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.

I 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.

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).

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.

I 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. :/

Valve won't drop SteamOS or Linux Support because it's the leverage that keeps M$ from doing anything foolish. Remove SteamOS and M$ will fall back to their old ways.

Add to this the fact that many partners (hardware, software and game developers) have invested time and money into this project. It would be nonsense to just drop the ball at the last minute.

The train is on the move... Slowly but it's moving. Let's hope it gains some momentum.

By the way, I still don't see any SteamOS mention in the survey and I never got the survey on mine. It's probably not a big percentage yet, but my belief is that it's not included in it. I don't think Valve would accept a mere Linux 3.xx entry in the survey for their own OS... :)

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.

Wrong. I use Linux the vast majority of the time, but it seems like every time I boot into Windows after months of not using it, I get a Steam survey. Is that what triggers it? The fact that I so rarely boot up Windows these days?

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.

Wrong. I use Linux the vast majority of the time, but it seems like every time I boot into Windows after months of not using it, I get a Steam survey. Is that what triggers it? The fact that I so rarely boot up Windows these days?

It did the same for me. A couple of months ago, I kept an old Win7 partition on a backup drive and when I started my Steam client on this platform, I got the survey 1/3 of times but I get it maybe twice a year on my Ubuntu system even if I start the client daily. Quite weird.

It's not wierd at all to never see a survey one Linux. More people refuse the survey on Windows (and Wine, especially Wine). This means they need to survey more people to get the number of responses they need for statistical significance (which means you see more surveys on Windows and Wine than on Linux native). Refusing the survey does nothing to change the result, they will just ask someone else on that platform.

This is standard practice with opt-out surveys. It's much easier to manage with a system like Steam as the client identifies itself by OS on connection. (Side note: if you have ever been telephone surveyed they often start with demographic questions for this reason.)

This should give you food for thought, as said in the other similar thread. Its in their benefit to keep interest at an even point. Once SteamOS is out you will magically see the results slowly lift up over two years ;)

There not going to say "hey look Linux is actually 3% now" ..

release SteamOS and shout a year later ...

"hey look Linux is actually 3% now"


:/

its obvious to most by now if you did a broad sweep taking Indie / Humble / GOG / Steam / Opensource you would have a 'Decent enough' for some profits user base for all but the most greedy AAA studios. But as an EA executive said, the real money and markets are now in community games and games that take less than a few million to make. So Linux is still viable because the actual gaming development market from a financial perspective is changing. So linux is well within the 'zone' for developers, it just needs vulcan and steamOS to highlight its ability.

I suppose if you really want to you could say Linux has the biggest gaming share right now, just get those Android "Gamers" (filthy casuals) included :P

I read somewhere that when you include Android, servers, embedded operating systems, etc., Linux is by far the most used OS in the world. It's just on the desktop where it has always struggled to get a foothold.

It also wouldn't be a problem at all to just send 1 additional byte to identify the OS every time users log into Steam.

2. Sorry, I couldn't resist :)

When I was using steam on windows, I was getting the survey quite often. Once every 2-3 months maybe, on the same install.
But I didn't get it more than once or twice on my computer in two years.
So, either I have bad luck, or the survey is buggy on Linux. I got it last time I logged in on windows (that was to allow a computer for family sharing). Previously, silentely dismissing the survey would have made it appear on my Linux box, but it didn't worked.

It could also be Valve keeping the numbers low enough for whatever reason (yeah, it sounds like a conspiracy theory, but they could use the numbers to claim that they were in fact the big actor making people switch over to Linux after the SteamOS release, or whatever reason they want).

[quote=MyeulC]

It could also be Valve keeping the numbers low enough for whatever reason (yeah, it sounds like a conspiracy theory, but they could use the numbers to claim that they were in fact the big actor making people switch over to Linux after the SteamOS release, or whatever reason they want).

Having a theory like you did, isn’t a conspiracy, its just a thought out theory. A conspiracy usually requires collusion.

Your theory probably has a lot of truth in it.

I 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. :/

Microsoft lost it's Mojo, when it decided to create a single UI and promotional content for both the ARM and x86 architecture combined. Now online usage of Microsoft Windows has fallen from 95% to below 55%
...meaning right now, only 55% of Internet usage is from Windows devices.

GNU/Linux is at 1-2%, with Europe at 2.4%
Android Linux is at 22%

Chromebooks is the top selling Laptop on Amazon. FireTV(Android) and Chromecast are the bestselling computing devices on Amazon

Upcoming Linux devices are Google Chromebit, Steam Machines, and C.H.I.P, the 9$ System On Chip.

...You really think 'Steam Machine' is just Valve putting pressure on Microsoft ?

Well, today I finally got a Steam survey in Linux, two-years after first installing Steam in Kubuntu.