Steam For Linux Is Now an Open Beta 353
New submitter jotaass writes "In news that is guaranteed to make the Linux gaming community (in particular, but not exclusively) excited, Valve has just announced that the Steam for Linux client Beta is now open to the public. A .deb package is available here. Interesting as well, they are using an empty GitHub repository solely as an issue tracker, open for anyone to submit, edit and track bugs, with no actual code in the repo."
In a hurry, eh? (Score:2)
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how do you mean, this is still "beta" just as the limited audience release was with beta version. now if they DON'T work out the bugs found and push it into production, then it would be rush-job. but so far not fair to accuse them of rush.
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Re:In a hurry, eh? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:In a hurry, eh? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:In a hurry, eh? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's called trolling. Ask for it by name.
Or it someone philosophically opposed to the idea of closed source software running on an open source OS?
People with that view do exist, and dismissing their point of view as a troll is a nice easy way of ignoring it without taking the time to think about it.
There is also the fact that the console they produce is going to be a legal mind field as it will invariably involve lots of closed source software running on top of an open source OS. Surely this is going to have the same issues around it that Tivo had as the people who produce the games are going to demand that the steam layer remains closed source, including its limited DRM that prevents people selling games second hand after the bought them?
Personally I have no trouble with closed source software be it running on linux or not. I also think Steam is great and would never sell games on to someone else after I finished with it even if I could so I think it is great that Steam is coming to linux.
I bet if you went and asked RMS he would strongly disagree though and would have very valid and heartfelt reasons why he though this was a step in the wrong direction.
Some people object to the mere idea of intellectual property existing at all so they would only be happy with Steam coming to linux if it was entirely open source and the only games available were also open source only. These people often frequent slashdot in case you hadn't noticed :)
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That he can't do anything about it, and the NVIDIA drivers, and the many other things he objects to in linux distributions truly demonstrates that it is not and never was gnu/linux.
"Debian gnu/linux" is of course a different story because Debian can call their distro whatever they like because unlike RMS they've actually put one together, and they can also keep out things they don't want in there.
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Personally I have no trouble with closed source software be it running on linux or not. I also think Steam is great and would never sell games on to someone else after I finished with it even if I could so I think it is great that Steam is coming to linux.
You wrote a well thought-out post that urges people not to dismiss different points of view as the writing of a troll, so I'm not going to harp too much on that one sentence, other than to say that, in my point of view, your logic is misguided. What you're saying is that since you wouldn't be one of the people who exercise the right to resell the games, it's alright if that right is taken from those who would.
It's perfectly fine for you to choose not to resell games, and I understand how you don't feel lik
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Or it someone philosophically opposed to the idea of closed source software running on an open source OS?
People with that view do exist, and dismissing their point of view as a troll is a nice easy way of ignoring it without taking the time to think about it.
But can't I do both? I've thought about the whole closed source binaries running on top of the open platform quite a bit since I've been using Linux on the desktop for a number of years now. My conclusion? Better an open OS with a few proprietary applications to fill the cracks than a closed OS and everything being the other way around. That's a personal choice though and I don't try to force it on anybody else. I may politely recite the as seen by me virtues if it comes up but that's about it. Besides, Lin
they've got a console to get out the door... (Score:5, Interesting)
As far as bug reporting goes, I doubt they'll prioritize stuff that's not relevant to their expected console architecture. Issues like, "Hey, I have dual monitors and steam blacks one out and it never comes back" are going to be pretty well ignored because the console is unlikely to support dual monitors. This is more about testing out scaling issues for the servers and verifying that updates are working as expected. A more exciting bug report for them would be along the lines of, "XYZ game released an update, but it requires my Steam client to by version 123, and I upgraded Steam to 123, but the game refuses to update."
