NeoGAF

Not surprised in the slightest, with how much VALVe has been pushing Linux over the past few months. Can't wait for SteamOS btw, it's definitely gonna have its own partition on my new PC (doubt I could get it on my current one, a laptop). I really hope Linux will gain traction over the next couple of years.

The year of the Linux desktop kappa

Next up, Khronos group

I thought they were already members since they have a lot of plans for it heh.

I'm really happy to see more of the industry getting behind Linux.

Windows is nice but I rather don't like some of their policies. The money of spending $100 on another operating system every time I build a new computer with a new motherboard. You can work through the DRM of Windows to remove a copy of Windows on one motherboard, and move it to another. But it can be a hassle.

I would rather have an alternative to the Windows ecosystem. I'd like to be able to have all of the good things that Windows has, but not the obligations and the limits that Windows puts on consumers. I've tried Ubuntu and enjoyed it, but I felt it could have been a little bit friendlier, and had more software.

I like Linux and I like what GNU/Linux stands for. I do want more freedom with how I use an operating system. Hopefully with companies like Valve supporting Linux, Linux will become both more user friendly, and get a lot more software.

Are they calling steam "an open plattform" or am I reading this wrong?

Now Gabe and Richard Stallman can fight over who has the better beard.

In seriousness, this is good news. The more people on board the better for the platform and developers.

Originally Posted by phuturist

Are they calling steam "an open plattform" or am I reading this wrong?

I think they are referencing to SteamOS in that sentence.

Originally Posted by Sendou

I think they are referencing to SteamOS in that sentence.

It's not an open plattform.

Or...if it is! That's great! I can't wait to just download some game_install.exe from my browser onto the steambox and then install it to steam without needing a key or anything! yayyy

Originally Posted by phuturist

It's not an open plattform.

Or...if it is! That's great! I can't wait to just download some game_install.exe from my browser onto the steambox and then install it to steam without needing a key or anything! yayyy

Are... you trying to make a point, somewhere in your post?

Originally Posted by StaticJam

Now Gabe and Richard Stallman can fight over who has the better beard.

In seriousness, this is good news. The more people on board the better for the platform and developers.

More like Stallman on suicide watch after he sees all that proprietary software (aka games) lol

Originally Posted by TucoBenedictoPacifico

Are... you trying to make a point, somewhere in your post?

A point from the phuture.

Great news. One step closer for the platform to freeing itself from the grasp of Microsoft.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Steam O/S getting released. I do wonder if they are going to use a version of Wine to allow x86 games to run under linux.

Originally Posted by phuturist

Yes. My point is, when they are saying we "deliver an elegant and open platform for Linux users" they are not telling the truth.

well it sucks that it's not open but give us some impressions on steamOS, i didn't know they had put out a public beta

Originally Posted by phuturist

Yes. My point is, when they are saying we "deliver an elegant and open platform for Linux users" they are not telling the truth.

?

you can run proprietary software on Linux, that doesn/t mean Linux is not open.

Originally Posted by phuturist

Yes. My point is, when they are saying we "deliver an elegant and open platform for Linux users" they are not telling the truth.

And how do you know this exactly?
Because it's an open source Linux distro with a custom interface, so everything seems to suggest they aren't lying at all.
And YES, being open source you are supposed to be able to download and execute third party programs, eventually.

Originally Posted by cyberheater

x86 games

x86 is a CPU type. It's a CISC CPU, rather than a RISC CPU.

The Power architecture and most mobile CPUs are running on RISC architecture.
While PC operating systems like Windows or Ubuntu or Mint or Gentoo are programmed for CISC architectures.

Originally Posted by TucoBenedictoPacifico

And how do you know this exactly?
Because it's an open source Linux distro with a custom interface, so everything seems to suggest they aren't lying at all.
And YES, being open source you are supposed to be able to download and execute third party programs, eventually.

To you and the other two, I edited my post. I am not sure what they are talking about, when they mention "open plattform". The steam service in itself is not that, I hope we can agree on that. My first assumption was they were talking about steam on linux.

yeah, he should have meant Windows games. Anyway, isn't Wine a non-universal solution? Like every game requires a different setting for it and there's no guarantee they'll work?

