The Steam Hardware Survey For May Is Here, It’s Not All Doom & Gloom

I have yet to have a survey request on Linux (1.5yrs) but get them all the time if I am running through Wine (damn you Pinball FX2). I know that is just a coincidence but surely a balanced survey targeting all active users maybe once or twice a year would be a better and significantly more useful solution as far as statistics go.

Things to remember in all market places:
If you buy a game for Windows+Mac+Linux, a Windows purchase is recorded along with the other OSes
If a survey asks and you say you game with, use, have installed, or buy for Windows, Mac, and Linux (or more commonly Windows and Linux), Windows gets counted.
If you run a Windows game from a dual boot computer Windows gets counted and Linux does not even if you also run it with Linux.
If you run a Windows game using wine (or any emulator/virtualizer) on Linux (or Mac) on any market that tracks your OS with software, Windows gets counted and Linux does not
If you are using Windows software of any sort in any way (including background apps) and use a website tracks your OS, Windows gets counted and Linux does not.
If you are using Windows software that is also avaiable for Linux and use anything on the net that tracks your software, most likley this counts as Windows and Linux is not even looked for.
Steam is a bit smarter for separating Windows and Linux, but still counts many Linux gamers as Windows gamers because of wine and Dual boot (But this really doesn't matter, see below).

And now for the most important fact: If statistics from anywhere show a customer or potential customer games with, uses, has installed, or buys Windows, the vast majority of market professions will ignore all other OS stats. They only thing that will ever have any chance of catching their attention is stats that show Linux gamers who do not use Windows at all. Sadly, most survey's and nearly all software tracking does not even offer a way to indicate this.

I still don't trust the survey. I can go months without booting Windows and never get a survey request in Linux. Then I boot up Windows, and *BAM* there's the Steam survey. It has happened consistently enough that I'm beginning to think there's a bug in Steam for Linux that is preventing the survey from working like it should.

Quoting: subI hope rumours are not true that Newell just came up with Linux/SteamOS/SteamMachines to put pressure on Microsoft.
As Win10 seems like it will get good reception and "lacks" all the stuff Newell was afraid of, some people argue Valve might abandon Linux sooner or later. After all, SteamMachines missed the fantastic "Win8" time window to take off - and that sounds reasonable to me. :/

Who said Valve only fears Windows Store? Windows is only one of the reasons behind SteamOS. The other reason is the competition coming from EA's Origin, GOG, etc.

I run Steam in Big Picture mode and have never seen a survey on that machine. I've got it 3 or 4 times since Steam launched on Linux when running in regular mode on other machines.

I think I've gotten the survey once on Linux, but a bunch of times on Windows. They really need to tweak their survey responder algorithm if they want it to be accurate.

I got a dedicated HDD for Windows and installed Steam several days ago, Immediately I got the hardware survey.

I haven't had the Hardware Survey on Arch for the last 8-10 months, funny times.

I have my theory (or more like a "what if ?" ) about why we don't get this survey too often:

I have rarely received this survey on my old (a year or so) Linux client install but frequently when I create a new Steam Wineprefix (with PlayOnLinux).
So it could be that a fresh Steam client installation process has a higher chance to trigger this survey.

Now, from what I know Linux users tend to keep their systems running and rarely do total re-installs, they just fix what's broken and keep going (Steam Client included in this).
OTOH Windows users are more inclined to re-install their systems...at least at my workplace (and seen it on my friends too) the most common solution for every problem is "re-install Windows" (and again, Steam included).
(not mentioning upgrading your old Windows install to something newer.)

So basically the Windows Steam client is just re-installed more often than the Linux one and triggers this survey more on Windows.

Quoting: dubigrasuNow, from what I know Linux users tend to keep their systems running and rarely do total re-installs, they just fix what's broken and keep going (Steam Client included in this).
OTOH Windows users are more inclined to re-install their systems...at least at my workplace (and seen it on my friends too) the most common solution for every problem is "re-install Windows" (and again, Steam included).

This is the difference between an open operating system and a closed operating system. Sometimes you have to reinstall Windows to fix it because the options available to the user are extremely limited.

Why do so many people think that the survey appears more on Windows than Linux? If it's appearing more on Windows than Linux with you that just means you are using Steam under Windows more than you do under Linux. I have had the surevy twice on Linux and none on Windows.