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SteamOS out now (beta)

DryvBy

DryvBy

Member
I'm kind of confused on the point of SteamOS. I was thinking it was going to be a little bit different. So far, it looks like a stripped down version of a good Linux with bare minimum features. What's the point of this when there's Ubuntu?

(Not trolling, genuine question)
 
F

fallout

Member
DryvBy said:
I'm kind of confused on the point of SteamOS. I was thinking it was going to be a little bit different. So far, it looks like a stripped down version of a good Linux with bare minimum features. What's the point of this when there's Ubuntu?

(Not trolling, genuine question)
Click to expand...
Another benefit which hasn't been mentioned is that it gives other Linux distributions something to target if they want to support Steam games.
 
T

The Real Abed

Perma-Junior
DryvBy said:
If that was towards me, I guess I'm missing why this is a big deal and what is the advantage of SteamOS vs. any OS.
Click to expand...
The more stripped down they make the OS, the faster games run, the less overhead there is, the faster it boots compared to Windows.

This isn't meant to run all your apps or be a workstation. It's meant to play games. The less non-game related stuff loading, the faster it's gonna run.
 
E

EVIL

Member
DryvBy said:
I'm kind of confused on the point of SteamOS. I was thinking it was going to be a little bit different. So far, it looks like a stripped down version of a good Linux with bare minimum features. What's the point of this when there's Ubuntu?

(Not trolling, genuine question)
Click to expand...

Also consider this a very early beta version, things will expand. remember how steam was in its first year and what it is now. this is a long term project, not short term
 
U

Unicorn

Member
Is the ability to stream from one computer to a "steambox" implemented yet? It's really the only feature I'm looking forward to (aside from the controller).
 
F

fallout

Member
Unicorn said:
Is the ability to stream from one computer to a "steambox" implemented yet? It's really the only feature I'm looking forward to (aside from the controller).
Click to expand...
I don't think so. I'm definitely in the same boat at the moment, although I could see myself buying a SteamBox in the future.
 
K

Kocolino67

Member
From Reddit: Ye Olde SteamOSe third release - smaller download, NTFS resize support, network firmware (WiFi etc), audio fixes

Ye Olde SteamOSe is my respin of the SteamOS installer, with the following changes:

  • SteamOS requires UEFI. Ye Olde SteamOSe works with UEFI or BIOS.
  • SteamOS requires a 2GB USB Stick to install. Ye Olde SteamOSe works from a DVD or a 1GB USB Stick.
  • SteamOS requires a real computer. Ye Olde SteamOSe has 3D acceleration on VMWare and Virtualbox, out of the box.
  • SteamOS says it needs 500GB of disk space, but that's a lie. Ye Olde SteamOSe requires the same amount of space as SteamOS really does - 40.5GB minimum (of that 10GB and any more available is for games).
  • SteamOS takes over your PC. Ye Olde SteamOSe supports dual-boot on non-LVM non-RAID systems.
  • SteamOS only supports Realtek networking, or firmware-free networking. Ye Olde SteamOSe supports everything a modern Linux does, including WiFi.
  • SteamOS monopolizes drives. Ye Olde SteamOSe can resize NTFS partitions.
  • SteamOS only outputs to HDMI audio. Ye Olde SteamOSe supports almost any sound card with a couple of clicks.
Click to expand...

It's great to see that people already take use of Valves DIY approach...
 
F

fallout

Member
Randam said:
so, does steamOS have an advantages over windows for gaming?
Click to expand...
Can't say much in terms of performance, but the key advantage for Valve is that it frees them from potential changes made by Microsoft which could hamper Valve's current Steam functionality.
 
V

Vigilant Gambit

Member
fallout said:
Another benefit which hasn't been mentioned is that it gives other Linux distributions something to target if they want to support Steam games.
Click to expand...

Other Linux distributions don't have to "target" SteamOS.

SteamOS runs on top of Debian. Valve says that targeting the latest version of Ubuntu is essentially the same as targeting SteamOS.
 
F

fallout

Member
Vigilant Gambit said:
Other Linux distributions don't have to "target" SteamOS.

SteamOS runs on top of Debian. Valve says that targeting the latest version of Ubuntu is essentially the same as targeting SteamOS.
Click to expand...
Oh, neat! I just assumed there were going to be certain packages specific to SteamOS which would guarantee compatibility.
 
