Steam: Beta Linux Install

[SL6-A1000]

Hey.
Any Linux Gamers might be interested in this, but apparently Steam has released a beta install for Linux. Look at the following link:

http://store.steampowered.com/about/?snr=1_4_4__11

I have always been curious to know when it comes to steam, if once steam is ported to a new operating system, does that mean its entirely up to steam what games are also ported to that new operating system? E.g Steam is like a emulation wrapper for games, i.e. game developers build there games for use in steam and then steam decides what platform they will run on (Mac, Windows, Linux etc)

I have always held the assumption like most software that steam is just a host platform. So while steam may port it's platform to Linux, it is still up to the developers of a said game to port that game to Linux. In which case even if steam can run on Linux not all games will be able to run even if they are installed via steam as the game itself doesn't support Linux.

To me though the first way sounds more logical. If game developers only have to develop for the steam platform, thats a lot less work for them. Especially if steam provides all the underlying operating system requirements due to being easily portable (i.e. like Java). As game developers still get the royalties and money from their games but they aren't limited by platform and don't have to make 3 different versions of the same game just to get that larger market on the various platforms.

This doesn't include game developers that have their games on steam but still provide an independent installs like Call of Duty or Civilisation etc.

[ivotkl]

If website posted is not a phishing scam, then you probably won't get banned by Steam for using Linux. Now, regarding the games, I wouldn't be able to tell you if you need Wine or similar as well to run them.
I'm saying this because there was a situation where a lot of WoW gamers got banned because of running game from linux by using Wine. They were categorised as "hackers", which was totally untrue.

[SL6-A1000]

If website posted is not a phishing scam, then you probably won't get banned by Steam for using Linux. Now, regarding the games, I wouldn't be able to tell you if you need Wine or similar as well to run them.
I'm saying this because there was a situation where a lot of WoW gamers got banned because of running game from linux by using Wine. They were categorised as "hackers", which was totally untrue.

I'll tell you what, i bet you $10 million dollars (which is everything i have, as i don't have 10 million) the link i have posted is not a phishing scam, that's how confident i am. But if you really believe its a scam. Then i will tell you how to get to the information posted in that link.

Go to:
1. the steam website (search for it if you have too: google or whatever search engine you use)
2. click on install steam & last but not least
3. You should see a familiar logo (Tux) in the center of your webpage with some fancy writing to the right in a star-like symbol saying "Join the Beta" and under it "STEAM FOR LINUX"

After that if you still believe the link i posted is a scam, well then that is very unfortunate and i will remove the link.

[oz]

Someone else beat you to it and posted the news about this a couple months ago (although the other poster placed their announcement in the wrong forum):

http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/gam...p-finally.html

If it all works out, it seems to me that it should be great for Linux users, but like another poster said in the other thread, time will tell how much success it will have.

[Steven_G]

It's one of the few projects I'm willing to pay for. I'm going to be trying it soon, got a few other thigs on my plate first.

[rcgreen]

Steam for Linux hits the Ubuntu Software Center - The Tech Report

[jayd512]

Preparing for War, Valve Launches Steam for Linux | Game|Life | Wired.com
Gotta love this quote:

He then called Linux a “get out of jail free pass for our industry, if we need it.”

[SL6-A1000]

Preparing for War, Valve Launches Steam for Linux | Game|Life | Wired.com
Gotta love this quote:

I am a little confused...

Cause at first Steam was hesitant to port there platform to Linux, now they are praising Linux like it's there saving grace.
How does that work?

[elija]

It probably has something to do with:

Last July, Newell called Microsoft’s Windows 8 “a catastrophe for everybody in the PC space”

[jayd512]

Also the fact that MS is really leaning users towards the Windows Store for installing new software.
Valve, among others, sees this as MS kind of steering you away from using third-party software.