Oh, and the other thing that's important about this Linux release is that it be valid for the developers to test their ports on prior to the console being finalized. Those limited-run developer hardware kits are way more expensive to issue than just giving studios a Linux install CD and some basic hardware requirements. This beta is probably about making sure the Steam client on Linux isn't too buggy for the devs to work with. This way, when the console is released there will be a healthy selection of titles available right away.
Seth
Good for Linux. (Score:5, Insightful)
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Don't count on it. Just go and look at the number of titles that aren't available for OSX via Steam even though the publishers have OSX clients and you'll see that either Steam doesn't take "3rd party" platforms seriously or publishers aren't as warm and cozy to supporting non-Windows sales as one would be lead to believe. And while Steam's support of the OSX client has increased in the past couple of months there is still a large and noticeable gap between Windows and OS X support from Steam.
Don't
Re:Good for Linux. (Score:5, Insightful)
That's okay, a huge percentage of games are crap.
We just need a number of really good ones.
Re:Good for Linux. (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Good for Linux. (Score:5, Informative)
No. You danced around the actual issue while missing it completely, and ended up blaming the wrong party as a result.
First off, Aspyr has no one by the balls. If anything, they're the one getting squeezed. None of these companies port to Mac through Aspyr. Rather, Aspyr (as well as Feral Interactive et al.) is licensing the rights for Mac versions of games from the original publisher. Historically, this was a gamble for the Mac publishers like Aspyr, since the Mac market was a lot smaller, purchasing those rights cost a lot of money, and even with porting AAA best-selling titles on Windows it wasn't a sure thing. Nowadays, however, the risk has decreased to the point that EA, Ubisoft, Blizzard-Activision, and the other big publishers are increasingly choosing to capitalize on the Mac market directly by offering their own ports, rather than only profiting indirectly via licensing fees. I'd say that only a fraction of Mac ports are actually done by third-party licensees these days, though admittedly they tend to be big-name AAA titles that attract a lot of attention.
But to get to the heart of things, the real reason a lot of Mac versions of games are missing from Steam is because all Steamplay (a.k.a. cross-platform) titles are packaged together as a single sale. That's not a problem when both versions have the same publisher (e.g. an in-house port), but it is a complete deal-breaker when the Mac version is created by a third-party Mac publisher, since only the original publisher gets paid. Without setting up a revenue sharing contract with the original publisher (which would be incredibly messy for reasons I'd be happy to elaborate if you can't think of them on your own), or else selling the rights to the Mac version back, they'd have no way to earn money from purchases on Steam. Thus, your grousing is entirely misplaced, since this is a problem with the way Steam is structured.
That's also why Aspyr, contrary to what you suggested, has no problems selling their games on other stores. For instance, Borderlands 2 was just ported to Mac by Aspyr about a month ago, and it's on the Mac App Store [apple.com] and GameFly [gamefly.com] (née Direct2Drive) in addition to their own store [gameagent.com]. All of those allow Aspyr to be paid specifically for the Mac version of the game, which is something that's not possible with Steam.
Now, none of this is to say that Steam should change in some way. Despite the fact that I think the blame for this issue lies with Steam's store model, I actually think it's better that all Steamplay titles are package deals, rather than allowing for stand-alone Mac purchases, that way you don't end up with a lot of Windows gamers accidentally purchasing Mac versions or other confusion of that sort. Just because I think they made the right decision does not mean they are blameless, however.
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And why is Aspyr not setting up such a deal with the original publishers?
How would you propose it would work? As I already said, it's a mess. Mac sales are far below Windows sales, so splitting it 50/50 makes no sense, nor can I see any metrics that would allow you to split it equitably. Assuming Steam provides them with the data, splitting it based on the computer made to make the purchase makes no sense, since many gamers purchase from Steam while at work, where Windows is over-represented compared to at home. You could try to base it on which version actually gets downloaded
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why should publishers, instead of actual developers (covered by "in-house" above), do any porting ?
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that's increasing the role of a publisher into a "real" developer.
it also creates situation where initial development is not concerned about cross-platform compatibility, thus making ports much more complicated and expensive.
i reject the argument about umping all developers in a group that is only concentrating on the game mechanics - they (all developers) do have to interact with underlying architecture anyway, so you could have "designers" who care about game mechanics, and lower level specialists who wou
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Just being trivial to port does not mean that anybody will actually bother to do the port. Also the porting is in the hands of the publisher who owns the games, not Valve, thus when the publisher doesn't see interest, it won't happen. Also see GoG a lot of their catalog would run fine in Dosbox or Wine, yet they haven't bothered to offer Linux support, it being not very hard and somebody actually doing it are two very different things.
Re:Good for Linux. (Score:5, Interesting)
My understanding was that SteamBox (or whatever it gets called) will be linux based, so I imagine linux support may actually surpass OSX support in time
Re:Good for Linux. (Score:5, Insightful)
There is a huge and important difference between OSX and Linux though. Gamers want to have more control over their systems, and they demand the ability to assemble their own machines. In a practical sense, Mac offers neither but Linux offers both. Gamers hate pre-built systems because they are either gutted of any respectable performance, or they are outrageously marked up. Many gamers would prefer to move towards open software, but the DirectX ecosystem has them by the balls. If Valve can build momentum on the Linux side of things, there will be a greater shift towards Linux than there ever will be towards Mac. It will probably be slow at first, but it does have potential down the road. So I would not judge the motions of one by the other, at least not yet.
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Gamers are on the upgrade treadmill because games put them there aka "But does it run Crysis?", not because they so desperately want to be. As long as the games are made to perform on the hardware people got, they're quite happy - just look at consoles. Yes, I appreciate the ability to pop open my case and put in a faster card but beyond that I'm not interested in tweaking it. Outside a very few competitive FPS gamers and overclockers who spend more time fiddling with settings and running benchmarks than pl
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But then, the things outrageous about consoles are price of storage and the restrictions. Not the price of consoles themselves.
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Re:Good for Linux. (Score:5, Interesting)
I never felt Windows was bad enough to cut out for gaming, until I tried Windows 8. I use Linux for a lot of things, even bought all the Loki games when they were around, but never had too much of an issue with Windows Gaming to say I would drop it if Linux caught up.
I changed my mind. Windows 8 has been horrid on the desktop for gaming. I've had several crashes due to DirectX driver incompatibility.. Most of them due to having the XBOX 360 Controller plugged in. I have older hardware no longer supported - and no word if it will be. Metro isn't really that intuitive for launching games (although it is for buying them I guess). My AMD Radeon card has been overheating lately because their drivers aren't up to snuff on Windows 8, go figure... It's been overclocking itself. Which I know isn't all Microsoft's fault - but it does seem like PC Gaming is an afterthought over tablet gaming with the newest release. Seriously, bejeweled type games are at the forefront of the metro store.
Gabe got a lot of flack for looking at linux as a platform that steam will run on, but I'm all for it. A game distributor gets all access to the OS that they will be delivering on? I'd be hard pressed to think of real reasons that game producers won't want to jump at it. Definitely like the idea of a SteamBox too... I can play the same game on my laptop, desktop and console? and have all my save games with me to jump right in at the same point I left off on? Sounds damn good to me.
Steam also gets some flack for pricing - but I always wait for the deals. Trine 2 cost me $4, a game I would've never tried unless it was on the Linux Beta, and loving it... so is my son.
I'm not overjoyed.. maybe 8 years ago I would've been... When enlightment kicked Windows XP out of the water... When Linux Desktop was promising some hope... But, I would definitely replace Windows with Linux as my desktop if gaming went that way... Gaming sucks on tablets for me... and tablet OS's suck for gaming.. So maybe it is finally the year of the linux desktop.
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Yes, it could change my opinion... Right now the developer mentality on them is write little and make a little.. Something like Witcher 3 on a tablet, or EVE-Online, or any of the mainstream MMORPG's that immerse the user would be key.... Vendetta Online, while a weak desktop game by today's standards found new life on a tablet... No reason other games can't make the jump... But the reason PC gaming still goes strong isn't always the power behind the game, but the way you play it. Keyboard and Mouse..
