The Steam Linux Client Celebrates Its Fifth Public Birthday

[SebastianP]

Lemme add "64 bit native client" to that.

I btw. don't trust the Steam statistics at all. I've never been asked once by Steam Survey on Linux in the whole past year, while several times on Windows. + there are Chinese people hijacking the stats because of PUBG.

I got asked like 7 times on Windows and only 2 times on Linux, but I use Linux at least equally often.

[Mark Rose]

I only get the survey on Linux. But then again I've never logged into Steam on Windows because I don't use Windows.

Steam for Linux turned me into a gamer.

[Danniello]

Steam Linux exists because Valve got scared by Metro AppStore presented in Windows RT/8.
After "market disaster" of Metro - Microsoft abandoned concept to "kill" win32 environment, so they released Win8.1/10 where win32 apps are again equal to promoted by Microsoft Metro/UWP.

Unfortunately - in my opinion - Valve put Linux "into the refrigerator". Some progress still exists (especially updates to AMD drivers, but also SteamVR alpha), but unfortunately it is very little progress... Surprisingly even Wine has better progress - more, and more DX11 games are playable...

So... Good luck for Windows 10S - Metro only system where Steam cannot be installed. It could be "wake up" signal for Valve...

[OneBitUser]

Favourite linux games?
Cities: Skylines
Crusader Kings II
Age of Wonders III
Europa Universalis IV

Wishlist?
1. Update. The. Goddamn. RUNTIME. The Steam runtime still being based on Ubuntu 12.04 is a joke, in my opinion. It also causes frequent issues... I cannot count the number of errors that can be fixed by preloading an OS library instead of its Steam runtime version.
2. Only distribute Flatpack'd programs via Steam... I believe that could solve the fragmentation issues. Flatpacking the Steam client itself could also be beneficial.

Also, these things are more in Valve's interest than ours, I think: they would make Steam on Linux a viable escape strategy for Valve in case MS screws them over; while most linux gamers will simply dual boot Windows and get access to their Steam library, with a lot less bugs. Gaming on Linux is mostly a choice, while an escape strategy from Windows is a must, in my opinion.

[Kemosabe]

Who cares about a 64bit client? We need wayland support and more AAA games... The SteamController is a great remote control for kodi and even the desktop BTW! :-)

[nomadewolf]

Steam Linux exists because Valve got scared by Metro AppStore presented in Windows RT/8.
After "market disaster" of Metro - Microsoft abandoned concept to "kill" win32 environment, so they released Win8.1/10 where win32 apps are again equal to promoted by Microsoft Metro/UWP.

Unfortunately - in my opinion - Valve put Linux "into the refrigerator". Some progress still exists (especially updates to AMD drivers, but also SteamVR alpha), but unfortunately it is very little progress... Surprisingly even Wine has better progress - more, and more DX11 games are playable...

So... Good luck for Windows 10S - Metro only system where Steam cannot be installed. It could be "wake up" signal for Valve...

Valve pays programmers to improve AMD's open source driver and to improve VR on Linux.
More and more titles are supporting Linux/Vulkan.
We have Feral Interactive which is doing a great job on that front.

So... i think Valve already got the Wake Up call long ago...

[Particle]

Who cares about a 64bit client? We need wayland support and more AAA games... The SteamController is a great remote control for kodi and even the desktop BTW! :-)

A lot of people would like to see a 64-bit Steam client. It's one of the chief complaints I see people make, and it's a sentiment that I share. Having to multi-arch just for Steam and dealing with all of the complexities of it is a bit absurd when they could do a 64-bit build and end this problem.

[DarkFoss]

Happy B-day Steam was a great day for Linux.
Another vote for updated runtimes it gets old launching a game and having the your drivers are too old button pop up with virtually every OpenGL game then having to relaunch it. I can't even use Phoronix Test Suite with Steam OpenGL games because of it.

[BangoMopar]

7 Days to Die, the Civ series, Rocket League, and lots of fun, indie titles make gaming in Tuxland a great time, and easily a viable option except for the most hardcore gamers and otherwise pessimistic naysayers and trolls.

[rhysk]

Valve did great early work providing gaming on Linux a big push along. e.g. the L4D2-is-faster-on-tux post by Rich G, with Gabe looking on over the shoulder tweaking it. Kudos to them for that.