“When id Software released their first test of Quake 3 Arena a
few weeks ago, I found myself wondering why the Linux and NT
versions were released before the Win 9X version. At the time I
surmised that it was to get the servers up and running so that we
could play the game online immediately as Q3 is designed primarily
with multiplayer gaming in mind. That may be partly true. However I
believe now that a consideration of much more significant
importance may be the driving factor. It is generally agreed
upon that the Linux OS is a much more stable environment for games
that test the limits of today’s computers. Since Linux is an
“open source” OS, game developers are better able to address the
nuances of the system and write code that addresses these factors.
But more importantly, it’s the Linux user that makes the real
difference.”