this post was submitted on 02 Jun 2024
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PC Master Race

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It's not the gotcha that they think it is. Increasing share of Linux, steam deck or not is progress. Any development or considerations made for the SteamDeck and its Arch based OS benefit the non SteamDeck Linux gaming scene too.

Mostly a stab at Reddit PCMR, Lemmy PCMR has a different vibe.

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[–] [email protected] 110 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (4 children)

I think the argument being made is that it doesn't mean more users are manually migrating to linux, because you don't buy a steamdeck because of its OS. You use steamOS because it comes with the steam deck.

However, users choosing linux over windows is only one aspect of the good news: Widespread linux use, intentional or not, makes it less likely that a developer will skip it as a platform "not worth the extra effort"

[–] [email protected] 38 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Isn't that how most laptops are sold? People use Windows on them because they ship with Windows?

[–] [email protected] 20 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

True, but there isn't really much of a discussion of users moving TO windows, as using windows is, on a broader scale, the de facto default.

I'm curious how the linux share would be today if no PC ever was sold with a preinstalled OS.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

So then you too agree that moving TO has nothing to do with market share :)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

No, because I'm not making an argument for or against something, I'm pointing out that the discussion at hand is moot because there are two different goals being argued towards. Apples and oranges.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Well, you're arguing against the OP's title of the thread.

Edit: Weer een mooie reden om nog een andere arrogante en domme Hollander te blokkeren hier 😅 En je bent je comments aan het veranderen alsof niemand dat doorheeft.

Edit2: At this point I'm just gonna block this right wing community and their abuse.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

No. If you look carefully you will notice that the title is a question (hint: there's a question mark at the end). I joined a conversation that sought to answer that question. You, however, seem to be after an argument, in which case I suggest you find someone else. Especially if you want it in dutch as I do not speak the language.

Edit: Lol, what the fuck

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I was going to argue against this but you have a point.

I was originally going to call out the Linux laptops selling worse, assuming that people were more comfortable with Windows.

But Chromebooks sold a LOT. So maybe the average consumer doesn't care as long as the laptop is easy to use.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

People count Chromebooks as ChromeOS even though it is Linux.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

ChromeOS is not counted as Linux for the same reasons Android isn't counted as Linux and MacOS isn't counted as BSD. Those are proprietary, locked-down operating systems. It contrasts with what is broadly understund as Linux, meaning Linux distributions that adhere to some kind of FOSS philosophy.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

Apple sells Mac computers in part because of the OS.

Microsoft became a monopoly because it beat out most other OS vendors.

ChromeOS and Steam Decks are being sold, in part, due to the OS capabilities to run the software people like.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Not really, it's been a while since laptops don't offer a choice for OS. Apple's overpriced crap excluded of course. You'll have to swap the OS after receiving that one.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Being a Steam Deck owner myself, it also exposes more people to the underlying OS. I think there's a fundamental misunderstanding that people who use a Steam Deck only ever use it in Game Mode, and that's simply untrue.

I was convinced to buy one, because a user said they bought one for each of their kids as a stand-in for a laptop, and they would do their homework on it (in addition to playing games).

And now, because of my personal exposure, I have Bazzite running full time on a laptop, and I'm testing a few other Linux distros to eventually replace my Win 11 Pro install on my main desktop machine.

Those people should leave the purity tests and gatekeeping to the religious fundies.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I've never touched a steam deck nor its OS. How much of the underlying OS is exposed to the user? Is it easy to bring up a terminal emulator?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I switched my gaming PC to Nobara after seeing all my games run on the Deck. I may need to dual boot for a few but I haven't bothered setting the Windows install back up. Haven't missed VR enough yet.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

VR will probably catch up, too, as bigger devs start to realize they're leaving money on the table by ignoring a growing market.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I been hearing that it shouldn't be too far away, but I'm not holding my breath on it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

I don't think we'll see meaningful changes until it at least has wider market adoption on Windows. It's still mostly a novelty at this point, even with the arrival of tech like the Apple Ski Goggles.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago

How do posters know why people buy their steam decks? I bought my steam deck because it runs linux, so their initial argument is kind of a non-starter

[–] [email protected] 53 points 11 months ago (1 children)

'you have to struggle thru a Linux experience like I did or you're not a real Linux user'

[–] [email protected] 25 points 11 months ago

'I use Arch, btw'

[–] [email protected] 33 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I've noticed some posters in these communities have that toxic attitude of superiority and exclusivity--they simultaneously want people to use Linux, but also take pride in their "chops" and look down on people who don't know as much. It's along the same lines as those rude or hostile responses to more basic questions. I haven't seen it as much here on Lemmy, fortunately.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Year of the Linux Desktop may never be a relevant measure, but it was Steam Deck and Proton that marked the transition for me.

The deck is awesome because it's Linux

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago

I'd argue it's awesome because it's a great product that lets you play games on the go.

The huge win is that its running on Linux, and valve contributes to open-source with Proton!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Bought my child the Steam Deck and that convinced me to switch to Linux. Games were the biggest reason I didn't make the switch earlier and seeing how well they ran on SD helped me realize most of the games I play, will run just fine.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 11 months ago

My understanding is that it implies most Deck owners aren't using them for anything other than purely gaming, then switching back to Windows for everything else. I kind of agree with that point, sure there are more Linux machines out there, but people are still using Windows over them, if the Deck was a standard PC and people were ditching their Windows machines for it that'd a different story. That said, it still means more people using Linux at the end of the day even if just occasionally and in a very restricted way, make of that what you will.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I think it’s because generally speaking, thanks to the efforts of Valve with game mode etc to create the console like experience, many that have a Steam Deck don’t “use” Linux…they use Steam, they click Install and they click Play and that’s it.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Does it really matter? How many Windows users’ usage just launch a browser and use that, aren’t they effectively not “using” Windows per se?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago

People are buying a game system that uses Linux. They aren't choosing Linux, and most of them aren't using it as an operating system of any sort aside from gaming. So yeah. It only half counts.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Because they are more concerned with the fact that devs aren’t making the games for Linux natively in most cases than they are with if you can play most games on Linux.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

I'm more concerned with native Linux ports often being worse than windows in terms of performance and support, succumbing to disrepair years later

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago

Yeah I don't get the argument either. Sounds like some Microsoft-bros not wanting to see a 3rd option for OS'.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Am I the only one, who thinks Linux gaming is a Valve/Steam walled garden?