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Comment by pjmlp

5 days ago

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".

    • You have a misunderstanding. SteamOS is essentially Arch Linux.

      Edit: Misunderstanding is mine. I think you guys are discussing something else. I was trying to assert that SteamOS is GNU/Linux, unlike the others.

    • Android and iOS games are usually not interesting for SteamOS gamers.

      What really makes ChromeOS different from Ubuntu except it is not developed in the open?

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