Valve Has Hired Another Open-Source Linux GPU Driver Developer

[humbug]

There has been several decent updates to SteamOS lately, probably valve just making themselves a GOOD secondary platform instead of a haphazard one which is what we have now, thought it's ALLOT better so not too bad. I would love it if valve try and make their SteamOS a little more desktop friendly instead of just throwing people in big picture mode, which I have used before and think its terrible! A more standard desktop that lets users USE it like a PC would go a LONG way to promoting it. ATM I use Maui desktop and LOVE KDE!

Judging by the few public talks that Valve has given on this subject their opinion about this is.
-the idea of steamOS is a system that pre-configures your pc from the get go for gaming from the couch with a controller. So the user does not have to do anything extra if they are using it in the living room as a console. It is not locked down and it is Debian so you can do what you want with it by switching to gnome desktop and terminal but that is not the target use case. It is also meant to serve as a target platform for devs.
-There are already plenty of good options available if you want a good desktop Linux experience. You can just use one of those and fire up the steam Linux client when you want to game.

Valve's expertise is gaming, if they focus on a Linux desktop it's probably a waste of time and what would they achieve that fedora, mint, ubuntu etc are not?

the work they do on steamVR, on graphics drivers, on Vulkan and everything else benefits the entire Linux ecosystem: not just steamOS. They want people using the steam client, they don't mind if it it isn't steamOS.

[ElectricPrism]

Re above (multiple): Because MS et.al. have never made a stupid decision that seriously bit them on the bum almost immediately afterwards before?

Someone put this guy back in charge of Microsoft, we'll see every game, app and full commitment & Steam Machine relaunch within 12 months.

[devius]

I think Steam on GNU/Linux may have a secondary goal (...) where they would compete with the huge Nintendo, Playstation, Windows, XBOX, Apple and Neo Geo platforms).

Neo Geo?

[PackRat]

We don't need exclusivity. This is the cancer of gaming..

That's true but business is business. People buy Ps4 for the exclusives and it is the leading console in sales. Valve want's to sell games with vr for Linux. The only cancer I see here is the other platforms since linux runs on everthing. Steamos even runs on Ps4. Checkmate. PcMasterRace FTW!

[cybertraveler]

Neo Geo?

You caught me.

[mphuZ]

Valve's expertise is gaming, if they focus on a Linux desktop it's probably a waste of time and what would they achieve that fedora, mint, ubuntu etc are not?

"A waste of time"?
Have you seen the addict design from KDE?

https://pointieststick.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/good-inkscape.png?w=1100

https://www.kde.org/announcements/plasma-5.10/lock-music.png

https://my.mixtape.moe/ecobpu.jpeg

I agree with theriddick. We need a good Desktop. Otherwise Windows users will not entice.

[humbug]

"A waste of time"?
Have you seen the addict design from KDE?

I agree a good desktop Linux experience is essential. But my point is why should Valve work on that. Valve has done great work for Linux on steam, on game engines, or graphics APIs, drivers, on games, on virtual reality etc. But they always focused on things related to gaming since this is their bread and butter.

For a good desktop Linux experience there are plenty of other talented people in other places working on that. Fedora, Arch, Ubuntu, Mint etc.... The work that Valve does on gaming directly benefits all these guys and the entire Linux desktop ecosystem. What I am saying is that Valve does not need to directly invest in working on desktop / workstation concerns. Becasue what will they achieve that other desktop distros cannot do? I don't see Gabe hiring a bunch of people to improve the gnome desktop experience.

I agree with theriddick. We need a good Desktop. Otherwise Windows users will not entice.

This is true. But directly converting windows workstation users to Linux is the job of Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora etc... The work being done by Valve benefits them because it has made Linux a viable gaming system and improved the graphics stack. You install steam on those and enjoy all the benefits. But it's upto these other distros to leverage that and also work on non-gaming concerns and directly attract windows people to Linux, that is how Valve wants Linux market share to improve on the desktop/workstation side.

[onicsis]

A very good example from Valve for big others like Autodesk par example.

[onicsis]

Hold Your Breath

Microsoft buying Valve would be a disaster for PC gaming

Scarry

Someone put this guy back in charge of Microsoft, we'll see every game, app and full commitment & Steam Machine relaunch within 12 months.

[pal666]

Yes, there is a case to be made that the episodes should be referred to as HL3.

no, there is no case, it's official valve position

That's not how they were named though. Valve named them as HL2 episodes.

and ipad 3 was named new ipad. so what, it is still ipad 1?

You must know that when people talk about HL3 they are talking about a non-existent game that they hope Valve will create and release in the future.

no, they are talking about next game in hl series after hl2. and valve already released two episodes of it