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One last point to my horrid opinion on gaming... Back in the BBS days (yes, those), I used to be able to login and play the same game on my TRS-80 or on my friends Commodore 64 down the street... Tradewars... it's almost like pixels are finally catching up to ASCII in portability terms.
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Windows 8 is based off the same basic architecture as Windows 7, with performance enhancements. Windows 7 drivers work in Windows 8.
The fact you're having crashing means you either have crappy hardware (or bad drivers), or you have something else going on. I game better in Windows 8 than I ever did in 7.
Re:Good for Linux. (Score:5, Funny)
Maybe I have bad drivers, crappy hardware, and my capacity at gaming sucks.. But I feel like the old ladies that used to complain of upgrading from Word Perfect to Office...
Maybe at 40 years old I should just put down my mouse, and order depends..
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I ran Win7 until I moved to Win8 about a month ago, and getting games that ran fine before to start is sometimes an issue, particularly games that use GFWL, ironically. Other weirdness is not uncommon as well.
Another issue I'm having, though honestly it's hard to pin fault for this, is that every boot I need to reinstall graphics drivers (nvidia), or games will just crash if they use dx10/11.. the error c
Re:Good for Linux. (Score:5, Informative)
Valve's console .... related? (Score:3)
Valve is openly discussing their forthcoming console. That sucker isn't going to include a Microsoft OS tax, so you better expect that Valve is going to set up strong incentives for developers to release on Linux. That's what their console is going to be built on top of.
Seth
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I don't think I've ever heard of someone enjoying beating themselves with a 12oz can of Pepsi before...
Drinking the damn things is masochistic enough for me.
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My guess... They are in beta..
They already ported the Source engine - so games like LFD2 (which they used for the port), and Portal 1 & 2 were left out (both commercial)... and they left a small test bed of games that they can get good feedback on. The one thing I already see - the Steam Client is far from perfect, but running well - some of the games are not yet... Linux, and OpenGL are still infants as far as game development... But if a few hurdles are overcome --- especially nvidia and amd driver
64 bit? (Score:2)
\subject
Re:64 bit? (Score:5, Informative)
I'm running Steam on a 64-bit Debian system. I had to enable multi-architecture for i386, and manually install the 32 bit version of the glx libraries for the driver I'm using. Other 32 bit drivers needed were automatically installed with a simple "dpkg -i steam.deb" / "apt-get -f install" combo. Also, specifically for debian, I had to modify the steam package and rename a few dependencies by hand.
All good and running TF2 beta beautifully. Also, Cogs was another game that worked. Many other games on the "Linux" list aren't installable just yet. I believe that Valve have to properly link them in their system first.
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Or install and enable multiarch. After a bit of futzing with the package [aspensmonster.com], it works on 64bit debian sid, though you'll probably want to run xsetroot -cursor_name left_ptr after running steam (already a bug reported for that one:#2).
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Many mouse cursor themes (eg. the Oxygen ones) are missing the "arrow" pointer.
When Steam starts up, for some retarded reason it sets the session pointer to that, which, if missing in the current theme will be substituted to that ugly cursor in GTK+ applications.
Until the cursor packages are fixed, you can run /usr/share/icons/*/cursors; do arrow="$i/arrow"; test -e "$arrow" || ln -sv left_ptr "$arrow"; done
for i in
as root once as a workaround. (You may need to rerun it after upgrading/installing a new
excited day! (Score:2)
SWEET!!! (Score:2)
Just got my HTPC built and running STEAM on WINE but its a bit slow to start up. Now the kids can fuck right off when I hear "Can you load up windows on our computers so we can play games" With my Winows 8 experience http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=3321547&cid=42315901 [slashdot.org] this is just another nail in the coffin.
