It seems my recent article about Valve removing the link to the Steam Machines page caused quite a stir, so Valve have now confirmed their continued support for Linux gaming.
Truthfully, I wasn't expecting my article to do anything, however I seem to have vastly underestimated just how many eyes there are on us now. Many larger tech and gaming sites picked it up from us like PC Gamer, Ars Technica (who amusingly called us a "fan site"), VG247 and so on. Many more sites then picked up the news from them (some claiming it was originally reported by others—oh well, can't win them all) and so it ended up as a much bigger story.
We've had quite a lot of emails and notifications about this, including a Valve rep emailing us directly to link us to this post by Pierre-Loup Griffais, where they state that the removal of the Steam Machines link was part of a "routine cleanup" where it was removed based on "user traffic".
They go on to state rather clearly, that their plans haven't really changed. They're still committed to making Linux a great place for games and applications, including those not using Steam. The most important part of their post, to me at least, is this:
At the same time, we're continuing to invest significant resources in supporting the Vulkan ecosystem, tooling and driver efforts. We also have other Linux initiatives in the pipe that we're not quite ready to talk about yet; SteamOS will continue to be our medium to deliver these improvements to our customers, and we think they will ultimately benefit the Linux ecosystem at large.
It's going to be very interesting to find out what these initiatives are that they're not currently ready to talk about, quite exciting.
It's really good to see a public comment from Valve on this, as I said constantly in the past that SteamOS and Steam Machines would never be an overnight success. Valve is clearly in it for the long game and so are we.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Mohandevir Apr 4, 2018
"some trying to justify exclusives and lock-in as a valid methodology"
Sadly... is valid, because is working!
It has no place in FOSS-philosophy, even when there's a proprietary store front in middle. We have to be better than that. Only a greedy "triple AAA" video games executive could propose something like that. I sometimes see consumers of consoles applauding exclusives and it's turning me completely insane. Why would a consumer ever think it benefits them? I want gaming on Linux to be successful too, but copying the market strategy of popular consoles is the worst way to go. Instead, we need to make people aware of the benefits of FOSS and why they should be afraid of the big corporations shoving proprietary software down their throats, locking them in their ecosystem and turning the consumer into products. People who are aware starts looking for alternatives and those alternatives already exist but the awareness does not.
Personnaly, what I would like to see is Valve producing their games on Linux first, and then porting them to other platforms. I'm pretty sure that we would see a slew of fans installing SteamOS/Linux just for the sake of being the firsts to play the game, be it for a "beta" or not.
Last edited by Mohandevir on 4 April 2018 at 4:28 pm UTC
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Eurogamer picked up the story as well.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-04-04-its-true-steam-machines-arent-exactly-flying-off-the-shelves
You might want to not look in the comment section of the article if you find yourself easily triggered. Gotta say, I find a lot of the comments there extremely disturbing/disgusting/ignorant.
That's not uncommon among Windows gamers. Some of them sound like MS shills.
1 Likes, Who?
Sadly... is valid, because is working!
That doesn't make it valid. A lot of crooked methods are working to rip someone off, it doesn't justify them in the least.
Last edited by Shmerl on 4 April 2018 at 4:59 pm UTC
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stretch611 Apr 4, 2018
Personnaly, what I would like to see is Valve producing their games on Linux first, and then porting them to other platforms. I'm pretty sure that we would see a slew of fans installing SteamOS/Linux just for the sake of being the firsts to play the game, be it for a "beta" or not.
This will never happen. Valve is after all a company looking for profit. Linux is their strategy if Microsoft ever goes nuclear with the UWP/proprietary store options.
With over 90% of steam users on Windows they will never annoy their users with a Linux only release, even if it was just a few days until a windows port. The best we can hope for is the linux version same day as windows. Honestly, Valve will probably strive for this because it is in their best interests. In order to prove that linux is a viable platform, a full featured and supported release cross platforms shows that linux compatibility is a realistic goal. (as the saying goes... eating their own dog food.)
Regardless on your beliefs of DRM, Valve has done a lot for linux gaming. IMO, significantly more than just the minimum to keep us alive as the anti Microsoft nuke option.
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Come now, Liam. Of course you can't be taken seriously. It doesn't matter what your content is like, or how many people read it, or even how much money you make. To be a non-fan-site, you need to be a tiny vestigial appendage of some huge publishing company that doesn't give a shit about what you're doing except to occasionally make sure you're properly advertiser-friendly. God, couldn't you at least pretend to go to the occasional quarterly budget meeting? At least try to, like, borrow some commissar from an HR department to kowtow to if you don't have one of your own? Really, without even that minimal kind of effort you expect to be taken seriously? ;)I have to admit that it took me a while to understand why being called a "fan site" was bad. After all this is a site mostly for fans(?) of Linux gaming. Then the connotation came to me via a flashback from 1998: Comic Sans, frames with scrollbars on all sides, animated "under construction" GIFs and borderline psychedelic color schemes. Ah Internet, you were so pure and full of promise once.It made me laugh more than anything, as in, what do you have to do to be taken seriously?
