Windows be like

cd …

ls

grumble grumble

dir

Neither is the steam deck user base, or would-be Linux converts. What’s your point?

I haven’t run into any limitations of the file system and I hardly even know what pacman is. And I haven’t felt ‘controlled’ by Valve, certainly not to the extent of a console or even Windows/Mac. I can sudo whatever I want. I’m sure you have a use case, but I’m still just not seeing it.

Are their proton versions just proton GE? To what extent does it actually run better?

More than you think, apparently. I go into desktop mode nearly every time I use it, whether to install mods, non-steam games, emulators, streaming services, web browser, decky loader, etc. knowing it was open like a PC vs a closed off console was 90% of the reason I got one.

Besides that, is using bash really the metric for Linux user? I did that in Windows. It’s fine if people are using the GUI. This is just weirdly gatekeepy

The crossover of PC power users and steam deck owners is going to be relatively high compared to a traditional console, which is exactly the demographic that would be persuaded to Linux via the deck. I speak from experience

What advantages does Cachy have?

Well SteamOS isn’t made for a desktop environment, that’s not really what they’re saying. It’s exposing more users to Linux though, and showing that it’s not so scary. I am running a debian virtual machine occasionally now for certain tasks, and tinkering with my Steam Deck really eased that transition. I’m seriously considering dual booting my MacBook because I hate Mac OS so much despite using it for multiple years prior to the Steam Deck.

And most importantly, it has catapulted proton/linux gaming support across the the industry. We’re seeing indie devs going out of their way to get the little Steam Deck verified badges on their store page. It’s at the point now that a majority of the games I want to play run great on Linux, and I’ll seriously consider switching my gaming desktop to Linux if I run into Win10 end of life issues.

Prior to the Steam Deck, none of this was even on my radar. I wouldn’t even be included in your “people on this sub” remark if it weren’t for the deck. It’s absolutely a gateway to wider Linux adoption

So are you lugging around a keyboard, screen and usb hub with it or what?

I switched to a MacBook Air + Steam Deck combo for work/gaming and it’s fairing much better than my old gaming laptop ever did on both fronts

I haven’t actually seen a raid ad in years at this point. (Except your hopefully ironic comment, so good job unironically promoting them)

I don’t know if it’s just my sponsorblock + adblock combo or if their gorilla advertising has fallen off, and at this point I’m too afraid to ask

Man I really didn’t want to think about this