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you don't have to buy Windows 8, you can still buy win 7 online. Microsoft sure made the major brick and mortar retailers pull it from the shelves quickly though
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Surprisingly works on Linux Mint 10 64-bit (Score:5, Informative)
$ sudo dpkg --force-architecture -i steam_latest.deb
$ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
$ steam
System I tried it on:
$ uname -a
Linux XXX 2.6.35-32-generic #67-Ubuntu SMP Mon Mar 5 19:39:49 UTC 2012 x86_64 GNU/Linux
$ lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID:____LinuxMint
Description: _____Linux Mint 10 Julia
Release:________10
Codename:______julia
Re:Surprisingly works on Linux Mint 10 64-bit (Score:4, Interesting)
Two minor warnings (Score:5, Informative)
If you use an
2) The client requires GlibC 2.12 or later. So if by any chance your distribution was released prior to may 2010, you're out of luck (example: my OpenSuse 11.4, released on march 2010
Direct X (Score:2)
How are they handling Direct X? I assume it's not simply a WINE port.
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My bet is they're not supported DirectX at all.. GOG use Wine on OS X to support the Witcher, Dragon Age 2 on OS X uses Wine also.
On OS X, the steam library is fairly limited - not all games work, and games will only work once an OS X (or Linux in this case) version has been ported.
I use Steam on both OS X and Windows...
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Where do run Steam? (Score:3, Interesting)
Don't take my writing too serious but what hardware is Steam4Linux supposed to run on?
My P3-Dualcore@1,33Ghz doesn't offer PAE so Ubuntu doesn't run.
My P4@3,2Ghz offers PAE but its Geforce 6800 - although technically within specs - fails starting TF2 because of some GL-extension missing. As the 6800 is the best native AGP solution available this is a dead end. At least it runs Penumbra although every level change will reduce FPS by 90%.
My Core-Q9550@3,4Ghz with its Geforce 260 is technically speaking just fine but officially I may only use Ubuntu 32bit and waste half of my memory (yeah, easy to work around) but still I need the uttmost updated bleeding edge drivers just to move the steam window around. Ayeah, 3D-unity and Steam hate each other. And every 3D game hates 3D-unity and Steam at once. So better disable 3D unity and close steam before launching the game or you will have 5fps.
My i7-3770K and also its Geforce 670 are too new for Unity. Couldn't get both running useful.
The only system running out of the box (mostly - WLAN runs better with hand compiled driver) is my netbook EEE 901 from 2008. Oh but I might mention that Steam needs between 10 and 25% of CPU even with all windows closed and doing nothing at all. So better learn to use cpulimit or your battery will be empty in no time.
Still its an interesting experience.
Let's hope it's better than the MacOS X client. (Score:4, Interesting)
Installed the deb, updating steam now (Score:3)
First impression: so far they seem to have feature-parity with Windows; You run Steam and it launches into a download-without-resume upgrade immediately, from a window that you cannot select from the task selector (you have to uncover it by minimizing other apps) and which has no icon.
Re:Segmentation fault, core dumped (Score:5, Informative)
It is still beta. This is one of the reasons its still beta.
I've been in the beta for about a month now, and it works great for me.
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Seriously, I get sick of people who don't quite seem to understand what a "beta" is.
There seems to be this expectation developing, that a "beta" is actually the same thing as production-ready but just hasn't been released, or something like that.
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Blame Google and blame all the buggy software that gets released. Lots of games I'm played and other software I've used should have still been in beta. From my experience there is little difference between beta and released software in the consumer market, mostly just the version label. How is the general consumer supposed to know the difference when they can't see one?
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Yup, it fails due to factors entirely outside its control...?
It's an open beta, file a bug report and post the core. Or avoid it until it exits beta.
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Saying that "this is why Linux fails on the desktop" and pointing at a problem on Valve's end... is blaming Linux for factors outside the distro's control until proven otherwise.
Fuck you morons are insufferable. And illiterate.
