The Humble Frozenbyte Bundle

The folks over at HumbleBundle are currently running their third amazing game sale. It's a package deal from Frozenbyte, a Finnish game developer, that contains several computer games. What makes the sale amazing? Several things:

All Games Are Linux Compatible

Most Linux gamers have a skeleton in their closet: A Windows partition they reboot into in order to play games. It's not because we love Windows, but rather because there just aren't as many games available for Linux. As it turns out, there are some great native Linux games, and every Humble Bundle so far has been Linux compatible.

All Games Are DRM Free

No serial numbers, no online activation, no flipping your mouse over for a retinal scan -- these games are completely DRM free. Does that mean you can easily pirate them? Sure. We all know that DRM does little to stop piracy though, what this ultimately means is that as consumers we aren't punished for paying for software. A lack of DRM doesn't make piracy legal, but it sure makes paying for stuff a lot more enjoyable.

Your Item Costs $AMOUNT_YOU_CHOOSE

Speaking of paying for stuff -- the Humble Bundle is just that, humble. They don't choose the price, you do. They tell you the retail cost, and you decide how much to pay. Really. There aren't any strings attached, you just decide what you think a bundle of DRM free, Linux compatible games are worth. And here's where I get a little prideful: Check out the average donations by platform below. As Linux users, we tend to be willing to spend the most money. I think it's because we understand that freedom has value, and we're willing to put our money where our mouths are.

Your Money Also Does Charity Work!

As if setting your own price wasn't awesome enough, you also get to decide how to distribute that money amongst the developers and charity. And the charities are some that we all know and love. The Electronic Frontier Foundation and Child's Play have been selected in this Humble Bundle to receive the donations. Just like the price, you determine the percentages of your total that go to the charities.

So whether you're a gamer looking for a cheap fix, a Linux evangelist excited to see your favorite operating system included in something like this, or just a giving geek that wants to support such a great cause -- the Humble Bundle is full of win. The event only lasts two weeks, and it started Tuesday. Whether or not you decide to buy a bundle, be sure to tell your friends, even if they're not Linux users!