News Valve opens Steam for Linux beta to all

Muggles (as Nexxo would say) generally have less issue with Linux (UI's) than windows power users. The power user is used to knowing where everything is and how everything works, when confronted with change they react with anger and an element of fear. Happens every time MS fiddle with the core of Windows.

The Muggle is just as powerless in Windows, OSX or Gnome etc so generally just work out how to get around and load the apps they want to use.

 

Never thought in that perspective, but makes a lot of sense on how many of my relatives switched to Xubuntu.

 

now we want Steam for AmigaOS.....

 

Wow, the linux minority are really keeping everything crossed that you'll listen to them and how was it put "delete windows forever!"

Not gonna happen, not in your wildest dreams will that happen.

 

QFT..

Schools have no choice but to teach kids Windows as anything else would be delusional, Windows is what they would face if they entered the world of work one day and the kids parents will be familiar with Windows from work, making them far more likely to use Windows at home as well due to familiarity, which means the kids get exposed to windows at home as well. That circle isn't going to be broken too easily.

Steam for linux is going to end up the same way the Warcraft / Starcraft ports for mac did, they'll just provide another option, but hurt windows? nah.

 

double post - sorry

 

Honestly, how can you say something as inefficient as windows not only rivals, but BEATS linux? An LTS release is more stable then windows for sure - I've never, ever had a kernel panic, but Windows gets so many BSODs, just from a 'user-friendly' driver even. If you're praising windows for ease of use, and aren't prepared to accept a challenge, you're not really a power user...

I mean, look at ISOs for example. Up until Windows 7, you had to install a program to burn a disc, something so simple xD where as Linux has had support since 2002-03 I think. Microsoft is still catching up - there are lots of examples. Linux, as a benefit, is OPEN SOURCE. Nothing comes without compromise, and the compromise is that you have to give up the Windows UI you're oh-so used to. Not for your average person maybe, but I thought this community was about performance...

 

Powerful command-line-only interface.

I can easily get rid of the GUI altogether, and just use a command line. In Windows, the closest equivalent is DOS. However, DOS has not seen an update for over a decade. And has poor memory management.

Why would I want a CL interface? Servers. A GUI takes up a LOT of resources. You're not always there to look at it. So, you can used those spare resources in the server-specific tasks. Rendering, game server, to name a few.




I've been in the Linux scene since 2008. The only problems I've had with Linux are crappy hardware, and a flat-out lack of drivers. Only time I've had a kernel panic is when I pushed an overclock too far. The ONLY time.

I admit to having a PS/2 port dying due to a bad driver (regression), but that was patched the day after it occurred. Good luck getting a driver patched in a day on Windows.

 

I generally agree with you, but there hasn't been a DOS in Windows since Windows Me. You're thinking of the command prompt, which looks like DOS but otherwise has nothing in common with it. As of 64 bit Windows you cannot even run it in full screen, for instance. Personally, I'm using 4NT, or TCC as its current incarnation is called.

And Microsoft has actually created a replacement for the command prompt. It's called Windows PowerShell and has been a part of Windows since Vista I believe. Sadly, most people are completely ignorant of PowerShell and Microsoft doesn't really do anything to promote it. Understandable, since it's the complete antithesis to "the Ui commonly referred to as the UI formerly known as Metro".

 

You're right. The only reason I knew about PowerShell is because I was just digging around in the settings. Dismissed it because "cmd.exe is there and works, what's this for?"

 

Why is it that every mention of Linux on here lately turns into a tit for tat argument over which is better? It never used to be like this here.

I use both OS's but I much prefer Linux, even though it is a secondary OS at home. I had my late mother in law running Ubuntu on her PC and I had a lot fewer support questions. It also never crashed, not once.

Funny you should mention Powershell, as MS purposely engineered it to map common unix commands over to windows equivalents, as they wanted to attract *nix users over and wanted to make it as painless as possible. Shame it didn't really work.


I have been running the steam beta for a few weeks and I've had only 1 or 2 issues, the main one being the "big picture" feature which uses up almost all system resources on the nettop I am using. To be fair I also find big picture to be a bit crap on my main, windows, pc as it seems to hog resources there too.
The only other issue the Linux client has is with the steam overlay/system notifications on my lubuntu 12.10 install, but considering this is still beta it is hardly a major issue.

Performance wise I do find the linux client, and the games, run better than the windows equivalents and I guess this is just down to the lower overheads of the OS. I remember running Americas Army on Linux back in the day, as it performed much better than the windows client

 

Greetings!

Since W8 there is a new type of Microsoft fanboy, more... "active". Its not only here.

 

I am definitely a Linux gaming sceptic, sorry. Its not that I don't like Linux, it has its strong points, but for the sake of the cost of the OS why would you severely limit the gaming performance and flexibility of your living room PC?

Also, the latest Ubuntu is dog-slow and infested with Amazon adverts. Windows 8 is much nicer to use on my laptop as well as faster, plus it actually plays games, runs Photoshop/lightroom, plays flash video properly, has decent battery life... As nice as the UI is, there are just too many flaws with the Linux experience for me to want to use it for anything other than a server.

Anyway, that's my reasoning behind most of the pro-windows arguments I make. Its not that I hate Linux, it just doesn't make sense to me that anyone would want to use it except in very specific circumstances.

In the case of gaming, I really don't see a steam box taking off. We can all build superior windows machines, other companies can sell superior windows machines... why buy a locked down, restricted OS that limits the choice of the user to a few titles from (presumably) one store? More to the point, isn't that exactly what Valve were complaining about with Windows 8 (where its not the case in any way)?

Just the way I see things. If we can suddenly run all existing and new games on Linux with identical or superior performance to windows I'll consider it, as its free. I'd probably still buy windows though, for compatibility with other software.

Merry Christmas y'all!

 

People who rely on Windows for Windows-specific apps aren't going to switch to Linux, it wouldn't make much sense. But the vast majority of people don't rely on anything like that (the best selling computer consistently on Amazon is the Chromebook).

Valve will have negotiated with the game studios about ports. I can't see them launching a box that can only run Valve's own games and a few indie titles. I don't think old titles will be ported, just as games that don't run in Windows 7 will never be updated to support that, but it's almost certain that new releases would be available for both platforms, and possibly a set of existing ones.

Valve's big advantage with the Steambox would be that all the games they sell would be configured to install and work without any issues, since they'd know the hardware and software being used. At the moment you could look on the forums for any title sold through Steam and there will be people who can't get their Windows game running for lots of different reasons. I think the box is looking to be really attractive (and definitely not aimed at people who use their PC mainly for Photoshop).