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I'm pretty sure that in an open beta a core dump is useful info. After all, that's the purpose of a beta, no?
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This is why linux fails on the desktop, sigh...
Because all Windows software runs perfectly bug- and hassle-free?
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For the most part, it's rare for a Windows program to actually take the whole system down unless there is actually an issue with the computer at the hardware level (bad ram, etc). Closest thing I've seen to a serious crash was a program crashing the video card drivers, but Vista and higher automatically restarts the graphics drivers when this happens without the need for rebooting.
For the most part, it's worth reading posts that you reply to; nobody said anything about bringing the whole system down.
BTW, that handy feature where the video card drivers restart after they crash? The drivers do that, not Windows Vista and higher. It worked on XP too.
Re:Segmentation fault, core dumped (Score:5, Insightful)
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12.04 LTS is the supported version.
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Why do you think it is Linux's fault that the program had a segmentation fault?
Let's get the perspective right. The programmers at game companies are simply not experienced enough at writing good code to make sure it is reliable on a "new to them" platform. If it bugs out on Windows, they are used to that. But they are NOT writing proper portable code. So they have to write a bunch of NEW code just to go on Linux, given the bad way they have everything structured. Then they don't know what to do to deb
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Try it and see if this works for you; if not, run your segfault message through Google or seek help on the forums.
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first the game companies would wait until production release, then see how many Steam users become Linux ones, and how well Valve can hold that market.......say in a year it would be obvious if the effort worth the expense
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Re:Portal 2 (Score:5, Informative)
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Re:It begins..... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:It begins..... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:It begins..... (Score:5, Interesting)
I think the goal here is to fix that, but credit where credit's due, I laughed.
I think the goal is for Linux users to act as guinea pigs for Valve's console / cloud gaming service in whatever form it takes. I doubt the number of Linux users / games would justify the existence of the service for any other reason.
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For both linux gamers!
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I'm not sure why we Linux users need Steam. There's only two games: TuxRacer and "Find the Dependencies."
But seriously, I'm really looking forward to what Steam can do for Linux.
Re:It begins..... (Score:5, Insightful)
Well judging by the Humble Bundle sales data, linux gamers are roughly as many as mac gamers, so yes, they're a significant market.
YAAAAY!! (Score:4, Informative)
Now I can get a big heaping helping of DRM on my Linux box too! Woohoo, just what I always wanted!
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You don't have to opt into this. You can always keep playing TuxRacer and 0verkill if you prefer.
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As somenoe who has been a gamer since childhood, who sometimes plays multiplayer games, who has seen a video or two on youtube, I have to say this made me laugh and nod. Fuck em if they can't take the truth ^^
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No one is shoving it down your throat. You know what Steam is. Don't buy games from it if you don't like risks involved and it leads you to fits of cussing and rage.
I don't like some aspects of the system, but I take the good with the bad. I think they'd be just as successful without the DRM. I buy games through steam just because it's alot simpler than going to the store+having to swap discs everytime I want to play a game. I love being able to sit down and very quickly get into a game without hassle.
Re:Oh boy! (Score:5, Insightful)
malware
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Seriously, stop that bullshit. There are legitimate arguments to be made against the use or acceptance of Steam. I personally feel it is worth the drawbacks and/or risks, but I have no problem with those who feel otherwise. But slinging about terms like "malware" is complete bullshit, and does the community a great disservice.
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From here, it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck.
Citation please for points 1-3.
I call bullshit on your fourth point, Steam doesn't consume any meaningful amount of system resources. Since my last reboot steam has consumed 0.03% of available cpu resources and presently consumes 0.37% of available RAM.
Your fifth point ... lol
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Don't you mean, as a Linux user you now have access to digital game distributions that were previously only available for the two bigger OSes?
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Nope, there's no evidence of that yet. This just gets us the DRM on linux, none of the games have followed yet.
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I count 36 games.
While not a lot, it's not none.
