Steam Expands Beyond Games, to Offer Software Soon

[TheMailMan78]

i imagine the software steam will provide will be similiar to what tucows.com provides.

lulz!

 

[Easy Rhino]

lulz!

the only way we would see things like Photoshop, Office Suite, etc is if Microsoft, Adobe, etc find significant cost savings in having Steam host and manage all of their software sales.

 

[Mindweaver]

Maybe they will offer software like "OpenOffice" and things of that nature. I don't see major players letting valve sale there software. But just think.. We might see "Adobe Acrobat 7 Pro" or "Office 2000" on a steam sale for 5 bucks one day!.... lol

 

[atikkur]

Most likely Steamworks or whatever the publisher put in there in the first place (like SecuROM or online activation).

yea, one time online activation would be good, steam client only acts as kind of license manager. i dont know how it would be effective, but must be different than games drm they implemented.

still, steam for app.. it's just weird.

 

[theubersmurf]

No. Business software.
Unless Vavle made huge changes in the way business could receive updates for that kind of software, it would be a no-go for corporate networks.

I don't know what their aspiration are for non-gaming software, or what types of software vendors they will try to bring on-line, but given the popularity of digital distribution it is a valid concern if they became the ONLY place to get certain software.

What I'm saying is that the competition is slim at best. Anyone who wanted any triple A titles would need Steam to play them on PC, More and more games are turning to steamworks for their DRM implementation. Which puts them in a position that allows them to create, say, a crappy EULA that leverages purchases you made against relinquishing your legal remedies, for example.

 

[pr0n Inspector]

No wonder win8 is a catastrophe. Gabe the fatass is afraid.

 

[WhoDecidedThat]

great! make people more lazy!

 

[Maelstrom]

Interesting . . .

 

[GSquadron]

They will create a program called valve

 

[jpierce55]

Maybe they will offer software like "OpenOffice" and things of that nature. I don't see major players letting valve sale there software. But just think.. We might see "Adobe Acrobat 7 Pro" or "Office 2000" on a steam sale for 5 bucks one day!.... lol

I could very easily see the high end Adobe softwares become available on Steam.

 

[Kreij]

No wonder win8 is a catastrophe. Gabe the fatass is afraid.

Win 8 is MS fighting against Apple. If MS decides to wall off their OS like Apple has done you have no problem with that?

great! make people more lazy!

I have no idea what this has to do with anything.

They will create a program called valve

Stumped on this one too.

 

[pr0n Inspector]

Win 8 is MS fighting against Apple. If MS decides to wall off their OS like Apple has done you have no problem with that?



I have no idea what this has to do with anything.



Stumped on this one too.

RT and iOS are walled. 8 x86/_64 and OS X are not. Your concerns are misplaced.

 

[[XC] Oj101]

Here's my question. If you get your Steam account banned (the account, not just a VAC ban) do you lose all of your software? Which might be critical for keeping your business going? I'll buy my next copy of Office at a store thank

 

[Kreij]

RT and iOS are walled. 8 x86/_64 and OS X are not. Your concerns are misplaced.

At the moment this is true.
When you have someone whose huge business is 99% catering to the Windows platform, in this case Gabe (regardles of your thoughts on the physical shape he is in), has concerns about MS closing off their OS, and when other developers show a similar concern, it's worth taking note.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[zithe]

How many of you people bitching about Gabe DON'T own Orange box OR Left For Dead 1/2?

 

[semantics]

See that's the thing, depending on the software we might have to. There are a few games that have to be activated on Steam to play. Call of Duty is one of them. Then what happens when I lose internet connection and can't connect to Steam to get into Photoshop? No work that day?

It seems far fetched now but its entirely possiable.

It's more then just a few games and more games use it then the previous years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_games_using_Steam_authentication

My question is who do i deal with if i have problems, valve's customer support is much like google's in that it's quite lacking...

