How does Steam Linux compare to Windows?

[jlds]

I have been a life long Windows user who has considered switching to Linux and am wondering if the Steam Linux is as good or even better than the Windows program due to VALVe caring about Linux a lot more than many other software developers.

If you have anything important to note about Steam Linux, feel free to reply to my post!

Thanks Steam For Linux group!

[Der tüddelige Fußgänger]

The actual gaming experience is fine. Proton does the job quite well. I can't complain, all games which i want to play work just fine.

The client itself, hot damn it's terrible.
I originally wrote a small essay kinda thing explaining my issues. But tbh, just look at the steam for linux bugtracker https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues
The steam client is a mess.

[jlds]

Originally posted by The Nintendo Guy:

The actual gaming experience is fine. Proton does the job quite well. I can't complain, all games which i want to play work just fine.

The client itself, hot damn it's terrible.
I originally wrote a small essay kinda thing explaining my issues. But tbh, just look at the steam for linux bugtracker https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues
The steam client is a mess.

That's no good! But at least the gaming experience is fine. I thought the Steam client for Linux would be decent as the Steam Deck runs on Linux and the client would as a result, be on par with Windows.

[PunkHazard]

Gaming experience is fine. Not amazing, just fine. Most games will work, but not all just bear that in mind.

As for Linux operating system itself; it's miles better than what it used to be to a point that a normie that uses his or her computer for web browsing wouldn't have a problem. But bear in mind that it's still not Windows, and any or all problems you face requires you to self troubleshoot. The upside is that you will be more computer literate and in our age where computers play an increasing necessary role in our lives, being computer literate should be a mandatory life skill.

More importantly, will you enjoy the Linux experience. Well, I would likened it to games like Dark Souls and Monster Hunter; it will take time and practice but the journey and the result is immensely gratifying. Or, you may just end up discovering that it's just not to your taste and that's okay.

Good luck.

[Kepos]

First of all, I would compare Windows to Linux and only compare Steam client on second step.

Windows has only one source: Microsoft

Linux has a lot of different main distributions and so called forks of them. Plus, you paint your very own Linux operating system by your own hard- and software choices.

So, from my view the source for Linux is: You, the user.

That said, there are many aspects that may determine your experience of the Steam client. Begin with hardware, CPU, GPU, RAM but regarding your OS choice it mostly depends on the quality of your drivers and preferred software, how good or bad your experience with the Steam client is. If you fail to have the basic needed drivers and libraries installed, you will get a bad experience. On the Windows side there are less parameters to take into account. Linux is more depending on your free choice (stated above) of main distribution, drivers and libraries.

Newer Linux distibutions or releases take that more and more into account and deliver the needed drivers and libraries in their release to avoid incompatibilities, but not all of them, because not all have gaming on Steam as their main goal. Linux could therefore be called more specific and demanding than Windows on parts of computing like gaming that are away from let's say mainstream stuff like office work, browsers or using media.

When it comes toward comparison of Steam's Windows and Linux client I do not see a difference in quality. But, when you want to play (mostly older) Windows only concepted games on Linux you have to rely either on Steams exceptional Proton support to create a software side surrounding that offers the same circumstances for those Windows only games they need to run at 100% or you try it with alternative recipes you may find on sites like Proton DB[www.protondb.com].
Newer games mostly use engines that have a fair built-in support to run on Linux and in most cases there are no real differences running them on Windows or Linux Steam clients.

So, the choice for the OP is more a basic choice what kind of OS he trusts and want to use instead of comparing gaming on Windows with gaming on Linux over Steam.

[jlds]

Originally posted by PunkHazard:

As for Linux operating system itself; it's miles better than what it used to be to a point that a normie that uses his or her computer for web browsing wouldn't have a problem. But bear in mind that it's still not Windows, and any or all problems you face requires you to self troubleshoot. The upside is that you will be more computer literate and in our age where computers play an increasing necessary role in our lives, being computer literate should be a mandatory life skill.
Good luck.

Thank you. Do you think that a Windows pleb like me who is able to troubleshoot any problems with their computer on Windows would have much of an issue when transitioning to Linux when there are problems with my OS/PC?



Also, I should've talked more about what Linux distro is good to use.

Originally posted by Kepos:

Linux has a lot of different main distributions and so called forks of them. Plus, you paint your very own Linux operating system by your own hard- and software choices.

So, from my view the source for Linux is: You, the user.

Does each distro profoundly affect the way programs run and if so, what distro would you recommend? I only really know about Debian, Fedora and Peppermint.

Also, thank you to everybody for replying to my thread. :)

[PunkHazard]

Originally posted by ｐａｔｒｉ０ｔ:

Thank you. Do you think that a Windows pleb like me who is able to troubleshoot any problems with their computer on Windows would have much of an issue when transitioning to Linux when there are problems with my OS/PC?



