Why Are Valve Pushing Linux?

Dayum

I'm a regular gamer that doesn't know about the tech or OS area very well and I wanted someone with a bit of knowledge to weigh up the benefits of having a SteamOS running on Linux systems.

As far as I know Microsoft are closing down Windows 8 and people fear Windows 9 will be a totally closed shop (like the consoles). Valve fear the future of Steam (don't want to pay Microsoft a cut) and thus are creating SteamOS to run on an open source platform i.e - Linux? Am I right so far?

What exactly does this mean for gamers? If the Steam Machines are a smashing success, what exactly will the gaming scene look like in say five years? What does it mean for us?

Generic Dreadhead

Half Life 3 Linux Exclusive!

Orion

It's a good thing. Extra competition in the market and using open source will bring down the price point too.

Zillah

Dayum wrote: »

people fear Windows 9 will be a totally closed shop (like the consoles).

What does this mean?

Dayum

Orion wrote: »

It's a good thing. Extra competition in the market and using open source will bring down the price point too.

So it's like...

Indie Dev: "Hey Microsoft, can I make a game for Xbox/Windows?"
Microsoft: "For a license fee..."
Indie Dev: "Hey Sony, can I make a game for Playstation?"
Sony: "For a license fee..."
Indie Dev: "Hey Valve, can I make a game for SteamOS?"
Gaben: "Sure."

Will everything be open source on Linux? Wow.

Zeouterlimits

Valve prefer the openness of Linux and don't trust MS to make the right choices with Windows [MS are an uneven company who seem to jump from good decision to really bad one quite randomly] -

Newell called the closed nature of Microsoft Windows 8, "a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space", and that Linux would maintain "the openness of the platform".

Dayum wrote: »

So it's like...

Indie Dev: "Hey Microsoft, can I make a game for Xbox/Windows?"
Microsoft: "For a license fee..."
Indie Dev: "Hey Sony, can I make a game for Playstation?"
Sony: "For a license fee..."
Indie Dev: "Hey Valve, can I make a game for SteamOS?"
Gaben: "Sure."

Not really.

Anyone is free to make a game that will run on Windows or Linux [unfamilar with Mac, but I'd assume it's the same].
To sell on the Windows Marketplace / Xbox Marketplace / Steam Store, you give up a portion of the revenues to Microsoft / Valve.

Nody

Dayum wrote: »

As far as I know Microsoft are closing down Windows 8 and people fear Windows 9 will be a totally closed shop (like the consoles). Valve fear the future of Steam (don't want to pay Microsoft a cut) and thus are creating SteamOS to run on an open source platform i.e - Linux? Am I right so far?

I can't recall seeing anything about Win9 being closed; it will be the same as any other generation with required calls to make things work I'd guess. They tried to close the Xbone and look at how that fiasco went (and that was with hardware only they produced mind you!).

What exactly does this mean for gamers? If the Steam Machines are a smashing success, what exactly will the gaming scene look like in say five years? What does it mean for us?

More options long term (Linux would allow more of the power to be allocated to the games but it's harder to code for etc.); short term and medium term it means nothing I'd say. The real big breakthrough would come when you can emulate Windows well enough on a Linux distro to run not only the latest CoD but also a 10 year old game without any noticeable loss (the issue is as I recall MS holding certain patents or similar for DX making it impossible/hard to copy the way it behaves).

Dayum

Nody wrote: »

I can't recall seeing anything about Win9 being closed; it will be the same as any other generation with required calls to make things work I'd guess. They tried to close the Xbone and look at how that fiasco went (and that was with hardware only they produced mind you!).

More options long term (Linux would allow more of the power to be allocated to the games but it's harder to code for etc.); short term and medium term it means nothing I'd say. The real big breakthrough would come when you can emulate Windows well enough on a Linux distro to run not only the latest CoD but also a 10 year old game without any noticeable loss (the issue is as I recall MS holding certain patents or similar for DX making it impossible/hard to copy the way it behaves).

