It's Been Four Years Since Revealing Many Early Steam Linux Details

[duby229]

That's kinda... Surprising. I don't see what would prevent this. Isn't it just Steam running in big picture ontop of Debian, isn't it?
And there's another problem : All Wine users are counted as Windows users, aren't they? If they don't fix all of those issues, the surveys are useless to rely on.

No bridgman is correct. SteamOS does not collect data so it does not get counted. Steam run under wine does get counted as a linux usage, but it is a subcategory that get's rounded out from the main category.

[cj.wijtmans]

That's kinda... Surprising. I don't see what would prevent this. Isn't it just Steam running in big picture ontop of Debian, isn't it?
And there's another problem : All Wine users are counted as Windows users, aren't they? If they don't fix all of those issues, the surveys are useless to rely on.

Steam survey is completely borked. I had one .... in years. while Windows users get them multiple times a year.

[M1kkko]

What do you wish Valve would improve upon for Linux or otherwise do differently?

I think they are struggling as a company to do pretty much anything these days.

For Linux, they should at least:

• actively promote SteamOS and Linux as gaming platforms
  • On their Linux blog, last update is from 2012
  • On their Steam Universe page, last announcement is from June 2015
  • Also, Gabe last attended linuxcon in 2013
• actively promote Vulkan as the next-gen API and assist third-party developers in developing games with vulkan
  • Steam Dev Days was last held in 2014
• do something about Steam Machines. They are considered a failure for multiple reasons
  • Not compelling reasons to get one instead of a Windows-based machine (also fewer games and lower performance than on Windows)
  • I haven't ever seen actual Steam Machine advertisements (on media, public spaces, promotion events etc.) Needless to say, the competition does advertise a lot, so people actually know about their existence.
  • It could help to publicly admit the Steam Machines failed and work out a solid plan for a next-gen console (preferrably a single Valve-branded one, not dozens of them by different third parties)
• do something about this entire Vive situation
  • there has literally been zero communication from Valve as to when/if SteamOS will even get support for Vive. From a marketing standpoint this is simply not acceptable

Also, in general they should:

• MAKE GAMES.
  • The last one was CS:GO, released in 2012
  • The latest game in the Half-life series was Episode 2, released in 2007
• Properly introduce Source 2 (next-gen game engine) and market it to developers
  • It was launched when Dota2 silently switched to Source2 engine, extremely underwhelming launch
• Also, get your shit together as an employer
  • Valve's "flat structure" was described as like being in high school
  • Valve has also lost a lot of talent. In 2012, Phoronix covered that Valve hired many Linux developers. Many of them have since left the company.

What Phoronix should do:

Revisit Valve HQ, bring them some more beer, and ask them what's up.

[cj.wijtmans]

I think they really need to put money in the steam machines(and port games themselves or make huge steamos only sales etc). But if they dont want to give people great hardware for a low price then there wont be an uptake.

I think steam already has more linux games than that consoles have.

[AsuMagic]

I think steam already has more linux games than that consoles have.

But AAA games?

[duby229]

[/FONT][/COLOR]

I think they are struggling as a company to do pretty much anything these days.

For Linux, they should at least:

• actively promote SteamOS and Linux as gaming platforms
  • On their Linux blog, last update is from 2012
  • On their Steam Universe page, last announcement is from June 2015
  • Also, Gabe last attended linuxcon in 2013
• actively promote Vulkan as the next-gen API and assist third-party developers in developing games with vulkan
  • Steam Dev Days was last held in 2014
• do something about Steam Machines. They are considered a failure for multiple reasons
  • Not compelling reasons to get one instead of a Windows-based machine (also fewer games and lower performance than on Windows)
  • I haven't ever seen actual Steam Machine advertisements (on media, public spaces, promotion events etc.) Needless to say, the competition does advertise a lot, so people actually know about their existence.
  • It could help to publicly admit the Steam Machines failed and work out a solid plan for a next-gen console (preferrably a single Valve-branded one, not dozens of them by different third parties)
• do something about this entire Vive situation
  • there has literally been zero communication from Valve as to when/if SteamOS will even get support for Vive. From a marketing standpoint this is simply not acceptable

Also, in general they should:

• MAKE GAMES.
  • The last one was CS:GO, released in 2012
  • The latest game in the Half-life series was Episode 2, released in 2007
• Properly introduce Source 2 (next-gen game engine) and market it to developers
  • It was launched when Dota2 silently switched to Source2 engine, extremely underwhelming launch
• Also, get your shit together as an employer
  • Valve's "flat structure" was described as like being in high school
  • Valve has also lost a lot of talent. In 2012, Phoronix covered that Valve hired many Linux developers. Many of them have since left the company.

What Phoronix should do:

Revisit Valve HQ, bring them some more beer, and ask them what's up.

I mostly agree with you actually, but I disagree about the single steambox idea. There wouldn't be enthusiast PC's if IBM XT didn't get cloned.

[Xaero_Vincent]

Because Steam windows client browser does not work with wine or wine-staging, it is impossible to install windows games. Codeweavers have some hack for their wine and you can install games with vanilla windows, then launch from the Steam menu. The linux steam client refuses to install windows apps, so this should be changed.

It looks like the Steam client has a feature to disable the Chrome sandboxing and thus work in Wine and Wine Staging.

Steam.exe -no-cef-sandbox

I just tried the above with Wine Staging 1.9.8 with Steam prefix set to Windows XP and it works.

There is also the Crossover patch for Wine that works too.

[humbug]

There is little more that Valve can do. They have done and continue to do good work on the gaming ecosystem.

But it's upto the developers of Linux desktop distros to make a push to increase market share leveraging a number of factors (only one being the now improved gaming ecosystem). Valve is not going to make a Linux Mint or a Fedora or Ubuntu. Those guys have to somehow make a concerted push using their distros...

[johnc]

Valve really needed to launch Steam Machines with a lot of fanfare and, most importantly, with a couple of hype-generating games like Half-Life 3 and L4D3 (not necessarily exclusives, but bundled; it's more about the marketing). It's all about spinning people up and tapping into their emotions, and convincing people that the "old Valve" was back in business.

Now this is all pretty basic stuff, of course. You don't have to have a PhD in marketing to understand this.

But since Valve is a company completely devoid of leadership, nothing gets done, and what should be obvious seems oblivious.

[Kemosabe]

Well, there current situation might be great for old Linux users but for people interested in buying a steam machine without interest in Linux will be disappointed.
With the current state, all attempts to sell steamos/steammachines wouldn't be accepted i think. . .
I hope Valve just waits for the right moment to come.