Originally Posted by HolyBaikal

x86 is a CPU type. It's a CISC CPU, rather than a RISC CPU.

The Power architecture and most mobile CPUs are running on RISC architecture.
While PC operating systems like Windows or Ubuntu or Mint or Gentoo are programmed for CISC architectures.

there's plenty of ARM/POWER builds of various linux distributions

i very much doubt that valve will compile their games to support them though

Originally Posted by pants

Next up, Khronos group

They are a part of it already?

https://www.khronos.org/members/cont...valve-software

From one of their presentations: https://developer.nvidia.com/sites/d...to%20Linux.pdf

Steam OS alongside with Steam Controller are really building me hype! Can't wait for official releases, my SSD awaits.

Originally Posted by Metalic

I thought they were already members since they have a lot of plans for it heh.

Too many wannabes, so have to further process become a members.

Originally Posted by aeolist

well it sucks that it's not open but give us some impressions on steamOS, i didn't know they had put out a public beta

The OS is open, that doesn't mean individual applications are not copy protected. It is the same for Steam on Linux currently.

Originally Posted by aeolist

there's plenty of ARM/POWER builds of various linux distributions

i very much doubt that valve will compile their games to support them though

well, ARM compatibility is a long term goal of theirs. They want to get on mobile afterall.

Hopefully this means that their improvements make it upstream to other distros as well. I'm not going to install SteamOS, but Ubuntu or Mint could be nice when you could properly game on them.

Originally Posted by fluffydelusions

The year of the Linux desktop kappa

Maybe Valve and SteamOS can push Linux use for gaming into the stratosphere: from less than 1% marketshare to 2 or maybe even 3%!

Ordinarily i'd laugh at Valve's dreams of going up against Microsoft........ but Win 8 continues to be an OS no-one wants to pay for.

This will be an interesting next few years.

Originally Posted by phuturist

To you and the other two, I edited my post. I am not sure what they are talking about, when they mention "open plattform". The steam service in itself is not that, I hope we can agree on that. My first assumption was they were talking about steam on linux.

gotcha, yeah steam isnt open in the Stallman sense.

Originally Posted by HolyBaikal

Windows is nice but I rather don't like some of their policies. The money of spending $100 on another operating system every time I build a new computer with a new motherboard. You can work through the DRM of Windows to remove a copy of Windows on one motherboard, and move it to another. But it can be a hassle.

You rather spend $100 then doing one (mostly free) phone call?

You don't have to remove a copy of Windows from one mainboard/PC.
Just install on the new PC, and activate when you have the time in the first 30 days.

Originally Posted by HolyBaikal

x86 is a CPU type.

I believe he was getting at running Windows games with Wine under SteamOS.
Steam OS so far will only be for x86/x64 CPUs, rigth?

Originally Posted by HolyBaikal

x86 is a CPU type. It's a CISC CPU, rather than a RISC CPU.

The Power architecture and most mobile CPUs are running on RISC architecture.
While PC operating systems like Windows or Ubuntu or Mint or Gentoo are programmed for CISC architectures.

Of course that is correct. I meant the ability to play MS windows game under Wine in a Linux environment.

Originally Posted by HolyBaikal

But many Linux distributions are designed primarily for CISC architecture. And most Linux distributions support CISC CPUs.

Linux is written in C. Most userland stuff can just Autoconf its way into the suitable arch for endian issues and such before compile. It's not as big of a deal as you're making it, and certainly not along CISC/RISC lines. After all, x86 chips these days don't actually execute x86 instructions natively.

Optimization is another matter, of course.

Steam is making a pretty clever push for getting into Operating systems.

I mean, they already are an app store. I bet they are just going to focus more and more on the 'steambox' as a custom distro that runs more and more of their apps.

Originally Posted by danielcw

You rather spend $100 then doing one (mostly free) phone call?

I usually don't stop using old computers.

And..

Originally Posted by danielcw

You don't have to remove a copy of Windows from one mainboard/PC.
Just install on the new PC, and activate when you have the time in the first 30 days.

But I thought you could only have one copy of Windows on one motherboard at a time?