So essentially they're trying to eliminate the problems usually associated with PC gaming i.e - "will this run on my system? Of course not, I'll just buy a console!".

So we could see the PC once again being the primarily development system and not the consoles? When was the last time PC was the primary focus market....early 2000's?

jumbobreakfast

It's all about putting pressure on Microsoft in regard to general operating system constraints and also graphics API (directx) constraints. Competition is needed here and is good for us.

Baked.noodle

With the migration to Android/ipad many users have undertaken with the tablet revolution, Microsoft's once unquestioned dominance of the PC/general computing operating system is becoming weaker and more unpredictable. Simply put, tablets have decimated sales of PC's/laptops, and Android, and I believe Mac OS, are free to install on hardware produced by OEM's, which undermines Microsoft financially and reduces their install footprint. Computers have reached a "good enough" threshold for most tasks and upgrading expensive systems is usually only done by lay people when the system fails. Some state organisation around the world have also moved from Windows to Linux operating systems to save money by not having to pay for extra support after the OS is end of life, and avoiding buying newer PC hardware. Much of this migration must reflect the distrust governments have with Microsoft's closed source products. Microsoft are in trouble and I think the writing is on the wall, which may explain the daft move to buy Minecraft for 2.5 Billion, without most of the designers who built it. They missed internet/browser search engine revolution and the tablet/smart phone revolution and demonstrate uncertainty/panic by intending to impose restrictions on customers other software/hardware designers don't, and wiping up backlash as a consequence. I imaging Valve want to support windows as long as it's possible for maximum customers, but are concerned Microsoft will sink the entire ship drowning all aboard.

srsly78

Errr Steam take a cut, just the same as how Windows store takes a cut. Valve may be the darling of pc gaming, but they are still a company looking to make profit.

All that said, I love steam of course. Linux sucks for gaming/desktop because of it's driver model tho.

ShadowHearth

srsly78 wrote: »

Errr Steam take a cut, just the same as how Windows store takes a cut. Valve may be the darling of pc gaming, but they are still a company looking to make profit.

All that said, I love steam of course. Linux sucks for gaming/desktop because of it's driver model tho.

Not really. At the moment MS gets feck all from PC games sales. Its the only open platform left. MS trying to to fix it, by making Windows closed OS, so they can "Apple" on everyones ass.
Valve is afraid of it, so in their interest ( and in gamers too ) Valve is investing in to Linux to make competition.

When Valve makes Linux a proper gaming platform - I am jumping a ship!

Nody

srsly78 wrote: »

Errr Steam take a cut, just the same as how Windows store takes a cut. Valve may be the darling of pc gaming, but they are still a company looking to make profit.

30%; it's been posted around several times and it's among the lowest in the industry.

srsly78

Microsoft will not close down windows as you say. You will still be able to get your software from wherever you want and install it on your pc. The windows store is the new thing, but you will not be forced to use it. Don't mind the rubbish you read online.

The main reason windows has been dominant for so many years is because people can install whatever they want on it, and so much software is available. If suddenly this changes then windows would instantly die.

I have a theory as to why windows won out over macos: there were more games available for windows

edit: You may be referring to that Windows RT thing? Well it never took off, because people quickly realised it wasn't really windows and couldn't run their software!

VinLieger

Seriously is there any concrete evidence out there beyond the scaremongering of the windows store hype that MS are trying to make windows 9 a closed platform?

srsly78

No evidence at all. It would be suicide for them to do it.

As said above, it may have been the case with Windows RT - but that was a dead duck for this very reason.

Shiminay

I can't see them going with a "closed" system for Win 9 with the reality of the market today. Tablets in particular are destroying the Home PC market and putting any more barriers in front of "reasons to pick a pc" will only make that worse. Picking Linux as a starting point for their own OS made the most sense for Valve because it'll allow their current customers to keep on playing with the hardware they have. However, this is a project that most likely started 4 or 5 years ago and the market's a different place now.