Jeff from Wolfire, the makers of Lugaru and the upcoming sequel Overgrowth, post some interesting thoughts on why you should support niche operating systems:
…if you’re not supporting Linux and Mac OS X from a philosophical standpoint or for the fans, at least do it for the money. If you don’t support non-Windows platforms, you’re leaving a lot of cash on the table. I don’t know about you, but I’m not in a position to just say f— it to a large community of people who want to support us.
I’d imagine that’s why many companies are now supporting niche operating systems - for the money. I guess that’s a good thing for the users, but it’s sad to see so much these days that is focused around the bottom line. Philosophies and fans seem more important and more real to me.
Interesting point though. Supporting a 5% operating system doesn’t necessarily mean only a 5% increase in sales. It depends on that 5% and who they are and what they do.
