Topic: Steam Machines

[Nemesis]

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Why Valve had to do SteamOS
Valve's most immediate threat was Microsoft's entrance into the app store business. Rather than simply sticking to creating an operating system, Microsoft decided it wanted more control of the app distribution chain and the accompanying revenue. Since Microsoft controls the Windows operating system, on which Valve's business depends, Microsoft has the ability to lock out third-party players and effectively kill Valve/Steam. In fact, Windows RT mobile devices are already locked down and allow only apps from Microsoft's App Store to be installed.

In an interview with NewMediaRights.com in 2012, Valve founder and managing director Gabe Newell was asked about Windows 8 and Microsoft's direction of closing the platform. "I'm really, really worried with Windows 8; as Microsoft tries to figure out how to come up with a strategy for dealing with Apple's resurgence, and Microsoft's failure to take market share away from Google, and so on, that they're going to make a set of bets and gone down a set of paths that's going to be very bad for the rest of us."

The tighter the grip the more slip through the fingers. 

[Nemesis]

Progress report

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But there's one primary reason that Linux gamers can enjoy nearly 1,000 professional, commercially distributed games today, and it goes by the name of Valve. "At the end of 2013, when Valve released the beta of SteamOS everything changed," Dean said. "After years of promoting the various Linux distributions, we had a major gaming company not just porting their games to Linux, but actually creating their own Linux-based operating system. It was an incredibly exciting moment and a turning point for Linux users."

Now, more than a year into the SteamOS era (measuring from that beta launch), the nascent Linux gaming community is cautiously optimistic about the promise of a viable PC gaming market that doesn't rely on a Microsoft OS. Despite technical and business problems that continue to get in the way, Valve has already transformed gaming on Linux from "practically nothing" to "definitely something" and could be on the verge of making it much more than that.

A company as big as Valve putting its weight behind Linux—and behind a specific distribution of Linux, to boot—had a clarifying effect on what used to be a tough market for even willing developers. "I've long thought that we needed a base Linux distribution to tell developers to 'just target that,' and SteamOS is the perfect candidate for it," Dawe said. "Time and time again the same thing developers ask me is how the hell do they get their games to work across all distributions, and [now] you don't need to."

"Distributing games for Linux [was] a big problem because of different distributions," Croteam programmer Carlo Jez said. "Shipping them for Steam avoids that problem entirely, so we know that all the necessary libraries will be installed on every system.” Valve's SteamOS efforts provided "the crucial step of stabilizing the platform enough so that we could actually ship something that we could be sure it would work for enough people," Croteam CTO Alen Ladavac added.

[Tulwar]

My first experience with Linux wasn't good.  I couldn't get the sound to work.  Now, I'm looking forward to building a new computer, but don't have the $129.00 to shell out to MS.  Heck, the $59.00 for an actual (chincy) MB is dear to me.

MS would be profitable selling their OS to the occasional do-it-yourselfer for $30, but they incist on that extra $100.00 pure profit, from a very small market.  I don't understand it.  It's a big push for anyone with any computer proficiency to look for an alternative to their OS.  When 20% of the cost of a machine you're putting together is code that has been massively massively, and sold to computer companies for a few dollars a pop, it's hard to see the retail price as anywhere near fair.

I hope Steam keeps up building a distribution system for Linux.  The way MS mistreats and overcharges its customers, that buisness really should fail.  This is the power of monopoly.  Apple can charge a premium to the upscale customer base.  Linux is the only place for the rest of us.  Maybe I'll try another Linux system.  It should work with older and cheaper components, as well.

[Nemesis]

Currently I'm using Netrunner on my desktop mostly to play videos and portably on my netbook.  Lnux has been my primary OS for over 7 years now. 

The netrunner on the laptop is 64 bit and has the option to install Steam preconfigured.  Haven't done so myself so can't say how well t works.

[TarMinyatur]

Starfleet Command is the only reason I use Windows.

I once put Damn Small Linux on a 1.8GHz Intel laptop. It had 99% of what I want on a computer.

[Nemesis]

The netbook I'm posting from has a 1ghz AMD C-60, 8gb ram and a 1TB hybrid HD.  I compared its long term download ability to a Chrome book (when it had the original Win7 64 bit) and it was tromped by a large margin.  With Netrunner it tromps the chromebook by about the same ratio.  It is far faster on average download speed than when it had Windows.  It also gets and holds connections far better in the same place.