Also, I should've talked more about what Linux distro is good to use.

If you can troubleshoot Windows yourself, you should have no problems figuring out LInux. My main occupation is culinary, former windows user and basically computer illiterate for 30 years and though I had initial hiccups with Linux, I managed to daily drive it for 5 years now. Never touched Windows since.

Also, as for distro variety, the programs will generally be same but the package manager will be different, which means the commands will be different but this is not a problem if you stick to the GUI.

The only way to know if you like a distro or not is to try it until you'll find what you like.

[jlds]

Originally posted by PunkHazard:

Originally posted by ｐａｔｒｉ０ｔ:

Thank you. Do you think that a Windows pleb like me who is able to troubleshoot any problems with their computer on Windows would have much of an issue when transitioning to Linux when there are problems with my OS/PC?



Also, I should've talked more about what Linux distro is good to use.

If you can troubleshoot Windows yourself, you should have no problems figuring out LInux. My main occupation is culinary, former windows user and basically computer illiterate for 30 years and though I had initial hiccups with Linux, I managed to daily drive it for 5 years now. Never touched Windows since.

Also, as for distro variety, the programs will generally be same but the package manager will be different, which means the commands will be different but this is not a problem if you stick to the GUI.

The only way to know if you like a distro or not is to try it until you'll find what you like.

Good to know that Linux should be alright then. I am currently studying both a bachelor of secondary education and design technology with a minor in IT at university so my course (for the most part) is related to CAD but I haven't gotten to that part of my degree yet...

With the UI are there more built-in customization options unlike modern Windows? Which nowadays requires you to have OpenShell installed on your OS to change more than the wallpaper and colour theme on your system.

Also, thanks again for answering my questions PunkHazard! I appreciate it!

[Kepos]

Originally posted by ｐａｔｒｉ０ｔ:

Originally posted by Kepos:

Linux has a lot of different main distributions and so called forks of them. Plus, you paint your very own Linux operating system by your own hard- and software choices.

So, from my view the source for Linux is: You, the user.

Does each distro profoundly affect the way programs run and if so, what distro would you recommend? I only really know about Debian, Fedora and Peppermint.

Also, thank you to everybody for replying to my thread. :)

Well, that's a very hard to answer question as every Linux user will give an highly individual answer on that.
Therefore I stated, that the source of each Linux OS is -> you, the user.

I for myself started some years ago the same way as so many other Steam gamers, I simply tried their recommended 'Ubuntu'. Soon I found better results for me in some so called 'forks' of Ubuntu, namely Mate, Mint and some on music specialized versions. Then I tried Debian where I didn't like the strict non-proprietary rules, RedHat/Fedora where I didn't like them nailing every user inspired alternation, Solus OS until their special developer for Steam quit. After all that, I finally tried Arch, which is told to be not user friendly, what it totally wasn't for me but I had that long testing phase with other distributions and learned how to fix things or how to get help to fix things. Even on Arch I switched a lot between different Arch distributions until I found my actually used Garuda.

See, there is no 100% matching Linux distribution, same as 'Windows' isn't totally the best for everyone. It is some sort of journey until you find the best suitable for you personally.
I would recommend to try out some different distributions and look how you like it. Most of them could be installed on an USB so you could test on your machine without altering the file system.

You may find it helpful to search Distrowatch[distrowatch.com] where you could search their database of countless Linux distributions and check them for your parameters.

When it comes to migration to Linux, I would suggest to concentrate on

1. how you like the look = what desktop or UI you can choose from
2. how easy you can install and maintain drivers and software
3. how the distribution handles gaming (Steam, Wine, Lutris, Heroic Games Launcher etc.)
4. what is your main interest regarding your OS choice - durability, bleeding edge software versions, centralized software repository

Last but not least, you could think about some sort of dual-boot installation for a while, so you keep your Windows installation, when you ran into issues and have your Linux installation on a second drive. That worked for me for several years and I still keep a copy of my old Windows7 on a SSD should I ever feel I like to give it a try. (Never happened for more than 5 years now...btw.). On that matter I am using an SSD-switch rack, so I can easily switch between different OS' or even different Linux distributions on the very same machine.

The best thing about Linux is, that you could do nearly everything with every other Linux distribution too, probably on a different route, but usually it should be possible.

Have fun!

[WarnerCK]

Originally posted by ｐａｔｒｉ０ｔ:

Thank you. Do you think that a Windows pleb like me who is able to troubleshoot any problems with their computer on Windows would have much of an issue when transitioning to Linux when there are problems with my OS/PC?

That depends. Linux isn't Windows. You can't use the same techniques that you might use on Windows (downloading some thing off some website, in particular, is a Bad Plan). Quite a lot of people in the Windows Power User bracket get frustrated by this, because it makes them feel stupid, and they blame Linux. But it's still the same computer running software, so it is pretty straightforward to find out what the differences are and fill in the gaps in one's knowledge. Most people that use Linux on the desktop now have been through this process.

