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Comment by _aavaa_

5 days ago

The steam deck is famously Linux and uses AMD

GNU/Linux like proper laptops and desktops, not gaming handhelds.

100% of the gamers that don't overlap with FOSS folks, don't care SteamOS is somehow based on the Linux kernel, the Steam Runtime and a Win32/DirectX translation layer, otherwise there would not be games to play.

  • The steam deck is essentially a laptop (and I think made it through FCC on that basis). Plug in a USB hub, HDMI, keyboard, mouse, and I'm all set. I actually bought an extra one because now that the mobile device ecosystem is locked down so completely, it's my main escape hatch for a portable PC.

  • What, prey tell, is a “proper” laptop and desktop?

    Plug a usb dock into the steam deck and you have a “proper” computer.

  • Calling a Linux distro Gnu/Linux today is wrong because the actual Gnu code running is such a small part of everything.

    SteamOS uses Linux as much as Linux distros like Fedora and Arch and other Linux based systems like Android.

    A lot of gamers are also FOSS folks although not as hardcore as RMS.

    • Not at all, it makes a point, ChromeOS, WebOS, Android, are also based on the Linux kernel and hardly considered Linux distributions for everyday use, in a way similar to GNU/Linux expectations.

      How little do game studios care to port their titles from Android/NDK into SteamOS, even though both are "Linux".

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