4 ms·

How likely is it that success leads to SteamOS being another Android that drifts further and further from being open?

by antiterra 4y ago

onelovetwo 4y ago
huh? what do you mean by this?
- fragmede 4y ago
  We have to get a bit in the weeds here. Does the name Linux refers to just the kernel, or does it also include the GNU userland and the rest of everything on top that desktop distros are made up of (Gnome/KDE/etc). Because Android uses the Linux kernel, as does ChromeOS, but calling them Linux doesn't exactly mean what people are trying to say when they say "it's the year of the Linux desktop". So the worry is that the Steam Deck is also going to be its own weird fork of Linux desktop, and fixes can't be used to improve Ubuntu/Fedora/Arch/etc.
noahadavis 4y ago
Android started off being its own thing, except for the kernel. The Steam Deck is built on desktop Linux tech, so they would have to start over if they wanted to move away from that. That doesn't make their path guaranteed to be the same in the future, but it does make what you describe less likely.
- prash_ant 4y ago
  They may be bought by someone bigger and then shutdown to protect the existing wild gardens. There are many analogies. Astrid[0][1] and Wunderlist[2] come to my mind. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrid_(application) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrid_(application) [1] https://github.com/tasks/tasks https://github.com/tasks/tasks [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wunderlist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wunderlist
  - throwaway2048 4y ago
    Valve is a privately held company (owned by its employees) that makes ridiculous amounts of money, has no real incentive to sell, and Gabe Newell has publicly stated many times in the past that Valve selling out is extremely unlikely, and some kind of hostile takeover is virtually impossible. Newell said that there was a better chance that Valve would “disintegrate,” its independent-minded workers scattering, than that it would ever be sold. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/technology/valve-a-video-game-maker-with-few-rules.html?_r=1 https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/technology/valve-a-video-... The difference here between Valve and most all of the infamous tech buyouts of history is Valve has no VCs looking to cash out who get final say, or public investors looking to maximize returns.
    - Melatonic 4y ago
      I agree but Gabe is not gonna live forever....
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
fritigern 4y ago
Android never used the Linux userspace. Steam Deck is using KDE. I'm optimistic.

How likely is it that success leads to SteamOS being another Android that drifts further and further from being open?

onelovetwo 4y ago

huh? what do you mean by this?

fragmede 4y ago
We have to get a bit in the weeds here. Does the name Linux refers to just the kernel, or does it also include the GNU userland and the rest of everything on top that desktop distros are made up of (Gnome/KDE/etc). Because Android uses the Linux kernel, as does ChromeOS, but calling them Linux doesn't exactly mean what people are trying to say when they say "it's the year of the Linux desktop". So the worry is that the Steam Deck is also going to be its own weird fork of Linux desktop, and fixes can't be used to improve Ubuntu/Fedora/Arch/etc.

noahadavis 4y ago

Android started off being its own thing, except for the kernel. The Steam Deck is built on desktop Linux tech, so they would have to start over if they wanted to move away from that. That doesn't make their path guaranteed to be the same in the future, but it does make what you describe less likely.

prash_ant 4y ago
They may be bought by someone bigger and then shutdown to protect the existing wild gardens. There are many analogies. Astrid[0][1] and Wunderlist[2] come to my mind. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrid_(application) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrid_(application) [1] https://github.com/tasks/tasks https://github.com/tasks/tasks [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wunderlist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wunderlist
- throwaway2048 4y ago
  Valve is a privately held company (owned by its employees) that makes ridiculous amounts of money, has no real incentive to sell, and Gabe Newell has publicly stated many times in the past that Valve selling out is extremely unlikely, and some kind of hostile takeover is virtually impossible. Newell said that there was a better chance that Valve would “disintegrate,” its independent-minded workers scattering, than that it would ever be sold. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/technology/valve-a-video-game-maker-with-few-rules.html?_r=1 https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/technology/valve-a-video-... The difference here between Valve and most all of the infamous tech buyouts of history is Valve has no VCs looking to cash out who get final say, or public investors looking to maximize returns.
  - Melatonic 4y ago
    I agree but Gabe is not gonna live forever....
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

fritigern 4y ago

Android never used the Linux userspace. Steam Deck is using KDE. I'm optimistic.