kohlrak: The problem is, it requires the hardware companies to play nice. VESA attempted this a long time ago, and even made a standard called VESA BIOS Extensions (VBE), but compliance was never enforced. As far as i can tell, what does and does not get attention and support depends entirely on the daily buzz words. In other words, there aren't enough people complaining about all that lost potential to get anything going. To implement it without the universal driver requirement, i would point to SDL, which is a software attempt at getting support. Oh, look at the topic titlle. SDL is totally relevant for 2d games, which there seems to be a big market for right now, and it's great for teaching new programmers (instead of teaching them via "forms" and "console windows" or the library of the day that won't exist when they finally code on their own).

richlind33: Another question, slighty related: why hasn't MS enforced a proper standard for software installers? Why leave it in the hands of end users who don't know how to distinguish good from bad?

kohlrak: They did, a long, long time ago. Bad people used it, too. With the amount of saturation in the windows software market, microsoft can't house an online store. They can't even run DNS servers properly. They've tried restricting devs by requiring software signing, but not only does that get in the way, but the bad guys use that, too. Basically, that's what you get for being the shark in a pond.

richlind33: I've never run into an instance where windows prevented me from authorizing a "bad" installer. Have you?

kohlrak: No, but my windows is out of date. Meanwhile, i've had legit programs blocked from running even in user mode (the programs were valid). Would you like a sample?

richlind33: Your word is good enough. Did you see my edit?

kohlrak: Now i did. The answer's still the same, except people don't care about proper uninstallation. Why use MSI when you can do it with EXE? Moreover, can you rely on it to get all files left over by a program if they don't report those files to the installer? Nope. In linux it is treated as a bug when that happens. In Android, it requires reinstalling your system when that happens.

richlind33: Windows has to be reinstalled fairly frequently if you want to maintain performance, assuming you install a lot of programs.
Optimal solution, IMO: kill the registry.

BlackThorny: I would like to see data confirming these numbers. Is Gog entire user base even consists more then 1/12 of Steam's?

richlind33: I care because it's a major reason why Windows has to be reinstalled fairly frequently if you want to maintain performance, assuming you install a lot of programs.

Optimal solution, IMO: kill the registry.

kohlrak: In reality, it doesn't trump the main reason for multiple windows reinstalls: viruses, which microsoft is working on.

I understand the registry, though, and i think that is one of MS' advantages. The registry is like a DBMS of source, but it's never properly used. Resolution preferences, keyboard preferences (to some degree), etc. should be the main use of the registry, as well as installation. That said, the registry should not really be written to by anything other than a microsoft program and a game. Alot of people use the registry for the sake of using the registry, since it's "a thing" and need some way of proving they're "a well-rounded programmer."