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Gabe Newell Wants to Support Linux, Because Windows 8 is a 'Catastrophe'

kotaku.com

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Re: Gabe Newell Wants to Support Linux, Because Windows 8 is a 'Catastrophe'

#51

Post by _delirium »

bcbrown wrote: post #23
commandar wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are you basing this on? The quote in both the linked article and the AllThingsD piece indicates that he said "I think Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space." He isn't just talking about Valve.

A business catastrophe, not a usability or market catastrophe. "I think margins will be destroyed for a bunch of people."

Possibly even good for consumers in that case. It's not really an ideal situation that software distribution would be a high-margin business in the first place. Typically you want distribution and infrastructure businesses to be competitive spaces with prices driven down towards costs, since they're just overhead from the perspective of getting stuff from sellers to buyers. For example, container shipping and grocery stores are not high-margin businesses.

On the other hand, Microsoft's new 20-30% cut doesn't sound like very low-margin distribution infrastructure either...

Re: Gabe Newell Wants to Support Linux, Because Windows 8 is a 'Catastrophe'

#52

Post by alt_ »

recoiledsnake wrote: post #12

I think the headline of the article is pretty misleading as he means that Windows 8 is a catastrophe for Steam because of the Windows 8 app store. Looks like everyone's upvoting the article because they seem to think that Gabe meant that Windows 8 will be a failure. Instead of having to go through Steam's distribution, games will have the option of going directly to the Windows 8 app store and get featured there, not…

I would be more afraid of Xbox Live than the app store.

Buying is just a one time deal. Achievements and other social features of Xbox Live are constant and, if shared with the large Xbox network, will be very desirable for consumers.

Re: Gabe Newell Wants to Support Linux, Because Windows 8 is a 'Catastrophe'

#53

Post by aeturnum »

wtracy wrote: post #42
huggyface wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And it's a catastrophe for users if third party markets like Steam don't fit seamlessly into the future of Windows.

Long-term, yes. Short-term, if they can still get their games through Microsoft's own market, they won't care.

I think that the short-term is where Microsoft needs to incorporate 3rd party stores. People already have catalogs, some of them quite large, in Steam or other digital distribution services. Microsoft will either have to attract users who weren't previously attracted to digital distribution, or they'll have to support the investments that customers have already made.

Once they level the playing field (by allowing users to use Stream or the MS App Store without penalty), Microsoft can start to try and draw users away from 3rd party services. However, in the short term, it's hard to imagine them drawing users from steam and forcing those same users to abandon their investment in steam.

Re: Gabe Newell Wants to Support Linux, Because Windows 8 is a 'Catastrophe'

#54

Post by freehunter »

devth wrote: post #49
freehunter wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The value of an application is more than the sum of its lines of code.

Oh Really? Let me troll my friend in peace.

I'm sorry, HN isn't AIM or Facebook. There's no way for anyone to know who you know unless you tell us, and even then I fail to see how the comment is relevant.

Re: Gabe Newell Wants to Support Linux, Because Windows 8 is a 'Catastrophe'

#55

Post by devth »

freehunter wrote: post #54
devth wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh Really? Let me troll my friend in peace.

I'm sorry, HN isn't AIM or Facebook. There's no way for anyone to know who you know unless you tell us, and even then I fail to see how the comment is relevant.

The comment is irrelevant.

Re: Gabe Newell Wants to Support Linux, Because Windows 8 is a 'Catastrophe'

#56

Post by sseveran »

arohner wrote: post #21
ajross wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or Apple, or Google, or Amazon. Steam is, really, just an app store. And that's becoming part of the platform in the modern world. Frankly I think the sanest option here would be for MS to simply buy Valve and turn them into the "Windows App Store". But I can't imagine that happening given all the internal churn that would be required to eliminate all their existing online purchase junk.

I'm pretty sure Valve wouldn't sell to MS for any amount of money. Gabe is a billionaire, and left MS to do his own stuff. And Valve culture sounds incompatible w/ MS culture.

In fact he once worked at Microsoft I believe.

Re: Gabe Newell Wants to Support Linux, Because Windows 8 is a 'Catastrophe'

#57

Post by ShellfishMeme »

ryanisinallofus wrote: post #40

Steam has little to worry about in regards to the Windows App Store. They just need to keep pushing platforms, keep securing great titles, and RELEASE ANOTHER DAMN HALF LIFE 2 EPISODE. Exclusively on Steam of course. Steam is pretty great and it's not easy to replicate. See "Google Play."

> RELEASE ANOTHER DAMN HALF LIFE 2 EPISODE

Probably not going to happen before they release their new gaming console. They need a good launch title and you know how long it takes them to build a game.

Re: Gabe Newell Wants to Support Linux, Because Windows 8 is a 'Catastrophe'

#58

Post by zanny »

Donito wrote: post #9

The title should be: "Gabe Newell Wants to Support Linux, Because Windows 8 is a 'Catastrophe' [for steam]". Steam is, from a user perspective, a video game marketplace on PC. In Win8, they will have to compete with the built-in windows marketplace, where most games will published directly. In other words, Win8 is a catastrophe for them as it's endangering their business.

They seem to be targeting Ubuntu, and you can buy most proprietary Ubuntu games on the Ubuntu Software Center already.

Isn't that already the same kind of competition? If a game is on the software center it has no online DRM so I would absolutely get it there over Steam if it was for the same price.

Re: Gabe Newell Wants to Support Linux, Because Windows 8 is a 'Catastrophe'

#59

Post by MartinCron »

ilaksh wrote: post #50

I use Linux. I am on Ubuntu right now. I just wish I could figure out how to get the Radeon/whatever graphics drivers right on this Lenovo Ideapad. I gave up. I am rooting for Linux, WebGL, and other stuff. Whatever can help take down Windows is great. If Windows can actually take down Windows, even better.

I just wish I could figure out how to get the Radeon/whatever graphics drivers right on this Lenovo Ideapad. I gave up

The fact that things like this are still an issue makes me think that it will take more than just Steam to make desktop Linux more than a tiny niche in the gaming market.

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