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Gareth Halfacree · 20th Dec 2012, 10:16

No invite required to get your Linux gaming on.
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/...m-linux-open/1

azrael- · 20th Dec 2012, 10:35

Great news! And just in time for Christmas (and the inevitable Steam Christmas Sale

)....

ellism · 20th Dec 2012, 11:38

Alas even after updating I am still getting the closed beta message.

SlowMotionSuicide · 20th Dec 2012, 12:07

**** YEAH.

Snips · 20th Dec 2012, 13:57

What are the official figures for Steam on Apple OSX?

fdbh96 · 20th Dec 2012, 14:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snips

What are the official figures for Steam on Apple OSX?

Im not sure but I think the humble bundle usually says that the number of people on OS X roughly equals the number on linux.

Yslen · 20th Dec 2012, 15:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by fdbh96

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snips

What are the official figures for Steam on Apple OSX?

Im not sure but I think the humble bundle usually says that the number of people on OS X roughly equals the number on linux.

That doesn't necessarily mean anything; every humble bundle I've bought I've gone down as a Linux user because that's what I used to have on my laptop. Never played any of the games on there though.

fdbh96 · 20th Dec 2012, 15:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yslen

That doesn't necessarily mean anything; every humble bundle I've bought I've gone down as a Linux user because that's what I used to have on my laptop. Never played any of the games on there though.

It is only a statistic which of course most are flawed but I would be surprised if the actual number was similiar.

Star*Dagger · 20th Dec 2012, 17:33

I hope this is the beginning of the end for Windows only gaming.

I would love to use Linux for gaming and delete Windows forever!!

Snips · 20th Dec 2012, 19:09

This has no effect on me as I'll never use Linux ever as I love to use Windows for gaming.

I hope this is the beginning of the end for the myth that Linux is better since no one will be using it

wafflesomd · 20th Dec 2012, 19:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snips

This has no effect on me as I'll never use Linux ever as I love to use Windows for gaming.

I hope this is the beginning of the end for the myth that Linux is better since no one will be using it

Seriously this. I think it's great that there will finally be some competition but linux has a lot of problems other than game support.

People with this kind of thought process are dilusional

"I would love to use Linux for gaming and delete Windows forever!!"

steveo_mcg · 20th Dec 2012, 21:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by wafflesomd

Seriously this. I think it's great that there will finally be some competition but linux has a lot of problems other than game support.

People with this kind of thought process are dilusional

"I would love to use Linux for gaming and delete Windows forever!!"

why? I don't need or use it for anything else...

(My emphasis)

Icy EyeG · 20th Dec 2012, 21:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by wafflesomd

People with this kind of thought process are dilusional

I guess me and most of my family are crazy then.

Sloth · 20th Dec 2012, 22:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by wafflesomd

Seriously this. I think it's great that there will finally be some competition but linux has a lot of problems other than game support.

People with this kind of thought process are dilusional

"I would love to use Linux for gaming and delete Windows forever!!"

If a person's only priority is gaming such as steveo_mcg above then Linux is an easy choice should it become equivalent to Windows for gaming. Two tools to do the same job, but one's free.

There are only three things needed to achieve this:
-Games availability to match Windows.
-OpenGL to match DirectX.
-Driver support to match Windows ease of install and performance.

We're seeing the first with Valve push of Steam and development of their own game, THQ's cost analysis, and the many indie games seen in the Humble Bundles. The second is driven by the first as number of developers increases. The third is driven by a combination of the first two, this can been seen recently with Nvidia's latest release. It's very much a "build it and they will come" situation where we're dependent on the risk-takers in the industry to begin the process. When/if all three come together what's the point of gaming on Windows? You've got some non-gaming related issue with Linux? Unfortunate for you, but doesn't make the rest of us delusional.

wafflesomd · 20th Dec 2012, 23:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveo_mcg

Quote:

Originally Posted by wafflesomd

Seriously this. I think it's great that there will finally be some competition but linux has a lot of problems other than game support.