Originally Posted by Gruso

SteamOS (not Steam) is an open platform, in the same way other Linux distros, along with Windows and OSX, are open platforms. That is to say, they are platforms that anyone can make and release software for, and they are platforms on which you are free to install anything you like.

It's nothing to do with "needing a key". That is a completely different issue relating to copy protection for individual pieces of software. But yes, you will be free to download game_install.xxx from wherever you like and install it in SteamOS provided it is a Linux binary.

SteamOS (not Steam) is also open source. This is a different thing again to open platform.

I haven't heard that SteamOS will allow outside apps (firefox browser or emulators). It will only use Steam, browser and media with no executable files allow. Non game app will only from Steam distribution.

Don't worry I can bet 100% hacker will find the way to allow executable any files in SteamOS.

Originally Posted by Gruso

SteamOS (not Steam) is an open platform, in the same way other Linux distros, along with Windows and OSX, are open platforms. [...]

Originally Posted by Moonstone

They are talking about the OS, which is a linux distro. [...]

Got it, yeah. You are right of course.

Well that seems pretty neat then. (Although I am sure you can tell that I am not friend of steam so...yeah.)

Originally Posted by iceatcs

I haven't heard that SteamOS will allow outside apps (emulators). It will only use Steam, browser and media with no executable files allow.

Don't worry I can bet 100% hacker will find the way to allow executable any files in SteamOS.

Even if this were the case, the open source nature of it + the fact that it's Linux deep down makes it trivial for someone to bypass.

Originally Posted by Sophia

Even if this were the case, the open source nature of it + the fact that it's Linux deep down makes it trivial for someone to bypass.

Nice, if it is actually everything open source, then I cannot wait for a modify SteamOS allowing wallhack or aimbot on the fly, etc. Just kidding, I don't even care about MP gaming.

Originally Posted by phuturist

To you and the other two, I edited my post. I am not sure what they are talking about, when they mention "open plattform". The steam service in itself is not that, I hope we can agree on that. My first assumption was they were talking about steam on linux.

Are you not possibly confused about them having a "closed" distribution platform, yet an "open" operating system?

This is to say, Valve are gate keeper to allowing what games are sold on steam, but on SteamOS you can install anything you want to the machine but Steam sells its curated store goods as usual. Theoretically, if Origin and GOG etc sold linux games and have a linux client, you could use them all, even integrate them with steamOS and never purchase anything from Valve.

Also did you know Valve's ultimate goal is for Steam - the store, to be completely open. They intend to introduce user store fronts that will allow for any content eventually while Valve will still have their curated store. There are a lot of problems to get over though, such as spam, viruses, preventing someone copying anothers game etc

Originally Posted by HolyBaikal

x86 is a CPU type. It's a CISC CPU, rather than a RISC CPU.

The Power architecture and most mobile CPUs are running on RISC architecture.
While PC operating systems like Windows or Ubuntu or Mint or Gentoo are programmed for CISC architectures.

Linux runs on CISC, RISC and EPIC (Intel Itanium) processors. It supports tons of architectures including the following:

Alpha
Blackfin
ARM
AVR32
ETRAX CRIS
C6X
68k
FR-V
Hexagon
PA-RISC
H8
System/390
Z/Architecture
IA-64
x86/ amd64
M32R
Microblaze
MIPS/ MIPS64
MN103
OpenRISC
POWER
PowerPC
SPARC/ UltraSPARC
SuperH
ARC
S+core
Tilera
Xtensa
UniCore32

I wasn't trying to imply that GNU/Linux distributions don't also run on RISC.

Smart move on their part.


I have been wanted to test the Linux client. How is the Steam client and game compatibility recently?

Originally Posted by iceatcs

I haven't heard that SteamOS will allow outside apps (firefox browser or emulators). It will only use Steam, browser and media with no executable files allow. Non game app will only from Steam distribution.

Don't worry I can bet 100% hacker will find the way to allow executable any files in SteamOS.

Users can alter or replace any part of the software or hardware they want.

http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamOS/

Q: Can I hack this box? Run another OS? Change the hardware? Install my own software? Use it to build a robot?

A: Sure.

http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamMachines/