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Linux for gaming?
Topic Started: Nov 5 2012, 02:01 PM (129 Views)
Lord Master of Darkness™ Nov 5 2012, 02:01 PM Post #1
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 Just by seeing the title I expect most people to disregard this topic completely, meaning only those in the know should be reading and hopefully replying... excellent ;)

It recently came to my attention that Valve are working on a version of Steam for Linux, meaning Linux is becoming ever-more mainstream as more people become aware of it.
I've been a happy user of Vista for some time now, and am well aware that Linux is still not quite there yet(even using Wine has problems, I hear) and isn't exactly what you'd call brilliant with Photoshop either.

So to those of you in the know, I mostly wish to begin a debate on why exactly Linux is better than Windows, or OS X while we're at it, without using Microsoft or Apple as excuses. Educate me, guys. Tell me why those who use Linux love it, despite it being virtually incompatible with everything out there.
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Cy-FoxPosted Image Nov 6 2012, 09:49 AM Post #2
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 Well from my experiences dealing with Linux solely in the context of IT schooling, the big huge benefits to Linux compared to other platforms is as follows:

  • Accessibility: Linux and its derivatives are almost all free except for commercial builds made for enterprise purposes. You get a fully functional operating system for free. Still want to hold on to Windows? There are dual-boot solutions such as WUBI available to ease the transition. And of course you can throw Linux into a virtual machine to play with it as well.
  • Compatibility: Established since the early 1990s, Linux has been made to run on different system profiles and can even still be used on older architecture.
  • Community: Linux is what we call "open source" compared to the closed source architecture that's mainly prevalent. The information you would need to tinker with the code and to create objects (i.e patches, hardware drivers, software and even full-on derivatives) is freely accessible. There are no royalties, there are no copyrights. Plus the user community as a whole is widely accepted as being friendly to new users.
  • Security and Reliability: Linux is based off UNIX which is a rock solid security platform. Why do you think most enterprise and government server systems are Linux or UNIX based? Every process is given its own region of protected memory so that a process cannot interfere with another, and there is a rigid permissions system that takes considerable learning to get around. Add in the fact that code meant for a Windows or a Mac system cannot natively execute unless it's being emulated (and even then, it's in protected memory space), means that 90% of the software threats out there are not going to be able to wreck your system.
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YoshyRyuDCC Nov 6 2012, 09:55 AM Post #3
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 What Cy-Fox said.
Not much else comes to mind, though I would like to say that I've known about Linux for many years, back when XP was still the latest version of Windows. I would have gotten into using Linux more, but unfortunately non of my games would have worked on it.

Once Linux does get game support from VALVe, you'll see me using it for gaming (which is pretty much all I use my desktop now).

On a side note, you can put Linux on just about everything. And I mean, everything. You got a digital watch? Boom. PS3? Done. TI-83? I had one with Linux and I played Mario on my calculator back in Highschool. Off-topicish I know, but I felt like sharing.
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Lord Master of Darkness™ Nov 10 2012, 07:19 AM Post #4
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 Hmm... well what about functionality, ease of use? I've read some of those answers before across the web and they didn't fully satisfy me. Is it easy to install stuff? What about navigating around your computer/files? Opening programs you haven't used in a while and might not remember where they are?

What I'm really hoping for is a nice slick experience. The technical side of it appeals, but if it's easier to find your way out of the Bermuda Triangle then I may as well stick with the idiot-proof Vista.

Also goes without saying that I appreciate the input thus far, guys :)
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Cy-FoxPosted Image Nov 11 2012, 05:59 PM Post #5
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Master of Darkness™
Nov 10 2012, 07:19 AM
Hmm... well what about functionality, ease of use? I've read some of those answers before across the web and they didn't fully satisfy me. Is it easy to install stuff? What about navigating around your computer/files? Opening programs you haven't used in a while and might not remember where they are?

What I'm really hoping for is a nice slick experience. The technical side of it appeals, but if it's easier to find your way out of the Bermuda Triangle then I may as well stick with the idiot-proof Vista.

Also goes without saying that I appreciate the input thus far, guys :)
Linux distros usually have a Windows-like interface that's easy to grasp on. If you know Windows XP and onward, I'm pretty sure you can navigate. It's just the nitty-gritty command line stuff the more advanced users go for that can be crazy.
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