Valve Begins Listing Linux Requirements For Certain Games On Steam 332
Deathspawner writes "Perhaps hinting at the fact that the official Steam for Linux launch isn't too far off, Valve has begun updating some game pages to include Linux system requirements. Some games don't list only Ubuntu as the main supported distro, with some listing Linux Mint and Fedora as well. A common theme is that Valve recommends you always use a 'fully updated' OS, regardless of which distro you use. And based on the system requirements laid out so far, it's safe to say that Serious Sam 3: BFE will undoubtedly be the most system-intensive game released at launch."
That is why I supported fully static builds (Score:5, Insightful)
While I know of the advantages that Linked libraries give, such as being to update a huge set of programs at once, Allowing us coders to change how programs operate by changing the library source. However in the terms of Distributing software for different distributions it becomes a nightmare for the author. Because they can only really test a small percentage of these distributions, and who know if that unknown distribution uses that library or has the library requires to install it...
Systems like APT do a wonderful job of solving the problem for us. But not all distributions use APT and/or they may have a different set of repositories.
Re:Why would you want to game on Linux (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:That is why I supported fully static builds (Score:5, Insightful)
So you promise to update your application forever whenever a problem with such a library is found?
Re:Why would you want to game on Linux (Score:4, Insightful)
If it turns out that my video card isn't good enough for Valve, then I can upgrade it. I can't do that with a Mac.
You can kid yourself all you like.
Snickering at Apple products is all about having at least half a clue and knowing that their products just don't cut it.
Re:That is why I supported fully static builds (Score:5, Insightful)
That's the main reason Debian is against applications shipping their own static versions of libraries instead of using the system library, because it requires everyone be on top of updating, especially for security issues. If everyone links with the Debian libfoo, then if there's a security issue they can just update it. But if some projects have their own local copy of libfoo in their git tree, then you're hoping the upstream maintainer is going to promptly re-sync it. Often that doesn't happen: projects sometimes ship ancient internal versions of libraries where they just did a cp -r into their own project tree years ago and never kept up with updates. So Debian expends considerable effort ripping out these local forks.
Re:That is why I supported fully static builds (Score:4, Insightful)
Then simply tell the user to run ldd against the game binary and then fend for themselves.
If you run something that doesn't hold your hand, then that's a conscious choice that you've made. It's completely reasonable for Valve to treat you accordingly and assume that you can fend for yourself and understand the related instructions.
Or you could just go the "windows style installer" route and stop acting like a stupid hysterical ninny pretending that these kinds of tools for Linux haven't existed for years and years already.
Re:Why would you want to game on Linux (Score:5, Insightful)
Lack of FFM, lack of customizability, lack of middle click highlight and paste. The fact that for some reason applications do not live in /bin and for some reason do not end up in my PATH after installation.
The lack of decent package management is another huge pain. It means like windows many application have their own method of updating which is cumbersome compared to apt or yum.
Basically my biggest usability complaints stem from a lack of X11 conventions that I expect with a UNIXy experience. The whole OSX desktop seems to be designed to only have one window open at a time.
Re:That is why I supported fully static builds (Score:5, Insightful)
You know what fixes both of those issues?
FREE software. Then the code can be fixed even after the original developer is long gone.
Re:Uneducated Virtualization Suggestion (Score:5, Insightful)
Publishers are not going to bite at something that demands they keep specific-distributor-only builds around just so Valve can build some clunky hypervisor. The only segment of PC gaming that might be worth the effort are sports titles, and EA pretty much has those sewn up tighter than a drum.
Mac OS X is an open platform ... (Score:3, Insightful)
Because most Linux users don't want to be subjected to Apple's control of what you can and cannot do on your computer.
Mac users are not subject to such control. Mac OS X is an open platform. You are free to get apps straight from the developer, the Apple App Store is not required.
Re:Why would you want to game on Linux (Score:5, Insightful)
If you are planning on playing a lot of video games? Windows is the best platform... for now.
If valve can make steam for linux stable and convert most of its library? Then it will be time to reevaluate that statement.
Re:Why would you want to game on Linux (Score:3, Insightful)
I can choose to buy an overpriced computer from Apple or build my own with better specs for the same amount of mullah + doing my own wire management + getting the choice of a case (Lian Li makes some sweet products) and slap Ubuntu (I can choose from a large selection of distros) on there. I have the choice of using an nvidia card not AMD. This is important because of driver support. While people complained of white screens with Macs for Diablo 3, I was happily hacking away at monsters.With an SSD the system is installed in less than 10 minutes. Every piece of hardware I own works right out of the box as soon as it's plugged in.
I can play games with Crossover. I can play some, natively now, with Steam for Linux. I buy Indie bundles that include games which will run on Linux
The point is that I get the choice of both hardware and software, that is why I game on Linux, that is why I chose to support Codeweavers by not only becoming their customer but also and advocate and that is why I'm currently beta testing Steam for linux.
So the short answer to your question in the title is: "because I choose to"
Re:That is why I supported fully static builds (Score:5, Insightful)
You know what fixes both of those issues? FREE software. Then the code can be fixed even after the original developer is long gone.
Hardly. Not everyone who wants the problem fixed has the skills or time to do so, and not everyone who has the skills or time wants to fix the problem. The result is a ton of problems in FOSS ends up going unfixed all the time.
Re:Will they be adding Debian as a supported distr (Score:4, Insightful)
I think you two are both idiots.
It doesn't really matter what Debian thinks. Once the software is in your hands, you get to use it any way you like. That even includes running Oracle on it. None of this stuff is new at all.
If you want to run Steam with Debian, nothing is stopping you.
Your choices will dictate the nature of your experience. That's just life.
Re:Got Beta invite ... for Debian (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Why game on anything other than Windows? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Why game on anything other than Windows? (Score:4, Insightful)
Perhaps the programmers they have working on the Linux version are better than the programmers they got to do the Mac version? Perhaps they know the system better (e.g. the programmers writing the Mac version are Windows programmers who got reassigned, vs. the Linux version where they specifically hired Linux devs)? Perhaps Valve learned some stuff when porting Steam to Mac that they couldn't apply to the Mac version (because it was too far along), but had the advantage of applying to the Linux version? Perhaps they have another reason to make the Linux version particularly better (rumoured Steam console)?
Point is, there are lot of reasons a Linux port might be better than a Mac port.
Re:Why would you want to game on Linux (Score:5, Insightful)
Which Core 2 Duo do you have, because I'd be surprised if a E6850 slightly overclocked couldn't handle the vast majority of the latest games just fine, and the E6850 came out 5.5 years ago, and wasn't very expensive when it was released ($260). Of course, the quads were also available at that time, like the Q6600 and Q6700, not to mention the X6800 which is 6.5 years old.
Sounds like you got a 5-6 year old bargain PC and coupled it with a $80 video card ($80 at release!). I'm not surprised you are having some serious performance issues in games today.
Re:Someone is misunderstanding... (Score:3, Insightful)