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.
They're also effectively creating a market for linux gaming, which will encourage developers to actually officially support linux.
Note that I use "will" instead of "might" based on personal anecdotal evidence of seeing more and more games support linux natively (not on Proton) since the steamdeck launched. Granted, it's more indie games than AAA, but the latter will never care until the market becomes actually sizable.
Linux has already had decades of long-term "strategy" that did not in any way shape or form bring gaming to linux... except of course for the tireless effort of wine, which is the basis for proton. In other words, even if you're right, and you well might be, I feel that the point is moot since there's no linux gaming market otherwise, and valve can't kill what's already dead.
Unless you have alternative strategies in mind that have not been tried and failed already
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.
They're also effectively creating a market for linux gaming, which will encourage developers to actually officially support linux.
Note that I use "will" instead of "might" based on personal anecdotal evidence of seeing more and more games support linux natively (not on Proton) since the steamdeck launched. Granted, it's more indie games than AAA, but the latter will never care until the market becomes actually sizable.
Linux has already had decades of long-term "strategy" that did not in any way shape or form bring gaming to linux... except of course for the tireless effort of wine, which is the basis for proton. In other words, even if you're right, and you well might be, I feel that the point is moot since there's no linux gaming market otherwise, and valve can't kill what's already dead.
Unless you have alternative strategies in mind that have not been tried and failed already