Wednesday, April 25th 2012

Steam for Linux Arrives "in Months"

Apr 25th, 2012 07:32 Discuss (54 Comments)

There is light in the end of the tunnel for proponents of a native-Linux version of Valve's Steam platform, as a Steam for Linux is just months away, according to a Phoronix report. Linux has been hiring developers with experience in Linux OpenGL applications for some time now, and the gearwheels at Valve have been able to drive out an early version of Left 4 Dead 2 that was seen running native on Linux (Ubuntu 11.10), without translation layers such as Wine, utilizing the OpenGL API, with the ICD provided by AMD Catalyst. Although first denied in 2010, Valve is back to the idea of Steam for Linux, thanks to its "flat" company structure that lacks a hierarchy. Following the footsteps of Steam for Mac, Valve could port some of its games to Linux, and give the client SteamPlay capability.

Sources: Phoronix, Engadget

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54 Comments on Steam for Linux Arrives "in Months"

AlienIsGOD

Vanguard Beta Tester

Great news for alt-OS types of users :D

Kreij

Senior Monkey Moderator

More options for gamers is always a good thing !!

Aquinus

Resident Wat-man

Might give me a reason to ditch Windows once and for all.

hhumas

what is the purpose of steam on linux .. linux is used as server pc . not a gaming pc .. even if they released steam for linux so which game will be on linux or steam will provide linux games

Aquinus

Resident Wat-man

hhumaswhat is the purpose of steam on linux .. linux is used as server pc . not a gaming pc .. even if they released steam for linux so which game will be on linux or steam will provide linux games

That is the largest load of crap I've ever heard. Linux is used on a lot of servers because it is stable, it is fast, and it is secure. The thing running against linux is since there are no (good) games written for it and AMD and nVidia feel that improving their 3d drives for linux is a waste of time. If more people use it, the more resources they will dedicate to improving drivers.

FreeBSD was designed for servers, but Apple used it to create Mac OS X.

At work we had a linux server with an uptime of 560 days between restarts. That is the power of linux, show me a Windows machine that will run well after being on that long. I had to restart our Windows servers once a week before we reformatted them with Ubuntu Server instead (we got rid of our only ASP app.)

Mindweaver

Moderato®™

This is great news! :toast:

stupido

AquinusMight give me a reason to ditch Windows once and for all.

my thoughts exactly! I've been waiting for this for a long time already...
the only reason to have windows @home is just and only because of games...

Kreij

Senior Monkey Moderator

@hhumas .. Aquinus is right. Linux would be a fine gaming platform if the developers produced games to run on it natively. Once games start showing up and the ranks of Linux gamers increase, the driver updates will follow.
I would have no problem switching to Linux but given that MS is never going to port VS to Linux makes that unlikely.

@Aquinus .. My Windows servers at work are on 24/7 and have been up for years. Not disagreeing with you, just commenting. :toast:

stupido

Kreij@hhumas .. Aquinus is right. Linux would be a fine gaming platform if the developers produced games to run on it natively. Once games start showing up and the ranks of Linux gamers increase, the driver updates will follow.
I would have no problem switching to Linux but given that MS is never going to port VS to Linux makes that unlikely.

@Aquinus .. My Windows servers at work are on 24/7 and have been up for years. Not disagreeing with you, just commenting. :toast:

on the up-time...
once upon a time in a country far far away, I used to work as industrial automation engineer; there I had a colleague that use to write some SW for a control PC that run QNX... :D
he didn't shut down that thing for more than 10years despite updating the control software, he was busy with...
that is my example of up-time of a computer system! :rockout:

#10

Mindweaver

Moderato®™

Kreij@hhumas .. Aquinus is right. Linux would be a fine gaming platform if the developers produced games to run on it natively. Once games start showing up and the ranks of Linux gamers increase, the driver updates will follow.
I would have no problem switching to Linux but given that MS is never going to port VS to Linux makes that unlikely.

