With the Legion Go S, we can now directly compare performance between official builds of SteamOS and Windows
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No, they switched because Arch has a rolling release
i know but it's a thread full of windows gamers and that's more or less the important takeaway for them. i know there's a lot more to it than that.
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What is "optimized Windows"? Windows is Windows. There's no gaming-focused version.
Removing / disabling useless services, tweaking registry…
There's no such thing, to my knowledge.
SteamOS sure looks like one. Gaming focused if you prefer. I’ve seen a couple on Linux, though I don’t remember their name rn.
What is a "base distro"?
Something like Ubuntu or Mint, which would be more comparable to a desktop experience like windows, ready for productivity
Removing / disabling useless services, tweaking registry…
That's the opposite of comparable since none of that was done on Steam OS.
I’ve seen a couple on Linux, though I don’t remember their name rn.
"Gaming Focused" distros aren't anything special outside of having some pre-installed software.
Something like Ubuntu or Mint, which would be more comparable to a desktop experience like windows, ready for productivity
SteamOS has all of those same productivity tools but I'm not sure how that's relevant to performance.
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Even gamers do more than just game on their PC, though.
It's gotten so seamless now, and wine has gotten pretty good. I can download a Windows executable, double click it, go through the regular Windows installer, and then have it make a shortcut on my desktop which will launch it.
Your average user won't even know all the Dark Magics making it possible, or that they were supposed to have looked around for a Linux alternative, it just works
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Source is this video:
Windows Was The Problem All Along - Dave2D
We could obviously compare performance between windows and steamOS before on the steam deck, or between windows and Bazzite on other handhelds. But this is the first time we have had official windows and SteamOS builds for the same hardware.
Valve won. Maybe it's lucky timing, or maybe Gabe is actually a genius, but it's only going to get worse for Windows as there is no way in hell Microsoft shifts resources from AI projects to make Windows better for PC gaming. Recently, Capcom announced that their PC gaming sales surpassed their console sales, and I don't think it's likely we'll see that trend changing, and it's also likely other publishers will make similar announcements soon (although idk if they count SteamOS as a console). The Switch 2 is coming out soon, but people already say it's too expensive, and there are controversies surrounding some of their product decisions.
Will this bring about the era of the Linux desktop? Idk, but the era of the Linux gaming PC is inevitable now.
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No, they switched because Arch has a rolling release
Potayto potahto
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Thibking bout that time a discord admin told me windows and linux use the same amount of resources and she knows cause she works in it.
Well yeah duh windows and Linux use the same resources. I don't put more memory in my computer when I boot into Linux...
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I've tested out Manjaro, KDE Neon, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Debian, Mint, and Fedora - across two desktops and a laptop.
Problems have been all over the spectrum. Not being to install at all, trouble getting it to dual boot after installing (despite following a guide), getting NAS drives to be writeable, hardware compatibility, finding alternatives to proprietary software which may or may not do everything the original did, and more.
I'm semi enjoying the tinkering for now, and I'm not regretting trying to de-Windows as much as possible, but I think people who say Linux is ready for mainstream are out of touch with the average person's computer literacy.
Oh ok very interesting.
Thanks for the insight.And good luck
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Valve won. Maybe it's lucky timing, or maybe Gabe is actually a genius, but it's only going to get worse for Windows as there is no way in hell Microsoft shifts resources from AI projects to make Windows better for PC gaming. Recently, Capcom announced that their PC gaming sales surpassed their console sales, and I don't think it's likely we'll see that trend changing, and it's also likely other publishers will make similar announcements soon (although idk if they count SteamOS as a console). The Switch 2 is coming out soon, but people already say it's too expensive, and there are controversies surrounding some of their product decisions.
Will this bring about the era of the Linux desktop? Idk, but the era of the Linux gaming PC is inevitable now.
Will Steam do for the gaming PC what porn did for the internet?
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I've tested out Manjaro, KDE Neon, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Debian, Mint, and Fedora - across two desktops and a laptop.
Problems have been all over the spectrum. Not being to install at all, trouble getting it to dual boot after installing (despite following a guide), getting NAS drives to be writeable, hardware compatibility, finding alternatives to proprietary software which may or may not do everything the original did, and more.
I'm semi enjoying the tinkering for now, and I'm not regretting trying to de-Windows as much as possible, but I think people who say Linux is ready for mainstream are out of touch with the average person's computer literacy.
If you want gaming you should try the nobara distro, great stuff
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If you want gaming you should try the nobara distro, great stuff
I do a lot of things other than gaming.
