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> knows what he is talking about? I have my doubts. For example, he claims that they won't support Linux because it's too niche but Linux has been (slightly) a

> knows what he is talking about? I have my doubts. For example, he claims that they won't support Linux because it's too niche but Linux has been (slightly) ahead of MacOS in the Steam survey for a while now (context: Fortnite is available on MacOS). Making is mistake is human, but he's sticking to his guns despite objective metrics to the contrary - I would expect more from a renowned CEO.

justin66 2y ago
It seems rather irrational of a company to turn away paying customers, right? Except his view isn't at all unique. They judge that Linux and its user base isn't big enough to be worth much of their time, but it's not like they're the only ones. Of course if you include the first half of the sentence you quoted it's obvious that I was talking about engineering when it comes to "knows what he is talking about." The question of whether Linux is worth supporting is at least half a marketing question. I doubt they're wrong about it, but I try to keep an open mind... > objective metrics to the contrary Please do share.
- zamalek 2y ago
  > Please do share. https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey Expand "OS Version."
  - justin66 2y ago
    Thanks but ninety-seven percent windows why are we even having this conversation.
    - zamalek 2y ago
      Because the data and the opinion differ, which was my initial point. Put another way, if Linux is too niche then why is he wasting resources on MacOS?
      - justin66 2y ago
        I expect macOS is cheaper to support and develop for (if for no other reason then because it's a well supported Unreal Engine target) and judged to be, at least potentially, more profitable. But I imagine the relationship with Apple carries a huge amount of weight in a decision like that as well, and I can't even guess how that factors in.
        zamalek 2y ago
        UE supports Linux (via Wine/Proton) just fine. There are tons of games that use it. The main issue is the anti-cheat solution, which does support Linux, but needs to be enabled (they have not). While I am sure there would be issues beyond that, they would almost certainly be minor. > at least potentially, more profitable. This is because MacOS is more widespread as a general purpose desktop operating system. Those statistics are irrelevant here. Linux is a more widespread gaming operating system. Dogma is pointless drivel.
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
- washadjeffmad 2y ago
  I think Tim took the right approach for the both the right and wrong reasons. We don't need more system programming, but more agnosticism. This is what SteamPlay and tools like proton and WINE solve. Why develop for Windows when you can build with respect to tools like those, and if the customer base exists, then allocate resources? > objective metrics to the contrary Of the 2ish% of the market gaming on Linux, what subset will buy your software? If I had one customer in 50 who submitted nearly half of all of our support tickets for development that wasn't transferrable to the other 49 and I couldn't charge them to cover it, I'd fire them, too.

justin66 2y ago

It seems rather irrational of a company to turn away paying customers, right? Except his view isn't at all unique. They judge that Linux and its user base isn't big enough to be worth much of their time, but it's not like they're the only ones. Of course if you include the first half of the sentence you quoted it's obvious that I was talking about engineering when it comes to "knows what he is talking about." The question of whether Linux is worth supporting is at least half a marketing question. I doubt they're wrong about it, but I try to keep an open mind... > objective metrics to the contrary Please do share.

zamalek 2y ago
> Please do share. https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey Expand "OS Version."
- justin66 2y ago
  Thanks but ninety-seven percent windows why are we even having this conversation.
  - zamalek 2y ago
    Because the data and the opinion differ, which was my initial point. Put another way, if Linux is too niche then why is he wasting resources on MacOS?
    - justin66 2y ago
      I expect macOS is cheaper to support and develop for (if for no other reason then because it's a well supported Unreal Engine target) and judged to be, at least potentially, more profitable. But I imagine the relationship with Apple carries a huge amount of weight in a decision like that as well, and I can't even guess how that factors in.
      - zamalek 2y ago
        UE supports Linux (via Wine/Proton) just fine. There are tons of games that use it. The main issue is the anti-cheat solution, which does support Linux, but needs to be enabled (they have not). While I am sure there would be issues beyond that, they would almost certainly be minor. > at least potentially, more profitable. This is because MacOS is more widespread as a general purpose desktop operating system. Those statistics are irrelevant here. Linux is a more widespread gaming operating system. Dogma is pointless drivel.
        deleted 2y ago
        [deleted]
washadjeffmad 2y ago
I think Tim took the right approach for the both the right and wrong reasons. We don't need more system programming, but more agnosticism. This is what SteamPlay and tools like proton and WINE solve. Why develop for Windows when you can build with respect to tools like those, and if the customer base exists, then allocate resources? > objective metrics to the contrary Of the 2ish% of the market gaming on Linux, what subset will buy your software? If I had one customer in 50 who submitted nearly half of all of our support tickets for development that wasn't transferrable to the other 49 and I couldn't charge them to cover it, I'd fire them, too.