While the number of games doesn't exactly mean much in isolation, a large amount of them have been making their way to Linux recently. Valve's first-party library is an obvious addition, as they have been jaded with Windows since 8.x scared just about anyone interested in back catalog support with their “Desktop as an App” attempts to isolate the Win32 APIs. Other developers have been following suit, especially since engines are being designed cross-platform as of late.
Milestones can be interesting, though. In this case, Steam crossed the 1,500 mark in games for Linux that are hosted on its service. Some equate this to “there exists 1500 games for Linux”, which isn't quite right, but the distribution platform is definitely a behemoth in the industry. It is the default way to purchase many new titles, and is a Linux host for ARK: Survival Evolved and Shadow of Mordor.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find anyone who listed what the 1500th title was. Sorry!
w00t
w00t
The Redmond Astroturfers are
The Redmond Astroturfers are out in force at Ars, so many pseudo IT folks that use Linux at work but swear by windows 10 at home. It’s just so interesting to see the skilled orators that marketing dollars have paid for and the quality of the folks that have been subcontracted for their services. It’s fun just to read the Ars Technica article comments on the same headline. Those Astroturfers and their sock puppets are very busy rehashing the same old FUD, and these folks contratcted as spin-doctors appear to applying more of their resources to such unsubstantiated drivel.
Steam OS is coming and gaming will be changed for the better, Valve Khronos(Vulkan), the games makers, and the Linux community will see to that. Who would not want an OS ecosystem that is NOT under the control of any one interest! Steam OS will be to gaming, the same as PCIe is to hardware standards, Display Port/other is to video standards! Steam OS will be a Standard Gaming OS supported by the games makers, the GPU/APU/SOC makers, the OEMs, the Linux community and the users. Say hello to the OS as an open standards infrastructure, just like the other open industry standards, and not under the complete control of any one single monopoly interest. Steam OS will be the FREE OS where the user is not the product, and Steam OS will be under the users control and serve the user.
Nice dream. We will see if it
Nice dream. We will see if it turns out that way.
it will be like that in the
it will be like that in the beginning but then money will come in.
What single interest’s with
What single interest’s with money is going to control the OS, it’s open source, even Valve does not have rights to hide the source code for the OS. Valve’s services are delivered through its Steam client software. Steam OS is going to be under industry/community control but not one single interest will be able to control the user experience in the OS’s Desktop environment. Steam OS is just a Debian based on the Linux kernel OS distribution, with the Debian packages available from the Debian software repositories. There is more Money in the gaming industry to support a standardized gaming OS, without the need for those gaming industry companies, Valve included, to be forced to be under M$’s closed OS application ecosystem.
There is plenty of motivation to develop Steam OS and avoid the 30% off of the top M$ shakedown. No one in the gaming Industry Trusts M$, and with that windows 10 EULA there is no telling what windows 10 will morph into once the windows 10 hooks are set, the windows 10 user has no control over 10’s update process. Steam OS is a matter of survival for the independent gaming industry, they will support Steam OS, that big gaming engine/games company players will support Steam OS. Steam OS’s development and maintenance expenses will be spread across the industry with no one single interest holding a sword over anyone’s head, and the OS’s API/kernel is open source so any and all can contribute to the code base.
Just like the server industry went Linux based and the enterprises avoided the M$ shakedown, the gaming industry companies are doing the same thing, and Valve/partners only need to focus on an OS that will be tuned for gaming, with the user having the ultimate choice on how they configure the Steam OS distro. No TIFKAM tiles CPU cycles stealing run-time shoved down the user’s throat, no spy-ware and key loggers baked into the OS, NO bloatware, no forced updates to the OS unless the user approves them. No rings through Valve’s and the end user’s Nose, it’s just a Debian based Linux distro maintained by Valve the games industry, Debian, and the gaming community for and about gaming.
Its not going to be a
Its not going to be a shakedown.
Microsoft will bankrupt itself.
Ars is the biggest collection
Ars is the biggest collection of morons on the internet.
Windows 10 is a piece of garbage spyware DISGUISED as an operating system.
Youd have to be totally ignorant or a moron shill like the people at Ars to use it.
You’re actually being
You’re actually being generous here…if it wasn’t for SteamOS, we’d be shutting off the internet and getting rid of our pc’s altogether. As of now, we will not be using any Microsoft devices period.
Another poster commented about pc’s being a niche product in the not too distant future. I’ll be disagreeing with this logic…if it’s from a ‘windows’ point of view, and I’ afraid I’ve never used Android, so it’s the experience that I do have…the metro tiles are essentially worthless unless you’re into facebook, kindle etc and everyone likes high resolutions so the desktop is too small to use. I ended up getting rid of our tablet thinking it was a waste of time and money.
What is going to replace the desktop? A laptop…been down that path too. Sat there for a couple years suffering with the loss of speed and screen real estate and then decided to give up on that too. I never took it out of the house, why did I buy it to begin with? I don’t know…I was thinking something that was portable would be nice, but I never used in that manner. Another complete waste of time and money.
For myself…I like the idea of a SteamOS based machine for the family room and a Linux based machine for the desktop. Any programs that are windows specific will no longer be used in our home.
Best,
Liquid Cool
by the time a linux distro
by the time a linux distro other than android becomes viable. Desktops will be so niche that not even microsoft will care.
Laptops still exist and the
Laptops still exist and the pc market is growing. Sony consoles will run with vulkan. The thing is for Linux to take off vulkan must exist. When that happens the developing world will jump on. Mainly because the cost of software is relatively high. Governments and schools too. Massive supply price drops can save lives with that money spent instead. In other words laptops will follow suite with oems making custom distros like they do with android as the popularity grows.