unexpected coup!"
Steven Goodwin has recently presented at the "Develop In Brighton" conference, and at "OpenTech 2009", where he bemoaned the loss of old computer games (due to broken tapes, and 1980's-style DRM) and discussed the digital archeology necessary to save them. A topic close to our hearts as we all think Jet Set Willy is definitely worth saving!
UKUUG is the UK's Open Systems Group and the Summer Conference is the highlight of our year. It brings together Free Libre and Open Source Software developers and users from all over the UK and Europe to share knowledge and discuss the latest trends in Free Software. This conference also includes material on security engineering, mobile phones, Bayesian statistics and telecommunications. Full details at http://summer2009.ukuug.org.uk/
About UKUUG
UKUUG is the UK's Open Systems User Group, for people who care about open IT standards and the systems that implement them. UKUUG promotes education and understanding through its newsletter, regular briefings and conferences. It is independent of any industry groupings and not-for-profit. It values intelligence, thoughtfulness and long-term thinking rather than immediacy and froth.
About Steven Goodwin
Steven Goodwin (London, England) has been in the game industry for over 15 years, progressing from Windows programmer to lead and management roles on console platforms such as the PS2, GameCube, and Xbox. During his time, he was responsible for seven major titles, including the #1 selling Die Hard: Vendetta, which appeared on all three of the above platforms. He is also the architect of the SGX Engine, a major cross-platform game engine and as an author he has written two industry-standard textbooks 'Cross-Platform Games Programming', and 'The Game Developer's Open Source Handbook' for Charles River Media.
Contact: Jane Morrison
UKUUG Secretariat
tel: (01763) 273 475
office@ukuug.org