@Aquinus .. My Windows servers at work are on 24/7 and have been up for years. Not disagreeing with you, just commenting. :toast:

That's my thinking as well. :toast: Carmack showed everybody this when he use to port all of his games over to linux. OpenGL use to be better than DX... I use to hate DX.. but MS put a lot of money into making DX really great. I'd love for devs to start using OpenGL and giving the user the option to play DX or OpenGL. This news also fuels the idea that Valve is working on a Steam OS!.. Just think Steam Boxes. Just turn them on and boot up into Steam. The avg person will have everything they need.. a browser, games, and it wouldn't take much for valve to add open office into steam and using it as a launcher. :toast: EDIT: This should strike fear into all console makers! Giving the option to a console player to buy a steam box. But also giving the PC user the option to download and install Steam onto a free OS :toast:

#11

robal

btarunrLinux has been hiring developers with experience in Linux OpenGL applications for some time now

I think you've meant "Phoronix" ? or "Valve" ?
Anyway.. this is really heart-warming news.

Cheers,

#12

Easy Rhino

Linux Advocate

my heart just skipped a beat!

#13

theubersmurf

AquinusMight give me a reason to ditch Windows once and for all.

with this in place, I wish I didn't need windows, I'd leave in a heartbeat. I wonder if they're produce linux versions of their games? OSX being based on BSD I'd like to think they're a hop, skip, and a jump away from a linux versio anyway...

#14

Melvis

This is music to my ears!! :rockout:

#15

Easy Rhino

Linux Advocate

theubersmurfI wonder if they're produce linux versions of their games?

i don't see why not. if they can make l4d2 play natively on linux then it should take minimal effort to get ALL of their titles out for linux over the coming years. after all they all use the same game engine and libraries. could this be a precursor to the steambox ???

#16

RejZoR

Finally. I hope enough game devs will port their games to Linux as well. Steam is imo really the only way for gaming to flourish on Linux platform. And it will pull together drivers for graphics and sound as well, which is even better thing.

#17

theubersmurf

Easy Rhinoi don't see why not. if they can make l4d2 play natively on linux then it should take minimal effort to get ALL of their titles out for linux over the coming years. after all they all use the same game engine and libraries. could this be a precursor to the steambox ???

I was thinking about this, a single supported distro on system that supports a set of specs. Like this: Valve releases a set of specifications for PCs that any manufacturer or hobbyist can build up, an sells a controller on a homebrewed distro. Sounds like a good life to me.

#18

Mindweaver

Moderato®™

Easy Rhinocould this be a precursor to the steambox ???

That is my thoughts exactly! :toast:

#19

Soylent Joe

Oh my god this is great. Hopefully it will inspire more devs to add linux support to their games.

#20

TheMailMan78

Big Member

Easy RhinoPorn, Tits, Beer and Blow..........could this be a precursor to the steambox ???

This was my first thought!

#21

stupido

theubersmurfwith this in place, I wish I didn't need windows, I'd leave in a heartbeat. I wonder if they're produce linux versions of their games? OSX being based on BSD I'd like to think they're a hop, skip, and a jump away from a linux versio anyway...

actually Linux and BSD (also many RTOSes like QNX, Integrity, VxWorks) are supporting POSIX API, so if an app is developed using this API, it should be matter of recompilation to be run on different (RT)OS...

#22

No_Asylum

hhumaswhat is the purpose of steam on linux .. linux is used as server pc . not a gaming pc .. even if they released steam for linux so which game will be on linux or steam will provide linux games

Wow ... Uneducated much?

There are MILLIONS of Linux Gamers dying for Steam on Linux.

#23

theubersmurf

stupidoactually Linux and BSD (also many RTOSes like QNX, Integrity, VxWorks) are supporting POSIX API, so if an app is developed using this API, it should be matter of recompilation to be run on different (RT)OS...

So close to no effort, except playtesting and stabity testing.

#24

devguy

This is good news for us Linux users. We already have Desura supporting us now, and that's how I play my Humble Indie Bundle games. Adding Steam/Source will be a huge step forward (Gordon Freeman meets the Penguin!).

Hopefully Valve will be able to convince those companies who already have Linux ports to put them on Linux Steam Play, but I'm not holding my breath. The reason why is big games like Doom 3, RTCW, COD4:MW, UT2004, and BioShock all have Mac versions, but none are supported on SteamPlay...

#25

Filiprino

Also the GNU/Linux platform can have higher income per user, as people who is using GNU/Linux today is more conscious of what they are using than the average Windows user.

I can't wait to test and play a part of the Steam catalog on Windows.

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Steam for Linux Arrives "in Months"

54 Comments on Steam for Linux Arrives "in Months"

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