Steam coming to Linux? in Off Topic

ID:94779
 
Apr 26 2010, 10:53 pm
Keywords: steam

Poll: When do you think the Linux client will be released?

Whenever the OSX Beta client is released. 27% (6)
May 4% (1)
June 9% (2)
July 0% (0)
August 0% (0)
September 0% (0)
November 0% (0)
December 4% (1)
2011 54% (12)

Login to vote.

Rumors are wild over at Phoronix about a possible Linux client for Steam.
What do you guys think?

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=14823
Proof In Steam's Mac Client Of Linux Support

There have been multiple discoveries (like the leaked client, it apparently runs in Linux, but can't connect to the update server) getting some of my Steam games in Linux would be amazing!
#1 Apr 26 2010, 10:58 pm
Even if the Steam client was ported over, the individual games would still need to support Linux as well, wouldn't they?

I guess it's a good sign either way. Some Steam game developers must be pushing for Linux support, hopefully more will follow.
#2 Apr 26 2010, 10:59 pm
Well, it's assumed that because the Source-based games (L4D2, TF2, Portal, HL Series, etc.) are coming to OSX because they use OGL rendering, that Linux will get them too.
It's kind of a stone's throw getting OSX applications working on Linux (as far as Value goes)
#3 Apr 26 2010, 11:01 pm
Would be interesting! I use Ubuntu
#4 Apr 26 2010, 11:04 pm
Yeah, I mean heck, now that the Source games will be in OGL the performance of these games will be on-par with Windows. The reason we keep on getting poor support in wine is because the Windows-version is using DirectX, which isn't native to Linux while OGL is.
#5 Apr 27 2010, 12:08 am
Protip: getting the steam client running under linux will not imply steam games will run in linux.
#6 Apr 27 2010, 12:10 am
Yea, chances are it won't. Look at Byond's so called "Linux support"
#7 Apr 27 2010, 1:40 am
Apparently, these rumors have emerged because software pirates people who made a habit of prodding Steam's installation files are noticing that recent revision brought with it a bunch of stuff that looks Linux-related.

Steam is definitely branching out. They added Mac recently, might as well add Linux while they're at it. If they could, I bet they'd like to cater to iPhone, PsP, cellular services, ect. They have no reason not to want to support as many platforms as possible: it's just more money for them.
#8 Apr 27 2010, 5:37 am
Geldonyetich: iPhone and PSP support for Steam is pretty much impossible. The best they could do for iPhone is create an IM/game browser, but they couldn't actually sell games for iPhone, Apple wouldn't allow it in their store. Android, on the other hand, they could do.

Airjoe: Quite true, but many games do run on Linux already, commercial games that is. Not enough to turn a huge profit on a Linux version of Steam, but enough to get the market setup. If there is a great distribution method on Linux more developers will want to develop for it. Many games are already made in a way designed to make porting between game consoles and Windows easy, so it follows that if they start porting to a Mac they will port to Linux as well, especially if the update distribution method is almost exactly the same as OSX.
#9 Apr 27 2010, 5:38 am
Neblim wrote:
Yea, chances are it won't. Look at Byond's so called "Linux support"

Valve already has the same type of support as BYOND for Linux. That is, server software for their games and willingness to try to work with Wine users to make sure it functions.
#10 Apr 27 2010, 6:00 am
Airjoe wrote:
Protip: getting the steam client running under linux will not imply steam games will run in linux.


You do realize Source games now have the option of OGL, making the "hop" to Linux a heck of a lot easier than it was before. Heck, they're even releasing an OSX client with games.
#11 Apr 27 2010, 7:03 am
Danial.Beta wrote:
Neblim wrote:
Yea, chances are it won't. Look at Byond's so called "Linux support"

Valve already has the same type of support as BYOND for Linux. That is, server software for their games and willingness to try to work with Wine users to make sure it functions.

Well I hope they get Wine running with it again, since it broke last time I tried it. And Byond Linux servers aren't new.
#12 Apr 27 2010, 7:15 am
Neblim: Wine broke support, not BYOND(so far as I can tell), somebody needs to create a bug report on the AppDB so that the Wine people know there is an issue. I might do this, but my desktop is stuck on XP until I reinstall Ubuntu when 10.04 is released. As it stands I have to manually switch the SATA cables or go into my BIOs and change the SATA priority to boot Ubuntu(got a new drive and haven't fully transitioned to it yet). Also, I never said BYOND Linux servers were new.
#13 Apr 27 2010, 7:21 am
Don't use the Wine development branch if you don't want it breaking stuff. That's what the development branch is for. If you want the most stable and solid version of Wine use the one that comes stock in the repository of your distro.

That said, I'm not saying I don't want a native version of BYOND, me and a select group of others have pushed Tom really hard to develop a native Linux client, and Tom is constantly weighing options to make BYOND more accessible. But this was not what I was talking about. I was saying that Steam and BYOND have almost the exact same support for Linux, that is server software and a willingness to listen to Wine users.
#14 Apr 27 2010, 11:58 am
Wine's Ubuntu support really depends on the repository you're pull from. Karmac (9.10) gets you Wine 1.0.1 out of the box, which is pretty much useless for running BYOND, but not bad at most other things. Lucid (10.4, when it comes out) gets you Wine 1.1.42, which if I recall is also dead as a dodo for BYOND.

http://www.winehq.org/download/deb

WineHQ themselves provide a repository for their development builds, bringing you (at the time of writing) to 1.1.43, which I have no idea about.

Being a Gentoo user I can pick my versions much better with portage package management, so I sit happily on 1.1.40 at the moment.
#15 Apr 27 2010, 3:03 pm
I voted for 2011.
#16 Apr 28 2010, 8:19 am
It seems as though if there is Linux support for the Steam platform, it will only occur until well after the platform has been deployed on OSX, which makes perfect sense from their standpoint.

They'll release it for OSX and deal with any sort of issues that arise before moving onto Linux. That said, it's impossible to tell if plans to move to Linux are already set into motion or if they are just attempting to make it easy on themselves should those plans be made in the future.

That said, I've been wanting to play a number of Valve games that I've held off on because I was also booted into Linux lately. This would definitely make a Steam customer out of me.
#17 Sep 20 2010, 8:30 pm
Just a follow-up, Valve is denying working on any linux client for steam at the moment.

http://digitizor.com/2010/08/22/ valve-puts-an-end-to-the-steam-on-linux-rumors/

Still doesn't mean they aren't coding it in a way to make it easier to accomplish in the future.