6 Likes, Who?
Mohandevir Apr 4, 2018
Personnaly, what I would like to see is Valve producing their games on Linux first, and then porting them to other platforms. I'm pretty sure that we would see a slew of fans installing SteamOS/Linux just for the sake of being the firsts to play the game, be it for a "beta" or not.
This will never happen. Valve is after all a company looking for profit. Linux is their strategy if Microsoft ever goes nuclear with the UWP/proprietary store options.
With over 90% of steam users on Windows they will never annoy their users with a Linux only release, even if it was just a few days until a windows port. The best we can hope for is the linux version same day as windows. Honestly, Valve will probably strive for this because it is in their best interests. In order to prove that linux is a viable platform, a full featured and supported release cross platforms shows that linux compatibility is a realistic goal. (as the saying goes... eating their own dog food.)
Regardless on your beliefs of DRM, Valve has done a lot for linux gaming. IMO, significantly more than just the minimum to keep us alive as the anti Microsoft nuke option.
Just said I would like to see this happen not that it has to. Still, I wonder, from some developer comments, on many articles about crossplatform software development, if there isn't some technical benefits in doing so. But I have no proof of that. Anyway, it was nothing more than an idea to push Linux adoption.
As for DRM... I don't know why you are talking about that. I have no opinion on the subject and I highly respect Valves' work for the Linux ecosystem.
1 Likes, Who?
elbuglione Apr 4, 2018
Sadly... is valid, because is working!
That doesn't make it valid. A lot of crooked methods are working to rip someone off, it doesn't justify them in the least.
eppur si muove....
Just take a look PlayStation.
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Just take a look PlayStation.
So? Sony are infamously crooked. It only highlights my point.
Last edited by Shmerl on 4 April 2018 at 6:37 pm UTC
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Comandante Ñoñardo Apr 4, 2018
This will never happen. Valve is after all a company looking for profit. Linux is their strategy if Microsoft ever goes nuclear with the UWP/proprietary store options.
With over 90% of steam users on Windows they will never annoy their users with a Linux only release, even if it was just a few days until a windows port. The best we can hope for is the linux version same day as windows. Honestly, Valve will probably strive for this because it is in their best interests. In order to prove that linux is a viable platform, a full featured and supported release cross platforms shows that linux compatibility is a realistic goal. (as the saying goes... eating their own dog food.)
If over the 90% of the Steam users are on Windows is only and only because the big AAA PC games are Windows exclusives....
They illegally download, install and crack a recent Windows distro just for to play those games...
They don't love Windows;They love AAA games..
If a bunch of new AAA PC games were released as timed Linux exclusives (18 months), Those Windows gamers will install a Linux distro supported by the games, just for to play those AAA games before anyone else...
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orochi_kyo Apr 4, 2018
Arstechnica itself is a joke site, when they spend articles ----sucking Microsoft and saying how Linux "sux". I can say they are the "fan site".
How much you want to be this article or valve response aren't going to be featured on that site?
Last edited by orochi_kyo on 4 April 2018 at 7:09 pm UTC
How much you want to be this article or valve response aren't going to be featured on that site?
Last edited by orochi_kyo on 4 April 2018 at 7:09 pm UTC
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How much you want to be this article or valve response aren't going to be featured on that site?
You should have checked before posting :-)
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/04/poorly-selling-steam-machines-finally-removed-from-steam-store-front-page/
Last edited by MaxPower on 4 April 2018 at 7:56 pm UTC
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Luke_Nukem Apr 4, 2018
"some trying to justify exclusives and lock-in as a valid methodology"
Sadly... is valid, because is working!
It has no place in FOSS-philosophy, even when there's a proprietary store front in middle.
People need to stop viewing Linux as FOSS-exclusive. It ain't, and it won't build the momentum required unless big-money gets behind it (as evidenced by Valve pushing it).
Last edited by Luke_Nukem on 4 April 2018 at 8:12 pm UTC
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If anyone notice, I always mention about Sea of Thieves which is the MS exclusive (W10, XB1) a few months ago. Now, hype already down on that game and it doesn't look pretty on MS (search for yourselves, on social media not search engine). With Valve response on this very quickly, I can say that Linux gaming is safe for now.
