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Comment by nurtbo

2 years ago

Does a steam deck count as a Linux desktop?

In the sense that it runs Linux as its primary operating system, yes.

In the sense that it's a "victory" over Windows, no, since it's entire purpose is to emulate Windows APIs well enough to run Windows software.

  • That's basically the same strategy Windows is using to keep you there with WSL.

    • Yet it is not completely the same. Windows has monopoly so by them doing this they just take away another reason to actually switch to GNU/Linux and support it. By Valve doing it on GNU/Linux which has minority, they are just giving an excuse to developers of games to not properly support GNU/Linux. Just look at what happened with OS/2 which had better Windows emulation than Windows itself was. Sure it was not the only things that killed OS/2 (mismanagement at IBM was big part of it too), but it helped all the software vendors ignoring it. I am afraid this is also what is happening with Proton and GNU/Linux. So yeah short term it might be a good thing for the OS, but in long term strategic game, I am afraid it is not so.

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I was wondering this as well. I guess it's really a game system, but it is running Linux (a Debian derivative, right?) on PC hardware. Of course one of the problems of Linux is that there's really no singular OS - I'd be curious to see the top 5/10 distros.

I would say it does, r at least it can. After-all they do have a desktop mode you can switch to and it has a full proper KDE Plasma desktop there to use.

Indeed - when stats jump up so fast, one has to suspect a new commercial product that reports as Linux.

Also, web browser's in cars or some new phone browser.