5 ms·

http://media.steampowered.com/client/installer/steam.deb http://media.steampowered.com/client/installer/steam.deb (Ubuntu 12.04, supposedly is only supposed to

by mukyu 14y ago

http://media.steampowered.com/client/installer/steam.deb http://media.steampowered.com/client/installer/steam.deb (Ubuntu 12.04, supposedly is only supposed to work for people in the beta)

ninetax 14y ago
Yes, I get a message saying it's only for accounts in the closed beta. It does install and run though. Can beta participants invite others?
- sp332 14y ago
  You can run the client without beta access, but can you install any games?
  - Munksgaard 14y ago
    I just installed and ran Uplink without beta access. Ran smoothly even in a Virtualbox. Edit: To clarify, I have lots of indie games on steam that are readily installable on Linux. TF2 doesn't seem to be available without beta access though.
  - ninetax 14y ago
    Doesn't look like it. A popup is in the way. And I can't install any games.
ajross 14y ago
Augh. Some really craptastic distro-specific code in there. The wrapper script tries to detect missing dependencies on its own (gee... aren't package dependencies already handled by something, maybe the package manager?) and install them via "gksudo apt-get ...". Sigh... Valve: come on guys, get it right. Look at how Chrome or Dropbox do this for a clean example. Basically, you define your own repository and your "install now" link simply adds it (and its key) and pulls your package via apt/yum/zypper/whatever.
- kevindication 14y ago
  A Beta test is usually a call for this kind of feedback. You should send it to them. Save the HN comment for after the Beta.
  - ajross 14y ago
    I'm not in the beta (just used the download link above) so sadly I lack such a channel. But broadly in my experience your suggestion simply doesn't work. Betas are for bug reports. Criticism of the code never makes it to the dev team, period. On the other hand, it strikes me as quite likely that some of them read HN...
    - avolcano 14y ago
      This might sound ridiculous, but Valve are actually really good at responding, or at least reading, emails sent right to the top. If you just send your thoughts to gaben@valvesoftware.com, I'm sure he'll forward it to whoever it's relevant to. (I say this from experience - I sent him an email saying I thought the end of Half Life 2: Episode 2 was really fantastic stuff, and got a response back from the script writer, who he had forwarded the email to :])
      - FaceKicker 14y ago
        I've always been curious - is it known whether Gabe himself actually reads emails from non-employees sent to that address, or could it just be an assistant that handles routing most of the emails? I really can't imagine how he could possibly have time to deal with a public email account, but maybe I'm overestimating the volume of email he would get...
        nitrogen 14y ago
        One 25-employee company I was aware of during the first .com wave had at least three different people handling mail sent to the CEO's public address.
- 14y ago
gzgz 14y ago
For someone who actually is the beta to examine / report. If $HOME/steam exists before installation, some files goes into $HOME/steam other in $HOME/Steam. And the installation fails.

by mukyu 14y ago

http://media.steampowered.com/client/installer/steam.deb http://media.steampowered.com/client/installer/steam.deb (Ubuntu 12.04, supposedly is only supposed to work for people in the beta)

ninetax 14y ago

Yes, I get a message saying it's only for accounts in the closed beta. It does install and run though. Can beta participants invite others?

sp332 14y ago
You can run the client without beta access, but can you install any games?
- Munksgaard 14y ago
  I just installed and ran Uplink without beta access. Ran smoothly even in a Virtualbox. Edit: To clarify, I have lots of indie games on steam that are readily installable on Linux. TF2 doesn't seem to be available without beta access though.
- ninetax 14y ago
  Doesn't look like it. A popup is in the way. And I can't install any games.

ajross 14y ago

Augh. Some really craptastic distro-specific code in there. The wrapper script tries to detect missing dependencies on its own (gee... aren't package dependencies already handled by something, maybe the package manager?) and install them via "gksudo apt-get ...". Sigh... Valve: come on guys, get it right. Look at how Chrome or Dropbox do this for a clean example. Basically, you define your own repository and your "install now" link simply adds it (and its key) and pulls your package via apt/yum/zypper/whatever.

kevindication 14y ago
A Beta test is usually a call for this kind of feedback. You should send it to them. Save the HN comment for after the Beta.
- ajross 14y ago
  I'm not in the beta (just used the download link above) so sadly I lack such a channel. But broadly in my experience your suggestion simply doesn't work. Betas are for bug reports. Criticism of the code never makes it to the dev team, period. On the other hand, it strikes me as quite likely that some of them read HN...
  - avolcano 14y ago
    This might sound ridiculous, but Valve are actually really good at responding, or at least reading, emails sent right to the top. If you just send your thoughts to gaben@valvesoftware.com, I'm sure he'll forward it to whoever it's relevant to. (I say this from experience - I sent him an email saying I thought the end of Half Life 2: Episode 2 was really fantastic stuff, and got a response back from the script writer, who he had forwarded the email to :])
    - FaceKicker 14y ago
      I've always been curious - is it known whether Gabe himself actually reads emails from non-employees sent to that address, or could it just be an assistant that handles routing most of the emails? I really can't imagine how he could possibly have time to deal with a public email account, but maybe I'm overestimating the volume of email he would get...
      - nitrogen 14y ago
        One 25-employee company I was aware of during the first .com wave had at least three different people handling mail sent to the CEO's public address.
14y ago

gzgz 14y ago

For someone who actually is the beta to examine / report. If $HOME/steam exists before installation, some files goes into $HOME/steam other in $HOME/Steam. And the installation fails.