Eurogamer picked up the story as well.Nah, I'm fine. Already being all that bull**** adventure before I found Liam's "fan site" :P
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-04-04-its-true-steam-machines-arent-exactly-flying-off-the-shelves
You might want to not look in the comment section of the article if you find yourself easily triggered. Gotta say, I find a lot of the comments there extremely disturbing/disgusting/ignorant.
1 Likes, Who?
People need to stop viewing Linux as FOSS-exclusive. It ain't, and it won't build the momentum required unless big-money gets behind it (as evidenced by Valve pushing it).
I'd say people should stop using Apple mentality when it comes to Linux. It's not macOS. FOSS is quite central to Linux in general, and striving to use open tools and technologies is quite important. So stuff like lock-in and the like shouldn't be acceptable.
Last edited by Shmerl on 4 April 2018 at 8:35 pm UTC
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"some trying to justify exclusives and lock-in as a valid methodology"
Sadly... is valid, because is working!
It has no place in FOSS-philosophy, even when there's a proprietary store front in middle.
People need to stop viewing Linux as FOSS-exclusive. It ain't, and it won't build the momentum required unless big-money gets behind it (as evidenced by Valve pushing it).
Yes. As @mirv already pointed out, it is all about providing choice. Fortunately Linux does that. People running a FOSS exclusive system should be able to do so. Using non-FOSS software, like me using NVidia drivers and Steam, should also be "just OK" and accepted.
Extreme views "this and that should not be accepted" usually serves no one in the long term but only feeds useless religious discussions.
Last edited by jens on 4 April 2018 at 8:46 pm UTC
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So I would actually argue that at its core, the most fundamentally important aspect of GNU/Linux is the FOSS nature of it all, and that has allowed rapid innovation, development, and adoption.
Yeah! We need to highlight the strengths of the platform. Falling into traps like platform exclusivity only undermines those efforts.
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People running a FOSS exclusive system should be able to do so. Using non-FOSS software, like me using NVidia drivers and Steam, should also be "just OK" and accepted.
Extreme views "this and that should not be accepted" usually serves no one in the long term but only feeds useless religious discussions.
The discussion was not about what users are installing, but what is acceptable or not for developers to push on users. Something like CUDA from Nvidia should not be acceptable for example. Same goes for any other type of lock-in or exclusivity, which are simply anti-competitive practices. Trying to whitewash such kind of practice serves no good purpose.
Last edited by Shmerl on 4 April 2018 at 9:18 pm UTC
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I am agree with that, but that people also need to realise that Linux foundation based on GPL, or Linux will end up like our friend, "Berkeley" today (propertization of free software)."some trying to justify exclusives and lock-in as a valid methodology"
Sadly... is valid, because is working!
It has no place in FOSS-philosophy, even when there's a proprietary store front in middle.
People need to stop viewing Linux as FOSS-exclusive. It ain't, and it won't build the momentum required unless big-money gets behind it (as evidenced by Valve pushing it).
I'm fine with proprietary software in general but I'm absolutely hate somebody (especially certain companies) who always taking "free code", improve it for themselves but never contributing back to make it better. And to make it worse, some of them asking money to communities, devs and others for their "revised" code. WTF!
I'd say people should stop using Apple mentality when it comes to Linux. It's not macOS. FOSS is quite central to Linux in general, and striving to use open tools and technologies is quite important. So stuff like lock-in and the like shouldn't be acceptable.Sadly with FB + Cambridge Analytica fiasco happens right now, some of my family members and friends have opinion that "lock-in" is secure (as lock pad). Their opinion are, Linux = open source = everything "open and exposed" = not safe. 2 person I know already change Android device to iPhone no thanks on this "mentality".
What they doesn't know that "the Fruit" is major consumer of that unsafe"free code". They perception, all Apple software are made "in house" so the premium price they paid is for developers. LITTLE BIT TO ADD: And outside US (or maybe outside western world), Apple (quietly) always bowed to foreign government request to unlock their customers devices.
p/s: I don't know on Apple's track record on contributing free software except WebKit.
Last edited by tonR on 4 April 2018 at 9:27 pm UTC
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p/s: I don't know on Apple's track record on contributing free software except WebKit.
Apple have some good contributions like llvm / clang, but in general their mentality is completely the opposite and is all about sickening and anti-competitive lock-in.
WebKit itself wasn't originated by Apple by the way. It's based on KHTML.
Last edited by Shmerl on 4 April 2018 at 9:25 pm UTC
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Apple have some good contributions like llvm / clang, but in general their mentality is completely the opposite and is all about sickening and anti-competitive lock-in.TIL something. Thank you Shmerl.
WebKit itself wasn't originated by Apple by the way. It's based on KHTML.
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