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Further evidence that Valve is here for the long-run, they've hired yet another developer to help improve open source graphics drivers on Linux.

Daniel Schürmann is the latest, confirmed by Valve developer Pierre-Loup Griffais on Twitter. So they have now hired Samuel "hakzsam" Pitoiset, Timothy Arceri (who previously crowdfunded his work to improve Linux drivers), Andres Rodriguez and more in addition to this latest. 

It's going to be interesting to see if Valve continue to bring in more Linux folk, and the fact that Valve is still hiring people to help Linux gaming through driver work, VR work and so on is quite telling on how they plan to continue pushing Linux gaming for some time. They might not be shouting from the rooftops about it, but the work they're doing is vitally important.

Something else that Valve developer Pierre-Loup Griffais shared recently, is that approximately 13% of Mesa contributions in 2017 were from Valve developers:

Fun fact: Valve contributions seem to make up about 13% of Mesa commits in 2017. (commit count isn't relevant to contribution significance, so this fact is not only fun, but also useless).

It's going to be interesting to see what kind of splash Valve make, when VR support is solid on Linux and what their plans are after then. Some form of Steam Machine with SteamOS and a VR headset bundle, along with some upgrades to SteamOS could be quite interesting.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Editorial, Valve
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Shmerl Feb 9, 2018
Quoting: EikeWe already had this discussion and I see no value in repeating it: Feral's games are compiled as native Linux binaries.

Indeed, let's not repeat it. I don't see Feral's releases as native, so let's move on to other topics.

Quoting: EikeIf you want fully native Linux games (in your undestanding of "native" ), you shouldn't use WINE either.
I never said I'm against wrappers. I was only commenting on the inconsistent claim, that Feral are encouraging native ports and Wine discourages them.


Last edited by Shmerl on 9 February 2018 at 4:24 pm UTC
Eike Feb 9, 2018
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Quoting: ShmerlOne is playing a game sold for Windows, and other is not playing the game that Feral didn't port. That's the options. So for me the first is clearly better, since the second would be 100% of games that are available in DRM-free stores.

Erm, did I understand that right that you're buying DRM'ed games for Windows (to play them under WINE), but not for Linux?
Eike Feb 9, 2018
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Quoting: Shmerl
Quoting: EikeIf you want fully native Linux games (in your undestanding of "native" ), you shouldn't use WINE either.
I never said I'm against wrappers. I was only commenting on the inconsistent claim, that Feral are encouraging native ports and Wine discourages them.

Playing Windows games on WINE is as opposite to native as playing on Linux can get...
Shmerl Feb 9, 2018
Quoting: SamsaiI feel like you don't know what Feral's wrapper even does

I know what it does. It's source level wrapper. That doesn't make it a native approach, it's still a wrapper.

Quoting: SamsaiSo if you want to say that Feral's ports don't support Linux any more than Wine.

Not for me, if I can't even play them. You are comfortable with Feral's exclusivity approach, that's why you don't get it.
Samsai Feb 9, 2018
Quoting: Shmerl
Quoting: SamsaiI feel like you don't know what Feral's wrapper even does

I know what it does. It's source level wrapper. That doesn't make it a native approach, it's still a wrapper.

Quoting: SamsaiSo if you want to say that Feral's ports don't support Linux any more than Wine.

Not for me, if I can't even play them. You are comfortable with Feral's exclusivity approach, that's why you don't get it.
Even you are benefiting from them because they are pushing our graphics stack forward. You just refuse to acknowledge this because you are mad that their games are not on GOG.
Shmerl Feb 9, 2018
Quoting: Eike
Quoting: ShmerlOne is playing a game sold for Windows, and other is not playing the game that Feral didn't port. That's the options. So for me the first is clearly better, since the second would be 100% of games that are available in DRM-free stores.

Erm, did I understand that right that you're buying DRM'ed games for Windows (to play them under WINE), but not for Linux?

No, it means I'm buying DRM-free only games, which means no Feral games are available for me. Insistence on DRM is the outcome of Feral's control over their wrapper. Wine has no such thing, so it's perfectly usable with DRM-free games.


Last edited by Shmerl on 9 February 2018 at 4:31 pm UTC
jens Feb 9, 2018
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Quoting: Shmerl
Quoting: EikeI disagree, because one is paying for a game sold for Windows (and is strenghtening Windows market) and the other is paying for a game sold for Linux

One is playing a game sold for Windows, and other is not playing the game that Feral didn't port. That's the options. So for me the first is clearly better, since the second would be 100% of games that are available in DRM-free stores.
It makes me sad to read that your own personal choice to avoid Steam doesn't let you see the value Feral and friends are doing for Linux gaming plus Linux adoption and that you are even prefer to compromise their efforts :(
Shmerl Feb 9, 2018
Quoting: SamsaiEven you are benefiting from them because they are pushing our graphics stack forward. You just refuse to acknowledge this because you are mad that their games are not on GOG.

I never refused to acknowledge that. More than Feral about Valve for instance. I don't use them, but I well acknowledge their contribution to the Linux stack. Does it mean there should be no competition to any of them in the Linux gaming market? Of course not.
Eike Feb 9, 2018
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Quoting: GuestI first read like this: and it seems he's from the same universe as me. I thought:An alien! Oh no! It's the beginning of the end!this is an attack from Mars. Green little men are coming!^_^

I sure have to do some gaming now... :-D
Shmerl Feb 9, 2018
Quoting: jensIt makes me sad to read that your own personal choice to avoid Steam doesn't let you see the value Feral and friends are doing for Linux gaming plus Linux adoption and that you are even prefer to compromise their efforts :(

I didn't say there is no value. I said I don't agree that it's wrong to have competition. I quite strongly disagree with that especially in case when their option is exclusive. Competition makes it accessible, rather than walled.


Last edited by Shmerl on 9 February 2018 at 4:38 pm UTC
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