Valve confirms Steam and Source for Linux, signals low confidence for Windows 8

http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/1...or-linux-signals-low-confidence-for-windows-8

Great stuff!

A lot of indie devs make games for linux (many of which are already on steam), and with the rise of of games across multiple platforms (pc, mac, ios, android) it seems perfectly reasonable to include linux in that. The real question is how well does linux perform for games that are more cpu/gpu intensive and will ATI finally make better drivers for it.

Yeah I see no real value in moving to Windows 8. Seems more aimed at tablets and touch interface and the core stuff is pretty much just windows 7 otherwise.

Pretty much everybody involved would be better off if Linux became a heavily supported platform.... well except Microsoft. Linux runs on pretty much every platform ever made (even consoles etc) so imagine how much easier that would make porting development when all you really need to do is compile for different cpu architecture and not have to worry so much about all the differences in OS.

Apple would also get fucked a bit!

It would be easier to make porting and development in general, but would also lead to some problems with ease of use and smoothness (e.g., one game/program created for one version of Linux but doesn't work quite as well on another version). Pretty small price though

I dont see how apple is really involved at all.

That was a Cognacad post, bro, remember?

You said "Pretty much everybody involved would be better off if Linux became a heavily supported platform.... "

Apple would not be better off, they would be losing some of their customers who hate Windows but are too lazy for Linux

hmmm I disagree. Linux has much in common with the BSD based OS X, as well as both using OpenGL for their graphics API. If anything that would probably increase the number of games for Macs. Also Apple is not dependent on hatred of Microsoft to pull people to their platform.

I don't think you get what I am saying. I am saying if Linux became a heavily supported platform, some Mac users would move from Apple to Linux, which would be bad for Apple. It would be good for the amount of games for Apple, sure, but they would lose customers.

"Moving from Apple to Linux" doesn't make sense. Apple is a company, Linux is a type of operating system.

Apple wouldn't necessarily lose customers because you can install Linux on a Mac.

I think people generally go with Macs (MAC OS) because its historically more "user-friendly" and easy to understand for people who don't want to be too involved with the technical side of computers. Either that or they use Macs for some very high end graphic design/other specific mac-only software. Also there is that whole huge apple branding thing where people go just for the name/style. Given these reasons, I don't see how mac users would ever see linux as a viable option, it would be far less desirable than going to windows.

Yeah, I dont see anyone switching from Mac OS to Linux because of this. They don't buy Mac because of an intense hatred of Windows or because it has more games than Linux.

Jesus man, you are sounding a little retarded. Obviously if Linux becomes a better OS, then it will get more customers. If it gets more customers, other OS companies are losing customers. No one is going to buy a fucking Mac that is expensive as shit and install Linux on it. If Linux becomes better and gets vast support then some Mac users will switch to it and buy PCs instead. I am not saying this will happen, you just said " if Linux became a heavily supported platform". If that happens, then Apple will lose some customers. Christ.

I think you guys underestimate the amount of Mac users who use Macs because they hate Windows and find OS X to be much better. Mac users don't enjoy spending twice as much money on these things. They do because the alternative is Windows, which is a piece of shit, or Linux, which is not as easy to use or supported.

> Linux
> customers

Replace with users, whatever.

Cognacad hold it together man.

so if something gets vastly better people may switch to it? genius.

not sure what that has to do with steam and better game support on linux though.

I think if you were any more stupid, you'd be sitting in a chair drooling your entire life and that's it.

I think you underestimate the number of people who use Macs because they like it more than alternatives dissentience.

Maybe.

Or maybe, y'know, there's fundamentally not that much difference between the three types of operating systems. Also, pigeonholing Linux as one OS is fucking retarded, considering there is a huge scope of distributions with wildly varying levels of out-of-the-box user friendliness.

Cognacad, I think you need to maybe know what you're talking about before you reply to things like this. This isn't the first time.

There is certainly a large minority or even a majority of Mac users who use Macs because they think its cool and want to look cool, but a significant portion of Mac users just hate Windows and OS X is the most viable alternative. If Linux because a more compatible alternative, then it would draw away some Mac users, that is all I'm saying. This statement cannot possibly be refuted since only a few Mac users changing to Linux makes it true.

Show me your non-anecdotal sources for this.

I've used Linux, I do know what I am talking about. I am sorry I didn't use language that agreed with you.

I will as soon as you present all of your empirical information?

I use OS X because I hate Windows, and all of my friends who use Macs use it because it offers a better OS. I only know a few people who use them to be cool, and can think of only one.

The burden of proof isn't on me, you are the one making these claims. Unless you can back up what you're saying, you're talking out of your ass.

Your friends =! a significant portion of Mac users

Well give yourself a nice pat on the back Cognacad.

BTW most people buy Macs or use OS X because it agrees with them more. Be it that particular UI (which lets face it, all of the UIs are pretty much identical), being what they are used to, or the ease in having 1 company provide pretty much everything you need.

Cognacad is such a misanthrope thinking everyone does things out of hatred and spite.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with preferring one platform over another, but trying to assert that one platform is innately better than the other is fucking silly.

? The burden on proof is on both of us.

I don't even know what we are arguing about. The statement I am saying is so freakishly obvious it is nearly a truism.

P - If X platform gets better, it will attract more users.
Q - There are at least some Mac users in the universe who would use Linux if it was a better platform
S - It would not be good for Apple to lose any Mac users to Linux

I haven't said that by any stretch of the imagination. I am saying if one platform gets better (LINUX) then more people will use it, and some of these people would be Mac users, which is bad for Apple.

You made a claim about Mac users. You have nothing to back it up aside from anecdotal evidence. That makes it patently untrue.

That is exactly true.

If the ground suddenly turned to gold, gold would be worthless. See what I did there?

I'm talking about this by the way, which you have yet to provide any evidence of whatsoever:

Show me this "significant portion" you are talking about.

Evidence of what? Completely ignore that statement, it is beside the point of what I said. Jesus. What is wrong with you? All I am saying is that if Linux were to become a better platform, at least some Mac users would start using it and stop using Macs, and that would not be good for Apple since they would lose users....

Isn't that ridiculously obvious?

Linux projects have been improving constantly, at a faster rate than Windows or Mac OS. People do seem to be sometimes switching from Windows to Linux, people never seem to be switching from Mac OS to Linux. If that was a thing it would already be happening.

What does that have to do with games really though? This is about games, and people did not buy their Macs for games.

That's not "all you're saying," because you also said what I quoted. That was part of your statement, and a claim you made. Obviously you were talking out of your ass since your jimmies are now clearly rustled.

And no shit that's obvious, hence my "if the ground turned to gold" statement. I hope I don't have to spell that one out for you, but let me know if you are having trouble processing it.

It is still not a heavily supported platform, which is all we are talking about.

What is wrong dissentience? What do you keep doing this to yourself? Does it ever just feel like too much and that it isn't worth it?

You are blabbering now.

Oh so you were just being silly. We know now by your indifference and random postings.

I wasn't really being silly, my original statement still stands, that Linux getting better is bad for Apple lol

never change congnacad

And the ground turning to gold is bad for jewellers. Yes. Any other painfully obvious statements you want to make?

If it was so obvious why were you arguing against that so vehemently just earlier?

"Apple wouldn't necessarily lose customers because you can install Linux on a Mac."