Topic awaiting preservation: Steam coming to Linux!

That's right folks the rumours are true!

Valve announce Steam client for Linux

If you can only play L4D2 and TF2 it'll be worth it!

Plus the Steam client is out for the Mac today.

This can be huge news for desktop linux.

Okay, so then you have a Linux Steam client... but how many developers are promising to produce Linux versions of their games?

At the moment, while L4D2 will run on Linux with the usual jiggery-pokery that is required to run Windows games through Linux, the performance hit is massive (apparently). As the same methods used to run Windows applications and games under Linux would also allow you to run the Windows Steam client too, I can only imagine the advantage of releasing a Linux client is that it should prompt or encourage commercial game development for platforms other than Windows.

So yeah - it's good... but I wouldn't hold my breath for existing hits to quickly become available for non-Windows platforms as a result.

EDIT: Ah, perhaps I stand corrected - rumours abound that Steam have promised to port their Source engine (ie- everything in the Orange Box collection) to Linux too. Now that's interesting. There are countless mods and freebies for the Source engine, as well as a large number of high-quality games.

(Edited by White Hawk on 05-14-2010 15:04)

Every couple of months I'll download Steam on Ubuntu and try to remember my user and pass in order to download and play Half-life 2 (again). The only problem I've ever had is the flashlight in-game doesn't work.

I think I'll try it again right now! Bye bye, productivity!!


Seriously, Asylumnites- if you haven't tried Ubuntu yet, you're late! Download it today!

I think this may be what finally breaks the MS back.

Getting mainstream, online games to linux is really the way to establishing a desktop linux IMHO.

When developers see a mainstream linux base as potential customers and begin to seriously consider it, then the change will come.

This could be the first serious step in that direction.

I bet MS is very concerned about this.

WebShaman | The keenest sorrow (and greatest truth) is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities.
- Sophocles

Hear-hear!