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Valve is a wonderful upstream contributor to Linux and the open-source community (phoronix.com)

929 points by WithinReason · 1067 days ago · 362 comments on HN

Article summary

Valve has been a significant contributor to the Linux and open-source community, particularly in the area of gaming. Their efforts have improved the support for games on Linux, making it more likely for games to be playable on the platform. The company's commitment to pushing their improvements upstream has been beneficial to the community. This has led to a better experience for Linux users, including those using the Steam Deck.

Main themes

  • Linux gaming
  • Valve's contributions
  • Proton and game compatibility
  • Apple and macOS gaming
  • Steam Deck and performance
  • Open-source and industry standards
  • Game development and porting challenges

What commenters say

  • Valve's contributions to Linux gaming have been greatly appreciated and have improved the overall experience.
  • The company's decision to push their improvements upstream has been beneficial to the community.
  • Some users have had success with using Proton to run games on Linux, even if they are not officially supported.
  • The state of Linux gaming has improved significantly over the years, but there is still work to be done to achieve full compatibility.
  • Apple's approach to gaming on macOS has been criticized for being hostile to open-source and for not adopting industry standards.
  • The Steam Deck has been a game-changer for some users, but others have found it lacking in terms of graphics quality and performance.
  • Some developers have expressed interest in porting games to macOS, but the process can be challenging due to the platform's limitations.
  • The use of open-source tools and standards, such as Vulkan and OpenGL, is seen as essential for achieving better compatibility and performance in Linux gaming.