People with this kind of thought process are dilusional

"I would love to use Linux for gaming and delete Windows forever!!"

why? I don't need or use it for anything else...

(My emphasis)

What do you do in linux that you can't do in windows.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sloth

You've got some non-gaming related issue with Linux? Unfortunate for you, but doesn't make the rest of us delusional.

It's not even remotely as user friendly as windows is. I usually try a few distros every year just to see if it's to the point where I want it to be and it never is. I always have the same issue and that is that I need to baby sit the OS. I've never had a windows update break my installation but that has happened to me in linux a few times. Not worth the hassle IMO.

proxess · 20th Dec 2012, 23:54

Then you're probably trying them out in hope that they will be like Windows. They're not.

But this isn't a bash Windows/Linux thread.

I've been playing TF2 and Amenesia on Ubuntu 12.10 with the Catalyst 12.11 Beta drivers and they're running quite smooth. A bit of work has to go into TF2 though.

fdbh96 · 21st Dec 2012, 06:25

Surely this is going to make things worse. Some developers cant even manage compatibility with windows 7, so adding a whole world of alternate possibilities is going to be a nightmare to get things working right.

steveo_mcg · 21st Dec 2012, 08:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by wafflesomd

What do you do in linux that you can't do in windows.

Very little though there is some stuff which works better, headless clients, thin clients, low powered completely silent machines etc etc.

Given all I use my computer for is web based stuff, gaming and some light photo editing (gimp) what is the advantage of running windows when I don't find Linux hard to use? It has less system overheads than windows so assuming decent driver support there really is no advantage to paying for a copy of windows.

Gareth Halfacree · 21st Dec 2012, 09:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by wafflesomd

I've never had a windows update break my installation [...]

Yes, that never happens. Oh, wait, no. The other thing.

Not that I'm saying Linux is wholly innocent in this regard: while rare, mistakes do happen - but usually to beta or 'unstable' branches, like the time an update to Ubuntu 10.04 Beta (from memory) prevented X from loading. The problem was fixed in a couple of hours, but it was still an awkward moment for beta users - non-beta users, meanwhile, were fine.

Icy EyeG · 21st Dec 2012, 10:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by wafflesomd

What do you do in linux that you can't do in windows.

In my case, it makes my life much easier. I program lots of things in perl for college, and Ubuntu makes it much easier to work with. Moreover, in my experience, all the software I generally use (mendeley, calibre, Inkscape, dia, gimp, libreoffice, gnumeric, etc.) are much faster in Ubuntu, and a lot easier to upgrade (because Ubuntu has a centralized update system).
One very important aspect as well is the amount of money I've spared in Windows licences, by using Ubuntu on 5 computers in the last 2-3 years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wafflesomd

It's not even remotely as user friendly as windows is. I usually try a few distros every year just to see if it's to the point where I want it to be and it never is. I always have the same issue and that is that I need to baby sit the OS. I've never had a windows update break my installation but that has happened to me in linux a few times. Not worth the hassle IMO.

I completely disagree. I've been using Ubuntu full time since 10.04, and never had any problems. I've also installed Xubuntu 12.04 on my of my relatives' laptops and they are quite happy with it. Moreover, they are not geeks like me, they just want a laptop that works and can't afford to buy a new one. As far as I'm concerned they don't need to worry about the OS until 2017, provided they keep it up-to-date.

Yes, I only use LTS releases with them, because that's how it should be if you want absolute stability and a "geek-free" experience. If you are new to Linux or want to install and forget go (X)ubuntu 12.04 LTS.

Granted I installed some packages that didn't come with Xubuntu, like google chrome, libreoffice and gnome games. However, it takes a lot less time, because when they were using Windows, every time I did a factory reset on their laptops, I'd have to uninstall all the crap, demos and trials that came with it.

In my experience, people can adapt very easily to Xubuntu, and are quite thankful, because they don't need to buy a new laptop in the mid-term (because Xubuntu is much more responsive than Windows in 4-year-old laptops).