L

Listonosh

Member
DryvBy said:
I'm kind of confused on the point of SteamOS. I was thinking it was going to be a little bit different. So far, it looks like a stripped down version of a good Linux with bare minimum features. What's the point of this when there's Ubuntu?

(Not trolling, genuine question)
Click to expand...

I also have a follow up question to this. I was under the impression that SteamOS would be the go to system to play your entire library on a TV, with an interface that's easy to control with a gamepad. However, the Q&A says that SteamOS can't boot up any Windows only game, and only those supported by Linux, and that it will be able to Stream games from a PC to the SteamOS.

Just so I'm understanding this right, SteamOS or by that stretch, a Steam Machine running the OS wouldn't be a good substitute for my gaming PC, since without it, I wouldn't be able to actually run most of my library?
 
M

monlo

Member
You guys are not understanding this at all.

SteamOS is another alternative to Windows. Its sole advantage is that it's open source and free.

In terms of libraries: no, the games are not there yet. Valve is pushing this and drumming up support. But Windows has the most support. Always has.

In terms of performance, that's a toss up. It depends on the drivers and your hardware. In the end game, it's likely that SteamOS can run faster than windows because it's a lighter weight, lower level OS. But this is not even a gaurantee.

The sole reason to support this is that it is an open source alternative to Windows. That is it.

Remember: this is a BETA. This is not even going to be 100% useful for everyone within the next 3 years, nevermind now. Steam, itself, was available since 2001 (maybe earlier?), and it was a steaming (snark) pile of shit until ram became fast and large enough to not care how shitty it was (2006ish).

Continue using what you're using.
If you aren't a tinkerer, do not even look at SteamOS right now. Breathe. And be merry in the time between.
 
A

ashecitism

Member
Listonosh said:
Just so I'm understanding this right, SteamOS or by that stretch, a Steam Machine running the OS wouldn't be a good substitute for my gaming PC, since without it, I wouldn't be able to actually run most of my library?
Click to expand...

Yes. Valve said they working with devs on supporting it, but nothing is guaranteed at this point.
 
H

HariKari

Member
sofiabudapest said:
It's great to see that people already take use of Valves DIY approach...
Click to expand...

All of those improvements should be re-spun into the official install. I think half of them were put there on purpose to discourage people from casually trying out the beta when it's nowhere near ready.
 
L

Listonosh

Member
I wonder if Valve or any other third party is considering a Roku/Chromecast device that all it does is stream your PC library to a TV. Since SteamOS can't handle a big portion of Windows games, wouldn't it make more sense to invest in a small box that allows this, than a 500 machine whos functionality you wouldn't completely utilize?
 
L

Listonosh

Member
Listonosh said:
I wonder if Valve or any other third party is considering a Roku/Chromecast device that all it does is stream your PC library to a TV. Since SteamOS can't handle a big portion of Windows games, wouldn't it make more sense to invest in a small box that allows this, than a 500 machine whos functionality you wouldn't completely utilize?
Click to expand...

Guess I got my answer:
Coomer also says that "lower-spec boxes that are cheap, streaming-only devices" would be an "awesome" addition to the current lineup of Steam Machines. "There isn't a desire to delay that kind of device...it's kind of just development bandwidth that has kept us from doing that sooner. The ones that have been unveiled this week really are supposed to be, and are, devices that are quite powerful to run games natively under your TV."
Click to expand...
From this thread
 
M

mtodavk

Member
Does SteamOS have any issue with AMD cpus? Running Nvidia graphics drivers, so that should be a non-issue. Also, has anyone tried to dual boot Win8+SteamOS? I'd like to set up a small partitionon a secondary disk to test it, but don't want to lose all of my data in the process.
 
G

GeoGonzo

Member
It still needs a pc with UEFI, right? I saw that reddit post explaining how to install it if you don't but... it is a bit daunting.
 
A

alexandros

Banned
It still needs UEFI and it still not possible to dual boot. You guys better wait for a more complete version, that is what I am doing.
 
