It's Official: Valve Releasing Steam, Source Engine For Linux!

[snuwoods]

I'd like michael's take on this one; are there any developments?
I think if we all held our breath on this one we'd have suffocated by now.

To address the many emails/inquiries from today, aside from the individualized emails I have provided on the matter, I will simply say Valve is still working on the Linux client and it is still coming. It may not be delivered on Valve's original time-line (end of Summer), but by year's end is still not out of question. I haven't made a news post of these recent matters though since there will continue to be doubters and those just trying to tarnish the Phoronix brand claiming its for ad views, etc, however, the Steam Linux client is still coming. Though beyond this statement I probably won't answer more until I have something to link to ValveSoftware.com or when there's something else to shut up those doubting this information, just take it as you will. This is just a similar situation to when I had broke the news on the new ATI "Orca" Linux driver back in 2007, SplashTop info, etc etc...

Besides anything that I say or from my sources, it's been independently confirmed by The Telegraph that it's coming, there's been the Steam Linux binaries shown, Steam continues to hire Linux engineers (they don't need that many for a server port, you've likely seen all the work done by Ryan "Icculus" Gordon for Linux server ports that he has individually done for major game titles), to this day you can continue to find Valve's Chris Green of recruiting saying they are really looking for Linux engineers (such as on LinkedIn), etc etc. [Not to mention that Valve was very quiet about the OS X client up until their closed beta was quite soon.]

Michael

[mugginz]

Michael may have solid evidence for his assumptions but he hasn't yet shared it with any of us so we have his word only at this stage apart from a leaked "client" that could have any number of explanations for its existence.

Clearly it's not official. Not yet anyway. So clearly the title of this thread is inaccurate. Pretty simple really.

Stepping aside from the misleading title of this thread, it's still fair to contemplate the possibility but while there may be individuals with evidence they are yet to share it with the public at large, and until they share compelling evidence the possibility stays just that to me, a possibility.

[yogi_berra]

I'd like michael's take on this one; are there any developments?
I think if we all held our breath on this one we'd have suffocated by now.

You answered your own question:

I haven't made a news post of these recent matters though since there will continue to be doubters and those just trying to tarnish the Phoronix brand claiming its for ad views, etc, however, the Steam Linux client is still coming.

Of course, all of the so-called "doubters" wouldn't have had a leg to stand on had Michael simply phrased it "An anonymous source says Steam is coming to Linux." Which is technically true and not the outrageous sensationalism that bloggers use to drive up page hits.

[Svartalf]

I'd like michael's take on this one; are there any developments?
I think if we all held our breath on this one we'd have suffocated by now.

I'd just hang loose and wait and see (while not holding your breath...)

I'll say he had it right with the Opening of the info from AMD- it just didn't happen quite as fast as he'd been led to believe it might've been. He also was largely right on the drivers from AMD improving (though they're not as improved as they could be- but that's AMD's doing, not Michael's...) and in this post of his, he referred to something few know...the codename for the re-worked driver codebase AMD is currently using for Windows and Linux drivers.

He's got info, much like I've got info. Stuff he can disclose, and stuff he plain flat CAN'T.

I'm not going to blithely believe him- I want proof. However, with his track record, I'm willing to give him a bit of benefit of doubt on things and not outright state he's making it up as some have in this and other threads.

[mugginz]

I'd just hang loose and wait and see (while not holding your breath...)

Good advice. It'll save having to pick up all those dead bodies which are blue in the face :-O

I'll say he had it right with the Opening of the info from AMD- it just didn't happen quite as fast as he'd been led to believe it might've been. He also was largely right on the drivers from AMD improving (though they're not as improved as they could be- but that's AMD's doing, not Michael's...) and in this post of his, he referred to something few know...the codename for the re-worked driver codebase AMD is currently using for Windows and Linux drivers.

As far as AMD's drivers improving were concerned, all but the most negative of people should have envisioned that the improvements we're seeing would be coming so I don't give him any points for those, especially when AMD said they'd be increasing their effort and targeting those fancy new composited desktop thingies, although that doesn't mean he didn't have any inside info as well.

He's got info, much like I've got info. Stuff he can disclose, and stuff he plain flat CAN'T.

So no news then, nothing to see here, move along folks ;-)

I'm not going to blithely believe him- I want proof. However, with his track record, I'm willing to give him a bit of benefit of doubt on things and not outright state he's making it up as some have in this and other threads.

Any rumours that Duke Nukem for Ever was coming that would've made people laugh so it just goes to show that nothings impossible. But... surely the issue isn't that a Linux version of Steam being released is an impossibility, just that there's no publicly available evidence of it and so it's wrong to simply assume it's coming on someone's say so.

While we're at it, I guess we could all discuss the possibility of Microsoft releasing MS Office for Linux. It's not impossible, just unlikely.

[Naib]

I'd just hang loose and wait and see (while not holding your breath...)

I'll say he had it right with the Opening of the info from AMD- it just didn't happen quite as fast as he'd been led to believe it might've been. He also was largely right on the drivers from AMD improving (though they're not as improved as they could be- but that's AMD's doing, not Michael's...) and in this post of his, he referred to something few know...the codename for the re-worked driver codebase AMD is currently using for Windows and Linux drivers.

He's got info, much like I've got info. Stuff he can disclose, and stuff he plain flat CAN'T.

I'm not going to blithely believe him- I want proof. However, with his track record, I'm willing to give him a bit of benefit of doubt on things and not outright state he's making it up as some have in this and other threads.