Also, I should've talked more about what Linux distro is good to use.

https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2022/12/the-best-linux-distribution-for-gaming-in-2023/

Contrary to that article, though, I would recommend Kubuntu (the KDE flavour) over vanilla Ubuntu's Gnome.

Does each distro profoundly affect the way programs run and if so, what distro would you recommend? I only really know about Debian, Fedora and Peppermint.

How they run: not in the slightest. The specifics of how you install software, which applications are installed by default and their configurations, and the update cadence: yes.

[Big Laugh]

Check out Garuda Linux OP! Also, liek that one chatter said, the most important thign to remember when learning Linux is that it isn't Windows. IF ya try and be like "oh well this is something i do on windows how i do it on Linux" all the time, you're better just staying with the spywayre/malware OS

[Modern Retro Gamer (UK)]

SteamOS is a fantastic OS if you have the right hardware and expectations.

It's best to think of it more in terms of the PS4 OS or XBox360 OS in comparison than Windows.

If you want sonething closer to a Windows experience there's better suited Linux versions such as Nabora, Mint, or PopOS.

[Der tüddelige Fußgänger]

Originally posted by Big Laugh:

Check out Garuda Linux OP! Also, liek that one chatter said, the most important thign to remember when learning Linux is that it isn't Windows. IF ya try and be like "oh well this is something i do on windows how i do it on Linux" all the time, you're better just staying with the spywayre/malware OS

Now that you say it. Learning Linux is kinda like learning a language. Just should just stop thinking how you would say stuff in your native langauge. Or in this case, stop thinking how you would do stuff in Windows, since those 2 are really different at their core.

[WarnerCK]

Originally posted by Kepos:

You may find it helpful to search Distrowatch[distrowatch.com] where you could search their database of countless Linux distributions and check them for your parameters.

If you do this OP, be aware that the statistics are only how often people click on the links on that website, not how many people use the actual distributions themselves. There's a whole bunch of weird, niche, or single-purpose distros listed there that you generally won't want to use as your first distro. Pick something mainstream and straightforward till you find your feet, and then you'll be in a better position to judge what you actually want out of a distro and whether any particular distro can provide it.

[dumpBikes]

Originally posted by ｐａｔｒｉ０ｔ:

I have been a life long Windows user who has considered switching to Linux and am wondering if the Steam Linux is as good or even better than the Windows program due to VALVe caring about Linux a lot more than many other software developers.

If you have anything important to note about Steam Linux, feel free to reply to my post!

Thanks Steam For Linux group!

Works fine, same crap :D

In reality, it's better since it provides a compatibility layer (that works pretty well) to run Windows games while the at same makes all games just work by installing game dependencies. (Windows Steam has no layer to run Linux or MacOs games :D )

[Der tüddelige Fußgänger]

Originally posted by Xenophobe:

I recently switched over to linux from windows 2 years ago. I used a microsoft OS from the days of dos command line and windows was for workgroups (and optional, yes I'm old) to windows 10. I found linux mint to be a very easy transition from windows, as the desktop environment was similar.

Gaming via steam has been fine for me, every game I've tried so far in my steam library has worked well enough. I haven't tried setting up EA or Ubisoft in WINE or with Lutris yet, so I can't speak to that.

I only use the pc for gaming, web browsing , email, some image manipulation with GIMP and some personal document/spreadsheet stuff ... nothing business related. The office suite that came packaged with mint is compatible with existing microsoft office file formats.

For other windows apps, check https://alternativeto.net/ to see if there is a linux app, then check software manager for a distro specific version.

I'm over 60, very set in my ways/likes/dislikes ... the switch was and still is a relatively painless learning experience. I do recommend setting up a 2nd drive for linux and dual booting with windows ... until the day you realize you haven't booted into windows for a few weeks. There are plenty of online resources when you have a question and the linux community has also been very willing to assist.

Really interesting read!
I personally switched to Linux ~1,5 years ago. Only difference is that I am more of a genZ, junk food eating, memes watching zoomer. So of course i went with Archlinux pretty early on. xD. But in the end, i ended up with KDE Plasma, as it's close to the standard Windows (10) layout, like mint, but it being a much more active and bigger project. Although i also tried out GNOME, xfce, Sway/i3. And even for me, it's hard to break the typical Windows habbit of having this nice little bar down there having all the important information. I can use GNOME or Sway just fine as a desktop, they just feel off to me, even after multiple months of daily driving them.
Although i don't use it exactly like Windows, I've disabled stuff like desktop icons and actively use multiple virtual desktops.

Linux mint: I dunno, i have too much freetime for that.