It seems a recent update to glibc with version 2.41 release at the end of January, has been causing all sorts of problems for Linux gamers that have pulled in the update (mostly on rolling-release distributions).
Valve have already updated multiple titles to get around the issue including Portal 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Half-Life 2 and other updates on the way for some older games. This isn't just affecting Valve though, as more and more games are appearing to have problems. Some other quick examples with the bug include Celeste and DEAD LETTER DEPT., there's no doubt many more that it will affect but I'm not going to give a really long list here.
Pictured - Half-Life 2
There's an open bug report for glibc, with a recent reply from a developer noting that due to the backwards compatibility issue, the bug was reopened "to consider possible options for the release and the applications involved". This is not the first time glibc has caused problems with Linux compatibility for gaming, like a previous DT_HASH change that resulted in Easy Anti-Cheat breaking.
Not the end of the world though this time, developers and Linux users can still solve the issue themselves if needed running execstack -c on the affected libraries. Don't just take my advice on it though if you're a developer or gamer reading this, always look up what you're doing fully. Run at your own risk.
For game devs using FMOD, they were already aware of the issue, and solved it with FMOD 2.02.00. The FMOD team said for older versions, using the execstack command is safe.
Hopefully the glibc developers will be able to do something about this breaking change for various games.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
It's also why I stick with Kubuntu myself. I love KDE Plasma, and don't want the hassle of such breaking changes so potentially often. I do wish I could more easily get newer Plasma releases though...
I want to switch to Arch from Kubuntu for the same reason. But I would want to set up a reliable and easy to use snapshot, system to roll back issues whenever one crops up, with the figuring out what actually went wrong being highly optional for me since I don't often have the resources ((money), time, or mental resources (stimulation, drive, interest, focus, patience)) to deal with it.
(ok I'm out…)
I do wish I could more easily get newer Plasma releases though...
I want to switch to Arch from Kubuntu for the same reason. But I would want to set up a reliable and easy to use snapshot, system to roll back issues whenever one crops up, with the figuring out what actually went wrong being highly optional for me since I don't often have the resources ((money), time, or mental resources (stimulation, drive, interest, focus, patience)) to deal with it.
Fedora KDE exists you know...
Plasma 6.3 landed in Fedora not even 24 hours after the official release from KDE. And it's a bliss with no issues on the two PCs I use. And that has been the case since I moved to Linux with Fedora KDE in March last year - almost a full year now of excellent and lightning-fast update delivery with no issues.
Last edited by Pyrate on 13 Feb 2025 at 3:02 pm UTC
Many such cases.
They really outta listen to Linus on not breaking userspace.If you want a somewhat more nuanced view of the issue, I suggest reading the glibc bug report thread, it has some interesting insights on causes, issues, and possible side effects, and by a couple of somewhat prominent people too.
AFAICT (and I'm certainly no expert on this, and a lot just goes over my head), much of the problem stems from changes in the security environment (parts of memory now being non-executable by default whereas historically there were no such restrictions), incorrect (or maybe too blue-eyed) use of tools (assumptions that did not hold true over time), and different interpretations between different architectures (x86_32 vs _64).
As far as I'm concerned, I'd rather have some accidentally incorrect games break for a period of time (if it's really that important a game, I'm certain there will be ways using older distro releases, emulation or whatnot), in exchange for another barrier against deliberately malicious software.
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