Between Microsoft’s open source Vulcan enhancements and Valve’s everything else enhancements both being contributed upstream, “Wine required” doesn’t have quite the same punch it used to.
What a dishonest argument. They’re using a curated overlay for Linux that mostly hides the Linux part from them completely. The fact that there’s a “Desktop Mode” doesn’t change the fact that 99% of Steam Deck users aren’t in Desktop mode.
Edit: If someone bought a smart appliance with a screen whose software was Linux on the backend, we wouldn’t count people who bought that appliance (a refrigerator, for example) as “Linux users”. The Steam Deck is the same way for 95% of its users.
SteamOS is the distro. Big Picture/Steam Deck is an overlay for the Steam application and what the majority of Steam Deck users are using and experiencing. They’re not using it for day to day applications and browsing the internet.
The point is that you could swap what OS it is in the background and it wouldn’t make a difference that it’s Linux. The Steam Deck could be running Windows with Big Picture on top of it and no one would be the wiser. It’s misleading to say that Steam Deck users are Linux users if they don’t even use any of the Linux environment.
You’re either being intentionally obtuse or disingenuous. If there was a microwave or refrigerator out there that ran Linux for its components, you wouldn’t count people who bought that refrigerator as Linux users, would you? If anyone did, it would be to artificially inflate the Linux numbers since users only use the refrigerator/microwave functions. If they’re not exposed to any operational functions of the OS, then counting them as users of the OS is dishonest.
You’re either being intentionally obtuse or disingenuous.
Or I’m simply disagreeing with you. I’m not disagreeing to disagree, I just simply am not convinced by your arguments.
you wouldn’t count people who bought that refrigerator as Linux users, would you?
No, I would not.
If they’re not exposed to any operational functions of the OS, then counting them as users of the OS is dishonest.
Right, but the steam deck exposes all that perfectly fine, a lot of uses simply choose not to engage with that. Someone using debian but then only touching the web browser still counts as them using linux surely.
Actually… The Steam Deck runs on Valve’s custom Arch Linux. To say there is no steady userbase is simply not true.
Touché. I would like to counter that with “Not a desktop though” and end my turn with “wine required to use company software”
Between Microsoft’s open source Vulcan enhancements and Valve’s everything else enhancements both being contributed upstream, “Wine required” doesn’t have quite the same punch it used to.
Pours myself a shot for having to thank Microsoft
Weak punches are still punches
Tell that to your dreams
My dreams don’t hurt :(
What a dishonest argument. They’re using a curated overlay for Linux that mostly hides the Linux part from them completely. The fact that there’s a “Desktop Mode” doesn’t change the fact that 99% of Steam Deck users aren’t in Desktop mode.
Edit: If someone bought a smart appliance with a screen whose software was Linux on the backend, we wouldn’t count people who bought that appliance (a refrigerator, for example) as “Linux users”. The Steam Deck is the same way for 95% of its users.
This is commonly known as a “distro”. SteamOS is just particularly good at being user friendly for it’s fairly narrow use-case.
SteamOS is the distro. Big Picture/Steam Deck is an overlay for the Steam application and what the majority of Steam Deck users are using and experiencing. They’re not using it for day to day applications and browsing the internet.
I’d probably call Big Picture the Desktop environment in this case. Yes it’s a simplified linux experience, but it’s not not linux.
The point is that you could swap what OS it is in the background and it wouldn’t make a difference that it’s Linux. The Steam Deck could be running Windows with Big Picture on top of it and no one would be the wiser. It’s misleading to say that Steam Deck users are Linux users if they don’t even use any of the Linux environment.
But that’s true for anything. you could swap out the OS under gnome and most users wouldn’t notice either.
You’re either being intentionally obtuse or disingenuous. If there was a microwave or refrigerator out there that ran Linux for its components, you wouldn’t count people who bought that refrigerator as Linux users, would you? If anyone did, it would be to artificially inflate the Linux numbers since users only use the refrigerator/microwave functions. If they’re not exposed to any operational functions of the OS, then counting them as users of the OS is dishonest.
Or I’m simply disagreeing with you. I’m not disagreeing to disagree, I just simply am not convinced by your arguments.
No, I would not.
Right, but the steam deck exposes all that perfectly fine, a lot of uses simply choose not to engage with that. Someone using debian but then only touching the web browser still counts as them using linux surely.