A

ashecitism

Member
latest beta update:

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamuniverse/discussions/1/558746088887100821/

and SteamOS ISO out for testing:

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamuniverse/discussions/1/648817378243644036/

I just posted a SteamOS ISO that can be used to install SteamOS on non-UEFI systems. Thanks to directhex and ecliptik for their work on Ye Olde SteamOSe - this incorporates many of their changes. Dual-boot and custom partitioning are now possible from the "Expert Install" option.

PLEASE note there has been very little testing on this, especially any kind of dual-boot setup. So don't install it on any machine you are not prepared to lose.

If you have any problems, please post on this discussion or open an issue on the SteamOS github.
Click to expand...

A summary of the differences, for the curious:

Valve has removed a pointless second copy of the package manifest. Good, we only ever kept it because Valve did
Valve doesn't include the package contents manifests. These aren't useful for 99% of people anyway
Valve doesn't include all the firmware ever. In Ye Olde SteamOSe, we added every bit of device firmware possibly used by end users. Valve does not include all of them (they already included a couple, e.g. for Realtek networking)
Valve has rolled in some recent Debian security updates, e.g. to apt-get and curl
Valve includes all the 32-bit stuff there is. In Ye Olde SteamOSe, we strip out most 32-bit packages which are not used. Valve includes them all, so has a bigger ISO
Valve includes the 32-bit version of the installer - no 32-bit kernel though, so not usable on 32-bit-only computers.
Valve does not include support for LVM or mdraid
Valve includes an installer which runs from Windows. I don't know what functionality it allows or prevents compared to booting the installer directly
Valve doesn't contain Ye Olde SteamOSe's audio hacks - it still only works properly on Brix or Prototype
Valve has killed the old "expert" mode - Ye Olde SteamOSe's "Power User" mode is included instead, relabelled as Expert. YOS still includes both Power User and the old-style Expert modes
Valve doesn't allow NTFS resizing ( https://github.com/ValveSoftware/SteamOS/issues/88 )
Valve doesn't include VirtualBox guest additions. But no big loss, given VirtualBox is shit.

The headline features pulled in by Valve are:
Non-EFI support
DVD install support
Partitioner in Power User/Expert mode
Dual boot in Power User/Expert mode
Supports recovery etc if you use a custom layout as long as it's still Valve-ish enough
Click to expand...
 
P

Piccoro

Member
Hey guys, did you know about this?

Steam Music

Listen to your music collection while you play games
Steam Music will soon be in limited beta as a feature of SteamOS and Big Picture mode, with a desktop interface to follow.

Beta participants will be randomly selected from members of this group. Join now to express your interest in participating, and as always, please share your thoughts and feedback in the discussions once you've given Steam Music a try.
Click to expand...

Sounds cool!
 
A

ashecitism

Member
forgot to post this. This was from earlier this week:

We have just updated the repository. New changes in both alchemist and alchemist_beta:

update iceweasel desktop web browser to 24.3.0esr
valve-bugreporter improvements to report more package versions
Updated apache2, openssl, tzdata, e2fsprogs to incorporate upstream Debian fixes
Fixed a bug where mouse input would sometimes stop working while holding a mouse button


Existing changes in alchemist_beta, now in alchemist:

Add additional packages to the repo to support gdb, NFS, and creating an alchemist chroot
Preinstall all the firmware packages to enable supporting more wireless network adapters
Added steamos-updatelevel dummy package; its version is guaranteed to increase with every new update
Updated e2fsprogs, iptables, libdrm, debootstrap, initramfs-tools, curl, libav, eglibc to incorporate upstream Debian fixes
Click to expand...

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamuniverse/discussions/1/558747922861612650/
 
A

ashecitism

Member
SteamOS update 93 pushed to alchemist_beta
We just released a Beta update; see the SteamOS FAQ for information about opting in alchemist_beta updates. Changes include:

Fixed a critical APT bug resulting in packages sometimes being erroneously erased during updates (many thanks to Michael Vogt and Simon McVittie)
Added support for detecting hybrid configurations and using the driver corresponding to the primary VGA output by default
Fixed a bug where "Preparing hardware drivers..." would be erroneously printed during startup
Preinstalled all the languages that are supported by Steam client to enable a localized SteamOS desktop
Fixed lightdm so the desktop Region and Languages control panel can change the per-user language
Fixed "Metro: Last Light" on Intel graphics by backporting GLX support for ARB_create_context from newer X servers
Added Thai and CJK fonts
Fixed steamcompmgr to properly focus "CID the Dummy"
Updated AMD graphics driver to 1:14.1~beta1.3-1 from Debian jessie
Updated gnutls26, file, xserver-xorg-video-intel packages to incorporate upstream Debian fixes
Click to expand...