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Keep in mind Linux had this opportunity during netbooks, Microsoft simply forced them to abandon Linux and threatened contracts. Yes, many computers shipped Linux and in what I can only describe as a blatantly illegal move (and cornering of the market) Microsoft forced them to use Windows. If OEMs like Dell or HP start selling as many Linux PCs as Windows PCs Microsoft can just threaten contracts.
I had figured that would be the case this time as well. There is no way Microsoft will let their OEMs off their leash if they can help it. At first I thought there was no way any Windows OEM would be allowed, SteamOS on their handheld officially supported, or even sold that way. But I learned recently, at BUILD 2014, Microsoft made Windows free for devices with screens 8" or less, mostly IoT. I think that would count for these handhelds as well. So I think this time will be different.
The way I understand the contracts you are mentioning, the deal is, they have to sell a Windows license with every PC they sell. When a company like Dell or Lenovo sell machines with Linux, it's usually in the 10,000 range, (at least that I can tell) which is something Dell or Lenovo can eat the cost of. Plus, most of the machines go to companies that already have Volume Licensing deals already, so basically the Windows Tax is paid for in some way already.
But I think this time will be different because there will be a ramp up of devices and competition in the handheld space where there is no Windows Tax required. Valve will surely release a Steam Console and that will probably become the new PS2/DVD player that everybody buys. When people are buying consoles instead of PCs, OEMs are already spending engineering dollars on Linux for the handheld market, and 3rd party software and devices are suddenly competing in the Linux space. It's a stretch, but I really think SteamOS is breaking the grip of Microsoft's vendor lock'in strategy and we are just seeing the very beginning stages with Windows OEMs officially supporting SteamOS.
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Cool, can you run video rendering software on it? How about some cli? Can you delete packages? Or even remove the french language?
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
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I had figured that would be the case this time as well. There is no way Microsoft will let their OEMs off their leash if they can help it. At first I thought there was no way any Windows OEM would be allowed, SteamOS on their handheld officially supported, or even sold that way. But I learned recently, at BUILD 2014, Microsoft made Windows free for devices with screens 8" or less, mostly IoT. I think that would count for these handhelds as well. So I think this time will be different.
The way I understand the contracts you are mentioning, the deal is, they have to sell a Windows license with every PC they sell. When a company like Dell or Lenovo sell machines with Linux, it's usually in the 10,000 range, (at least that I can tell) which is something Dell or Lenovo can eat the cost of. Plus, most of the machines go to companies that already have Volume Licensing deals already, so basically the Windows Tax is paid for in some way already.
But I think this time will be different because there will be a ramp up of devices and competition in the handheld space where there is no Windows Tax required. Valve will surely release a Steam Console and that will probably become the new PS2/DVD player that everybody buys. When people are buying consoles instead of PCs, OEMs are already spending engineering dollars on Linux for the handheld market, and 3rd party software and devices are suddenly competing in the Linux space. It's a stretch, but I really think SteamOS is breaking the grip of Microsoft's vendor lock'in strategy and we are just seeing the very beginning stages with Windows OEMs officially supporting SteamOS.
I hadn't heard of free windows for smaller screen devices, but from reading on it I think it only applies to phones/tablets/IoT devices. I'm guessing handheld PCs would be excluded from that discount.
From reading on how Windows licenses are priced before, there's also usually variable rate license pricing depending on the "power" of the device, with more powerful devices having to pay a larger OEM license fee. With handheld PCs being gaming focused devices, I would assume that means Microsoft is charging more per license than the base rate.
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I hadn't heard of free windows for smaller screen devices, but from reading on it I think it only applies to phones/tablets/IoT devices. I'm guessing handheld PCs would be excluded from that discount.
From reading on how Windows licenses are priced before, there's also usually variable rate license pricing depending on the "power" of the device, with more powerful devices having to pay a larger OEM license fee. With handheld PCs being gaming focused devices, I would assume that means Microsoft is charging more per license than the base rate.
I believe you. I know I'm stretching it here. Only because it's just not like Microsoft to allow their OEMs off the leash. It's not unlike Microsoft to bring the full force and weight of the legal system down on their partners. And we definitely know Microsoft wouldn't hesitate to tie another company up in court just the for the sake of draining them of their operating cash. I'm just thinking, maybe there is a way that these handhelds fit into the free Microsoft licensing. I mean, knowing Microsoft is just going to crack the whip, why even spend the engineering dollars supporting Linux hardware in the first place. Maybe to give them leverage against Microsoft I guess.