Maybe he has access to some reliable, inside sources. BUT here is the thing... wasn't it Phoronix that stated that STEAM was coming to linux at the end of the summer?

THIS kind of statement can only be made with a firm commitment from VALVE with a backed up statement from them as the time comes close. What did "we" get... a statement from Valve say they are not working on any linux client a the moment".

This is just sensational reporting (which resulted in that phoronix article being linked on quite a few sites).

Maybe he does know something, maybe Valve have directly told him that STEAM is coming to linux but we have to delay it indefinitely due to other things.

How phoronix has gone about this hasn't been the greatest making phoronix look more like a rumour site than a news site. Better wording with no dated statements (without some upstream reference) would have made the difference.

now Phoronix just looks like a blogger site after hits as opose to a reliable source of linux news.

Its a shame Iwant steam on linux (drm and all) but I can't take phoronix word on it

[Svartalf]

Good advice. It'll save having to pick up all those dead bodies which are blue in the face :-O

Oh I doubt they'd be dead... They'd just turn funny shades of blue and purple and just simply pass out. ;-)

As far as AMD's drivers improving were concerned, all but the most negative of people should have envisioned that the improvements we're seeing would be coming so I don't give him any points for those, especially when AMD said they'd be increasing their effort and targeting those fancy new composited desktop thingies, although that doesn't mean he didn't have any inside info as well.

Ah, but you don't know the WHOLE story. He said this at a time they WEREN'T saying they were going to improve things. More specifically he just mentioned a codename that's generally not used outside of a few insiders and the people that actually WORKED on the codebase. I know this because I was one of the people that actually did work on it at thier Marlborough, MA offices, just right after AMD bought ATI- they'd not even changed the signs yet. Now, I'd been hired on with the intent to get the Windows effort on ORCA un-logjammed and possibly get the Linux versions of that same codebase out the door (It's why I had taken the job in the first place...). At the time I was let go because of budgetary reasons (Contractor...) we'd not got anything but the ORCA codebase out the door on XP and Vista. There wasn't ANY manpower allocated (nor did it look like there would be for at least 6-12 months in the future...) when I left because they were gathering up to regroup on pretty much everything at that time (part of why I believe that I was let go instead of extended another 6 months...), which was about around the time that Michael started mentioning these things.

If you don't know the backstory, you'd think that he didn't have anything there... But, he does seem to have had it there, based on what I know.

My big complaint is one similar to Naib's... He should hold off until it's really closer to fruition before putting something out as a news item. I'm fairly certain that there's a good chance of something coming our way based on the inside info I've got that I can't divulge details on. However, for whatever reason, it's being delayed for right now- and Michael shouldn't have announced it so soon.

Any rumours that Duke Nukem for Ever was coming that would've made people laugh so it just goes to show that nothings impossible. But... surely the issue isn't that a Linux version of Steam being released is an impossibility, just that there's no publicly available evidence of it and so it's wrong to simply assume it's coming on someone's say so.

That's because most of those rumors wouldn't have had any way to be believable because the insiders would've been constrained by that court case to keep their traps shut (If you thought an NDA was bad, wait until you're under a Federal Court Gag Order...).

While we're at it, I guess we could all discuss the possibility of Microsoft releasing MS Office for Linux. It's not impossible, just unlikely.

Quite a bit more unlikely than

[Nevertime]

be sure steam comes to linux.

i know it and i have differend sources than michael words.

but no i can't show you my sources.

I have a confession to make.

I contacted both you an Michael around April the first pretending to be various inside people at valve. I'm afraid I simply made it all up... I meant to tell everyone straight after, honest. but you all seemed so happy... I didn't want to disappoint you all :'(

Maybe now the real people at valve see how excited we got and how disappointed we all became they'll take sympathy on us and make a Linux steam for real...

I'm truly sorry if I hurt anyone. I know this joke has gone on to long. I just ask that the opensource community can open their hearts and forgive me.

[NoEffex]

Good advice. It'll save having to pick up all those dead bodies which are blue in the face :-O



As far as AMD's drivers improving were concerned, all but the most negative of people should have envisioned that the improvements we're seeing would be coming so I don't give him any points for those, especially when AMD said they'd be increasing their effort and targeting those fancy new composited desktop thingies, although that doesn't mean he didn't have any inside info as well.




So no news then, nothing to see here, move along folks ;-)



Any rumours that Duke Nukem for Ever was coming that would've made people laugh so it just goes to show that nothings impossible. But... surely the issue isn't that a Linux version of Steam being released is an impossibility, just that there's no publicly available evidence of it and so it's wrong to simply assume it's coming on someone's say so.

While we're at it, I guess we could all discuss the possibility of Microsoft releasing MS Office for Linux. It's not impossible, just unlikely.

There was a. working. leaked. client. It didn't run any games or such but it did basic things which is realistically all that we need.

That alone confirms that they're working on it. There is literally no other possible thing that would result in a partial linux client.

You make it sound like he's crying wolf but he's absolutely right.

[mirv]

There was a. working. leaked. client. It didn't run any games or such but it did basic things which is realistically all that we need.

That alone confirms that they're working on it. There is literally no other possible thing that would result in a partial linux client.

You make it sound like he's crying wolf but he's absolutely right.

Never underestimate geeks in their spare time. I've done such things - made something run under linux, but the company would in no way sell it, support it, or even want it.
That leaked client is in no way confirmation of anything.