Valve Is Not Commenting On Steam, Source Engine For Linux

[Dragonlord]

@Joe Sixpack
It is DRM because they can totally block all your games if they want to and hate your face. That is DRM. Subscription is something else. Subscription means "I get infos and such when I want to". DRM means "we are going to fuck you over... when WE want to".

[Yfrwlf]

Then any subscription service involving a computer is DRM. That's true, but I think we need to separate unwanted DRM that restricts your choices from subscription services that provide additional value. It's possible to put all your Steam games in offline mode, but if you want Steam's additional services, you can get them.

Wow, constant confusion about if Steam has DRM or not lol. If you have the *choice* not to *have* to use Steam's online services, and to simply get a game from them and keep and use it from there on out without any necessity for their services, then that is not DRM. I would definitely call any service-only game DRM-laden, since you're restricted by only being able to use it when they allow you to use their server to "complete" the game. As soon as they decide to turn off their server program, you're screwed in a bad way. With pineapples.

So, does it or doesn't it, not including the games which are "service-only", or so they say, to justify that form of DRM? I was under the impression that you had to handshake with the server and verify your account before you were able to load and play ANY Steam game.

[dopehouse]

2) Even if a lost of games did have DRM it still wouldn't matter. The story is about Valve porting their games to Linux. Just because you port the distribution system (steam) to Linux doesn't mean every game will work. Each game would have to be porter over by their respective company. I know this is obvious but it seems a lot of people are forgetting this.

I don't think that people (including me) are waiting for all games to be playable under Linux. We are just waiting for a port of the Source Engine, to play many titles like HL?, CS:S, TF2, L4D(2). Anything based on SourceEngine. And that wouldn't be a great problem, if the engine is ported, cause all these games are just Mods.

[Remco]

Wow, constant confusion about if Steam has DRM or not lol. If you have the *choice* not to *have* to use Steam's online services, and to simply get a game from them and keep and use it from there on out without any necessity for their services, then that is not DRM. I would definitely call any service-only game DRM-laden, since you're restricted by only being able to use it when they allow you to use their server to "complete" the game. As soon as they decide to turn off their server program, you're screwed in a bad way. With pineapples.

So, does it or doesn't it, not including the games which are "service-only", or so they say, to justify that form of DRM? I was under the impression that you had to handshake with the server and verify your account before you were able to load and play ANY Steam game.

Yes, at least the first time. So, if they really "don't like your face", they could screw you over at least at one opportunity. ( I guess you could sue them, then.) But after that you could keep your games offline forever. But then you don't get online features.

Online-only games are by definition DRM-laden. If the online service provider doesn't like your face, they can always cut you off.

[Joe Sixpack]

@Joe Sixpack
It is DRM because they can totally block all your games if they want to and hate your face. That is DRM. Subscription is something else. Subscription means "I get infos and such when I want to". DRM means "we are going to fuck you over... when WE want to".

Technically, yes it is DRM as (deanjo) pointed out. But textbook definition doesn't always equal everyday usage. When people speak of DRM they always refer to copy protection mechanism like Crysys or The Witcher. Vavle doesn't scan your hardrive for cd cloaking apps and you aren't forced to stay online.

So even though they're technically the same, labeling them as such creates a truckload of confusion.

[whizse]

I wouldn't hold my breath on that. A few months ago they removed all references of a linux port on their forums and recently the forums have been taken offline " indefinitely".

Too bad, and that kind of behaviour really stinks...

[deanjo]

When people speak of DRM they always refer to copy protection mechanism like Crysys or The Witcher.

DRM and copy protection are two different things. The end goals of both techniques are the same but that is where the similarity ends.

[Remco]

DRM and copy protection are two different things. The end goals of both techniques are the same but that is where the similarity ends.

In the Netherlands we like to call what we're doing here "ant fucking", but what do you suppose is the difference?

[Joe Sixpack]

DRM and copy protection are two different things. The end goals of both techniques are the same but that is where the similarity ends.

You think???

What I said was DRM restricts you from even having disc-copying software installed. That's completely different from a copy-protected disc.

[Dragonlord]

Copy protection and DRM are two different pairs of shoes. Copy protection is about preventing "duplication" of a game. DRM is about preventing "use" of the game (which is the major problem here).