At the moment this is true.
When you have someone whose huge business is 99% catering to the Windows platform, in this case Gabe (regardles of your thoughts on the physical shape he is in), has concerns about MS closing off their OS, and when other developers show a similar concern, it's worth taking note.

Just my 2 cents.

Yes but what is this based on? I've heard nothing from Microsoft or those who work for Microsoft hinting this. It's all paranoid delusions that come up after Microsoft announces that windows 8 will have a store and they will be in the digital distro business. As if suddenly they said windows 8 not RT will be walled off, when no such thing was said.

You know what is also bad everyone in the world having cancer, be pretty shitty if that happened.
^
That is the kind of statements that are flying around, well ofc X is shitty. So then do we have a valid reason to be afraid of X. No because evidence to cause concern is lacking.

 

[NC37]

Here's my question. If you get your Steam account banned (the account, not just a VAC ban) do you lose all of your software? Which might be critical for keeping your business going? I'll buy my next copy of Office at a store thank

One, if your employees are stupid enough to do something to cause a ban then they shouldn't be on Steam at work. Two...most office machines do not have specs to run games anyways.

I really don't think Valve is trying to change the entire business environment. To me this is just a way of providing another service people would want. I could see purchasing non gaming software off Steam depending on the need. Frankly I don't own much software on PC that is nongame. Yeah you can say "I want a physical copy," all you want but Best Buy is dying. Big box retail is dying. There are better discounts for online/digital and you have little overhead operating costs aside from running the servers and the network.

Who you want to trust is up to you. Personally there is no 100% trustworthy company IMO. M$, Apple, and probably even Valve would screw you over to get a buck. Although Valve doesn't seem as in your face with it. I like what Woz stated about Cloud recently. It really isn't a good thing for the industry. Going to be a nightmare in a few years. Your data is not secure in someone else's hands. Want security? Back it up yourself, throw it in a fire proof box and bury it or something. As long as it is there it is in your hands and it is secure.

 

[Brusfantomet]

they could at least try to fix the broken offline mode before adding any more functionality to steam.

By broken offline mode i mean that if you do not stop steam before shutting down your computer offline mode does not work before steam have had a concretion to the Internet when you turn it on again.

 

[Zakin]

Here's my question. If you get your Steam account banned (the account, not just a VAC ban) do you lose all of your software? Which might be critical for keeping your business going? I'll buy my next copy of Office at a store thank

Er, last I checked Steam only VAC bans meaning you only get banned for games using VAC as protection. They have no jurisdiction or care over any other games/software..learn what you are talking about please. At least in all my time, I've heard people do some pretty horrible things on their Steam account, and the only thing I can think of to get your entire Steam account banned is if they prove that you legitimately got something through the means of a hacked Steam (In other words faking that you owned games.) So, your company should probably stop stealing stuff?

 

[Kaleid]

Achievements for programs coming up?

 

[sy5tem]

fio

Here's my question. If you get your Steam account banned (the account, not just a VAC ban) do you lose all of your software? Which might be critical for keeping your business going? I'll buy my next copy of Office at a store thank

you just don't get banned. I've never got banned of any services or game. (starting with DWANGO to play doom2 4 player online .


Also Steam doesn't have the monopoly, they have the best version of it ( i have ea origins and live! game(350 &PC) they are the competition,. just enough to make em move forward.

Steam is the most easy to use always on drm.

i came back to pc and i brought friends over because all they have to do is have steam to buy amd play.

at least its apple or microsoft that took that with shitty 20$ arcade game. and expansion wit h2 maps @ 15$

think About it

 

[DannibusX]

So much hate for a service that you're not required to use.

OMG, Valve is making a free alternative to Adobe Acrobat Pro available! Holy crap!

 

[Bjorn_Of_Iceland]

"Bjorn_Of_Iceland is now playing Adobe Photoshop"

Will they come with steam achievements?

 

[awesomesauce]

pretty shure it will be useful with the future steam machine console

 

[Fx]

i am no fan of the ms monopoly either. Competition is a good thing for consumers.

+1