If more people are using steam deck and ditch their windows PCs for it, it’s not an OS choice. It’s a choice to move to consoles.
They might have as well moved to Windows handheld or Nintendo Switch. They specifically chose the only Linux handheld on the market.
[Steam Deck] can be used by the same unskilled people who use android or iPhone. So, one core requirement I think people need to have to install any other os is not met or even trained, which is actual knowledge about computers.
Why is this a core requirement with Linux only? There are millions and millions of Windows users who have never installed an OS. Sounds gatekeeping to me.
I might be misinterpreting your response but you seem offended. Not sure why, as it wasn’t my intention.
Firstly, I am not aware of, as in “not well informed about” windows based hand helds. To my understanding, steam is quite dominant in the market, and advertising the steam deck through their platform. Why should someone bother with a windows handheld to install steam on the device, if steam comes with the steam deck? Why should someone with a large library move to another system? No, I think steam deck is the most comfo choice when you play games on steam and want a console or hand-held system without the drawbacks of other systems. I own a switch and deeply regrett buying it in 2019, now that the steam deck would allow me to play the same titles. It’d be a much better choice for me.
I don’t understand your comment on gate keeping though. Having easily installed upgrades (win 10->11 for example) makes live easy. Moving to a different os nowadays is a much larger barrier compared to, say, the year 2000, when you had to buy a cd and format your entire system just to realize that drivers are missing and you had to actually figure things out. At the time, moving to a new version was complicated but forced people to educate them selves. Now, it’s just a click to upgrade. The barrier is reduced, less gate keeping, great! But also less skilled people.
And it’s not meant with disrespect. Live got easier, keeping the system updated got easier, people weren’t forced to learn stuff and subseque vendor locked in. Now the skill barrier seems huge for many people and trying another os, even if it was apple, becomes unfathomable.
Again, it’s great that Through the steam deck Linux development is pushed forward as fast as it does. My day to day users won’t migrate unless they are very tech savvy or the enshitification progresses further and further. My employer just decided to move everything to SharePoint because co pilots helps us all doing our work so much faster… I’d have opted for something different and tried to reduce the vendor lock in… but that step would’ve been to large apparently.
They might have as well moved to Windows handheld or Nintendo Switch. They specifically chose the only Linux handheld on the market.
No, they chose a Steam console. A device with the same high convenience and low bar of entry as any other console, but with their (almost) whole Steam library on it.
Why is this a core requirement with Linux only? There are millions and millions of Windows users who have never installed an OS. Sounds gatekeeping to me.
Because conciously choosing and installing Linux is currently the requirement to run Linux on your PC.
If I go to the local electronics store I can pick up a Windows, MacOS or ChromeOS device that has everything pre-installed: OS, drivers, dependencies, all setup for instant usage.
And if I don’t even know what an OS is, I’ll get a Windows PC recommended by the sales people at said electronics store.
That kind of user experience is usually not available for prospective Linux users.
Unless they buy a Steam Deck, which is pretty much the only native Linux PC that’s popular enough that a non-tech person would know it.
(Technically stuff like Tuxedo and Framework exist, but they are pretty unknown.)
They might have as well moved to Windows handheld or Nintendo Switch. They specifically chose the only Linux handheld on the market.
Why is this a core requirement with Linux only? There are millions and millions of Windows users who have never installed an OS. Sounds gatekeeping to me.
I might be misinterpreting your response but you seem offended. Not sure why, as it wasn’t my intention.
Firstly, I am not aware of, as in “not well informed about” windows based hand helds. To my understanding, steam is quite dominant in the market, and advertising the steam deck through their platform. Why should someone bother with a windows handheld to install steam on the device, if steam comes with the steam deck? Why should someone with a large library move to another system? No, I think steam deck is the most comfo choice when you play games on steam and want a console or hand-held system without the drawbacks of other systems. I own a switch and deeply regrett buying it in 2019, now that the steam deck would allow me to play the same titles. It’d be a much better choice for me.
I don’t understand your comment on gate keeping though. Having easily installed upgrades (win 10->11 for example) makes live easy. Moving to a different os nowadays is a much larger barrier compared to, say, the year 2000, when you had to buy a cd and format your entire system just to realize that drivers are missing and you had to actually figure things out. At the time, moving to a new version was complicated but forced people to educate them selves. Now, it’s just a click to upgrade. The barrier is reduced, less gate keeping, great! But also less skilled people.
And it’s not meant with disrespect. Live got easier, keeping the system updated got easier, people weren’t forced to learn stuff and subseque vendor locked in. Now the skill barrier seems huge for many people and trying another os, even if it was apple, becomes unfathomable.
Again, it’s great that Through the steam deck Linux development is pushed forward as fast as it does. My day to day users won’t migrate unless they are very tech savvy or the enshitification progresses further and further. My employer just decided to move everything to SharePoint because co pilots helps us all doing our work so much faster… I’d have opted for something different and tried to reduce the vendor lock in… but that step would’ve been to large apparently.
No, they chose a Steam console. A device with the same high convenience and low bar of entry as any other console, but with their (almost) whole Steam library on it.
Because conciously choosing and installing Linux is currently the requirement to run Linux on your PC.
If I go to the local electronics store I can pick up a Windows, MacOS or ChromeOS device that has everything pre-installed: OS, drivers, dependencies, all setup for instant usage.
And if I don’t even know what an OS is, I’ll get a Windows PC recommended by the sales people at said electronics store.
That kind of user experience is usually not available for prospective Linux users.
Unless they buy a Steam Deck, which is pretty much the only native Linux PC that’s popular enough that a non-tech person would know it.
(Technically stuff like Tuxedo and Framework exist, but they are pretty unknown.)
Because most pcs bought don’t have Linux preinstalled and usually only have the option of windows?