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamuniverse/discussions/1/558749824344343334/

AMD graphics users, please make sure to reboot as soon as the 'SteamOS reboot required' notification pops up after the driver update is applied. Otherwise you most likely will be unable to play any games until you do.
Click to expand...


anyone here messing with it? Is it in a good state now?
 
twdnewh_k

twdnewh_k

Member
Seems to have come a long way since the beta was first made available.

I am about to build a a steam home-streaming machine with an Intel NUC; as much as I would love to go full on Steam OS, there are some games which will still require windows and in some cases other forms of DRM to run.

I am considering a dual-boot solution. Has anyone successfully done so?
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
twdnewh_k said:
Seems to have come a long way since the beta was first made available.

I am about to build a a steam home-streaming machine with an Intel NUC; as much as I would love to go full on Steam OS, there are some games which will still require windows and in some cases other forms of DRM to run.

I am considering a dual-boot solution. Has anyone successfully done so?
Click to expand...

If you're installing windows anyway, why bother with a dual boot - unless you just want to play with it. There aren't any game that are steam OS only.
 
twdnewh_k

twdnewh_k

Member
mrklaw said:
If you're installing windows anyway, why bother with a dual boot - unless you just want to play with it. There aren't any game that are steam OS only.
Click to expand...

I will be using it to stream only, so the games do not require native SteamOS or linux. support.


I just wanna mess with it and possible only use windows when necessary.
 
M

Memorabilia

Member
twdnewh_k said:
Seems to have come a long way since the beta was first made available.

I am about to build a a steam home-streaming machine with an Intel NUC; as much as I would love to go full on Steam OS, there are some games which will still require windows and in some cases other forms of DRM to run.

I am considering a dual-boot solution. Has anyone successfully done so?
Click to expand...

I'll be experimenting with a Win 8.1/SteamOS dual-boot setup on one of my mini HTPCs over the next few days. I use ultra low TDP AMD AM1 boxes for my HTPCs which are not intended for gaming, but I dont want to mess with my primary Steam rig. The Kabini setup should be adequate n fun to play around with SteamOS functionality and some indie titles. I'll update in this thread after I get it up n running in a day or two.
 
M

Memorabilia

Member
mrklaw said:
If you're installing windows anyway, why bother with a dual boot - unless you just want to play with it. There aren't any game that are steam OS only.
Click to expand...

There are a lot of people...myself included...who have been waiting a long time for a viable, FREE, alternative to Windows as a PC gaming OS. SteamOS isnt there yet, but it has the potential to become that alternative. Arguably, the Microsoft monopoly hasn't been good for PC gaming. At the very least SteamOS could force MS to make some much needed improvements over the next couple years. So, its definitely worth playing around with and experimenting to get in on the fun.
 
twdnewh_k

twdnewh_k

Member
Memorabilia said:
I'll be experimenting with a Win 8.1/SteamOS dual-boot setup on one of my mini HTPCs over the next few days. I use ultra low TDP AMD AM1 boxes for my HTPCs which are not intended for gaming, but I dont want to mess with my primary Steam rig. The Kabini setup should be adequate n fun to play around with SteamOS functionality and some indie titles. I'll update in this thread after I get it up n running in a day or two.
Click to expand...

I will be using the i5 Intel NUC variant. Looking forward to your update, I will be trying the same with win7.
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
Memorabilia said:
There are a lot of people...myself included...who have been waiting a long time for a viable, FREE, alternative to Windows as a PC gaming OS. SteamOS isnt there yet, but it has the potential to become that alternative. Arguably, the Microsoft monopoly hasn't been good for PC gaming. At the very least SteamOS could force MS to make some much needed improvements over the next couple years. So, its definitely worth playing around with and experimenting to get in on the fun.
Click to expand...

I know. But the poster I quoted was looking to dual boot, so would have windows installed anyway. I wasn't making any kind of political statement
 
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