Also, using Unity on Ubuntu is as difficult to adapt as it is to Mac OSX, if you are coming from Windows, except it is free.

20th Dec 2012, 10:16	#1
Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! bit-tech Staff Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bradford, UK Posts: 1,831	Valve opens Steam for Linux beta to all No invite required to get your Linux gaming on. http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/...m-linux-open/1 __________________ Co-author, Raspberry Pi User Guide, Meet the Raspberry Pi \| gareth.halfacree.co.uk \| twitter bit-tech news correspondent, Custom PC columnist I'm a filthy freelancer! Hire me!

20th Dec 2012, 10:35	#2
azrael- I'm special... Join Date: May 2008 Location: Aarhus, Denmark Posts: 3,757	Great news! And just in time for Christmas (and the inevitable Steam Christmas Sale ).... __________________ It's not the end of the world ...but you can see it from here. Xeon E3-1245 v2 3.4 GHz \| ASUS P8C WS \| 16GB Kingston ECC DDR3 \| Samsung 830 256GB \| eVGA GTX670 2GB \| SB Audigy \| Seasonic X-560 \| Corsair Obsidian 550D \| Dell 2209WA

20th Dec 2012, 11:38	#3
ellism Supermodder Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Ashford, UK Posts: 347	Alas even after updating I am still getting the closed beta message. __________________ %48%45%58%20%69%74%27%73%20%67%6F%74%20%53%69%78%2 0%61%70%70%65%61%6C%00 I <3 Aquatuning & Enermax long time!

20th Dec 2012, 12:07	#4
SlowMotionSuicide For Science Join Date: May 2009 Location: Rauma, Finland Posts: 711	**** YEAH. __________________ i5-750 \|MSI P55-GD65 \| 8Gb Dominators \| EVGA GTX 480 \| Corsair F120 \| F1 Spinpoint 1TB \| Nexus RX-8500 \| Corsair 800D EK Supreme LT \| EK FC-480 GTX \| XSPC RX360 \| Laing D5 Vario\| Koolance COV-RP450 & BDY-TK200 Dell U2711 \| Filco Majestouch-2 TKL (MX browns) \| MX Performance \| Nuforce Icon 2 \| Amphion Ions \| Sennheiser HD650

20th Dec 2012, 23:54	#16
proxess Hypermodder Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: The town of Love, Funchal Posts: 945	Then you're probably trying them out in hope that they will be like Windows. They're not. But this isn't a bash Windows/Linux thread. I've been playing TF2 and Amenesia on Ubuntu 12.10 with the Catalyst 12.11 Beta drivers and they're running quite smooth. A bit of work has to go into TF2 though. __________________ Laptop: i3 330M 2.13GHz; 2x 4GB 1066MHz; Radeon 5650 1GB @ 675/1020MHz; Crucial M4 256GB SSD; Ubuntu 12.04 x64 and Windows 7 x64. Ubuntu #8076 / Linux #429448

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20th Dec 2012, 13:57	#5
Snips I can do dat, giz a job Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: wiv me kids Posts: 1,293	What are the official figures for Steam on Apple OSX?

20th Dec 2012, 17:33	#9
Star*Dagger Pan-Galactic Revolutionary Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Earth, Sol System, Alpha Quadrant Posts: 716	I hope this is the beginning of the end for Windows only gaming. I would love to use Linux for gaming and delete Windows forever!!

20th Dec 2012, 19:09	#10
Snips I can do dat, giz a job Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: wiv me kids Posts: 1,293	This has no effect on me as I'll never use Linux ever as I love to use Windows for gaming. I hope this is the beginning of the end for the myth that Linux is better since no one will be using it

21st Dec 2012, 06:25	#17
fdbh96 I am a Dremel Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 1,695	Surely this is going to make things worse. Some developers cant even manage compatibility with windows 7, so adding a whole world of alternate possibilities is going to be a nightmare to get things working right.