As we all know, The Linux Foundation has continually lowered its direct support for the Linux Kernel almost every year -- with the quarter-Billion dollar (annual) foundation spending a measly 3.2% of its annual expenditures on Linux.

In fact...

The Foundation that controls Linux spends less on Linux, every year, than they spend on "Blockchain", "Artificial Intelligence", "Compliance Best Practices", and a wide variety of other projects.  Heck, they even make "Vaccine Passports" and a "Metaverse" competitor nowadays.

All of which has prompted many -- including The Lunduke Journal -- to point out that "The Linux Foundation" isn't really about Linux anymore.

And, as if to drive the point home, it has now been announced -- at the Linux Foundation's Open Source Summit -- that Long Term Support versions of the Linux Kernel will be killed off entirely.

From the Kernel Report presentation by Kernel maintainer (and LWN editor) Jonathan Corbet:

"the six-year update policy is going away. When 4.14 goes out of support… early next year… there will not be another six-year kernel to replace it."

The plan appears to be to stop all support of "Long Term Support" versions of the Linux Kernel.  Effectively dropping the longest amount of time a given Kernel branch is supported from 6 years... down to just 2 years.

At a time when The Linux Foundaiton profits are soaring... support for the core Linux kernel is being scalled back in a highly significant way.

The Lunduke Journal isn't the only publication concerned about this.  This quote from Liam Proven at The Register makes a solid point:

"with big companies from around the world proudly talking about their use of open source and their large-scale adoption of Linux, the core project behind it all, the kernel itself, is under-resourced and under-funded."

Here's the thing:

I don't blame the existing Linux Kernel maintainers for scaling back support for the Linux Kernel.  A great many of them are unpaid and overworked.

If only there were some... I dunno... Foundation... which brings in roughly a quarter of a Billion dollars (that's Billion with a capital B) specifically chartered with supporting the Linux Kernel.  You know... a Foundation with "Linux" right in the name.  That sort of Foundation sure could be useful right about now.

Unfortunately The Linux Foundation is too preoccupied with Blockchains, Vaccine Passports, The Metaverse, Climate Change, and A.I. to spend their money and resources supporting the very project they were created to support.

At this point it is crystal clear: The Linux Foundation has almost completely abandoned Linux.

I know.  That sounds utterly riridulous.  

Because it is.

Alas, that is the state of things. It's not even really up for debate.  It just is what it is.

Now, here's a question worth asking:

If one Foundation has primary control over Linux -- managing the trademark, with the most central kernel figures as employees -- and that Foundation is now primarily about doing anything but Linux... what happens to Linux?

It's worth pondering on.  Because it's happening right now.

Modern versions of Microsoft Windows are, in general, considered to be the de-fact kind of computer gaming.  If a PC game comes out, it runs on Windows.  Sure, many may run on Linux and macOS... but Windows?  Always.

But this wasn't always the case.

During the Windows 3.1 era, MS-DOS was the king of computer games... with people typically exiting Windows entirely, returning to DOS, in order to enjoy the most demanding games of the day.

In fact, when most people think of "Windows 3.1 gaming" the first thing that springs to mind are the likes of Solitaire and Minesweeper.

But I'm here to tell you that Windows 3.1 had some truly fantastic games.  And is, without a doubt, an exceptionally good gaming system in it's own right.

What follows is a list of, what I consider to be, the best games released for Windows 3.1.  In order, from "worst of the best" to "best of the best".

Presenting them here, without commentary.  Simply a visual list comprising some of the best of Windows 3.1 gaming.  And, yes, I missed your favorite.  I did that on purpose.  Just to annoy you.

10) Castle of the Winds

9) Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures

8) SimTower

7) Incredible Machine 2

6) Quest for Glory 4

5) Colonization

4) Myst

3) SimCity 2000

2) Space Quest 4

1) Civilization II

Take a gander of that list of games.  Soak it all in.  Some of the best adventure, strategy, and puzzle games ever created.

Any operating system that can boast all of these is one heck of a solid gaming platform in my book.

BONUS PICK: The Microsoft Entertainment Pack

While none of the games included in "The Microsoft Entertainment Pack" are, individually, worthy of being included in this list... it would be a travesty to not not talk about this weird set of releases from Microsoft.

Back in 1990, people did not tend to think of Windows (then at version 3.0) as a true "home operating system" -- it was viewed more as a business system.  For obvious reasons, Microsoft wanted to change this.

As such, the project (which the Entertainment Pack was a part of) was launched: to show that Windows was "fun".

Unfortunately there was almost no budget for this small endeavor.  And Microsoft was having difficutly in convincing the major game developers and publisher to bring their titles over to Windows 3.0.

So.  What to do... what to do...

Their solution was to create the "Windows Entertainment Pack" -- a collection of 8 games, developed by Microsoft employees as (mostly) hobby projects, polished up and bundled together as one release.  With each employee, who contributed a game, compensated with 10 shares of MSFT stock (because, again, they had almost no budget for this work at all).

Over the following two years, Microsoft would release a total of 4 Entertainment Packs, with some games that are now considered classic Windows games.  Including Minesweeper, SkiFree, FreeCell, and a ton of others.

Fun fact: The Windows Entertainment Packs were, intentionally, shipped with no copy protection scheme of any kind.  This made it easy for people to make copies of the games for friends.  The whole point was to encourage the public to accept Windows as a gaming platform, right?  So the more copies in circulation, the better!

Just the same, these Entertainment Packs would sell over half a million copies by 1992.

Today… is not a good day. To put it mildly. Dealing with an emergency. It’s going to slow down publishing over the next couple days.

I’m not ready to talk about it. I know that’s pretty vague and cryptic — just how it is. Suffice to say, I’m a wreck. Whole world is spinning. When I’m ready to talk about it, I will.

And, as is the way with such things, I need to raise some funds to deal with all of this.

I don’t like asking for straight-up donations. So I’m going to do something I did not want or plan to do… going to have a sale. Just as long as is needed to weather this storm.

Here’s the deal: We’re going to do a Pay-What-You-Want sale.

• Pay anything over $50 and you get a Triple Pass

• Pay anything over $100 and you get a Lifetime Subscription

What is the Triple Pass?

It is a yearly subscription to all three sites in the Lunduke Journal family:

• Lunduke.Locals.com (the tech)

• NerdyEntertainment.Locals.com (movies, books, comics, etc.)

• ConservativeNerds.Locals.com (the only place where politics is allowed)

The Lifetime Subscription is exactly the same as the Triple Pass… except it lasts forever.

How to get a Triple Pass.

1. Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

2. Click "Subscribe".

3. Enter any amount over $50 in the editable field.

4. Lunduke will then grant you full access across all three sites (may take a couple hours depending on time of day).

How to get a Lifetime Subscription.

1. Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

2. Click "Give Once".

3. Enter any amount over $100 in the editable field.

4. Lunduke will then grant you full, lifetime access across all three sites (may take a couple hours depending on time of day).

This sale will only last as long as necessary, and not a moment longer. I will make a post when it’s done.

I deeply appreciate the support and friendship of all of you amazing nerds. Many of you have already expressed your thoughts and prayers and they mean a great deal. I could sure use ‘em.

-Lunduke