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What a wonderful advancement for the Linux platform!
It is. You would be an absolute fool to think it isn't, regardless of your views of Valve or their business practices.
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Not at all. I'm barking at the company who told me that, because I didn't agree with a change to their TOS that I considered abusive, I had no choice but to forfeit access to the games I'd purchased from them.
Yes, other companies added similar clauses to their TOS, but Amazon does not come to my house and repossess everything I've bought from them when I decide not to do business with them anymore (I don't buy digital goods from them).
Valve did. Their TOS maintained that providing a stand-alone copy of my g
Re:Oh boy! (Score:4, Insightful)
The terms of service have updated once in 7 years
And it was a doozy. And an irony, since it was just a few days before that that I finally said "I've been holding out for years, and they haven't done anything like it yet. Maybe I'm being paranoid" and bought my first few Steam games.
Two days later, I don't own the games anymore. Just like when Facebook/Instagram says "We don't intend to sell your photos, even if the TOS says we can," Valve (and its knights) says "We won't fuck you over with more unacceptable terms, even though we know the contract says we can, and we know you'll bend over for it so you can keep your library."
Rule #0 applies to Valve just as much as to Facebook.
Re:Oh boy! (Score:5, Insightful)
You either have absolutely no concept of what a rootkit is, or absolutely no concept of how to accurately present information. Pick one.
I'd be willing to respect your opinion if you said that using Steam to access software you purchased is an unacceptably large amount of DRM, or somesuch argument. I'd be willing to respect your opinion if you said that it was too much power to put in any company's hands, or even Valve's in particular. But when you start calling Steam a rootkit, you veer off into pure bullshit land. It's just ridiculous.
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Re:crazy idea.. buy AMD/ATI (Score:4, Interesting)
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Just got in the beta, and decided to try it out. Debian Wheezy, 64-bit. Like many people here, I had hell, but instead of using some lxc for steam or bringing in ubuntu packages, I went for the native approach.
Yes. It's possible and working. I'm studying for finals, so I'll include the short and sweet version.
1) Enable multiarch, add i386 :i386 ) /var/lib/dpkg/status and changing the dependencies for 'steam' to the correct name for libjpeg8 and edited the version for libpulse0 (remove the leading 1:)
2) Install dependencies, substituting libjpeg8 for libjpeg-turbo8. Do not worry about versions for now. Don't forget to specify arch (
3) Add experimental repo if not done already; update package list
4) Update libc6 to 1.16, which is in experimental. This will break many things since apt won't initially follow dependencies into experimental, and without doing pinning you'll have to manually resolve them. I used aptitude for this step
5) At this point steam can be installed with dpkg --force-depends -i steam.deb
EDIT: Make you installed all dependencies. the --force-depends is to ignore the misnamed libjpeg library and libpulse0 version mismatch.
5a) You will have broken depends now, I just temp fixed it by editing
This part may be nvidia specific; I don't have an ATi card to test with
Now, steam will fail to launch citing it can't find steamui.so. Doing some debug work shows it can't find libgl.so; for you 64-bit users thats because you need the 32-bit opengl libs. Attempting to install the 32bit version of the libgl1-nvidia-glx package will break due to a dependency not being multiarch enabled. There is a patch submitted but currently not accepted due to the Wheezy release freeze.
6) Download both amd64 and i386 versions of the patched deb from http://twolife.be/debian/todo/xvmc/ [twolife.be]
7) install them with dpkg -i
8) install libgl1-nvidia-glx:i386
I think that's it. I didn't start this journey expecting so much pain so I may have missed a step or two. I'm busy with finals for the next week so no, I probably can't help you if you don't understand what I wrote above. Use google, or maybe someone else here can help.
Hope this helps someone.
Also dont forget GNU/Clang (Score:3)
Many people refer to the 'clang compiler', but what they are really referring to is Richard Milhaus Stallman's Extended Lower Intestine, Which He Used To Invent C Programming.