SteamOS: let's talk about it.

[wonko the sane?]

So; I know it's a linux distro, I know it's compatible with desktops and laptops. Has anyone here actually used it in a desktop pc? Or at all?

Cause, not gonna lie; if I can legitimately get away from windows... I want to.

 

[Dekafox]

Bazzite is a distro that's essentially SteamOS but not controlled by Steam to my knowledge, if you wanted to look into that. SteamOS I think is more for if you just want your machine to act like a console.

 

[wonko the sane?]

I mean: I like valve as a company a hell of a lot more than microsoft. And I honestly don't care if my computer acts like a console so long as it can do the things I want it to do; like play games and watch youtube.

 

[Pocket]

SteamOS has a "desktop mode" even on the Steam Deck, so no you don't have to worry about being locked into a ten-foot UI like a smart TV to do non-gaming tasks.

Worth noting that KDE OS (whoops nope it's called KDE Linux), which is currently in development, is also basically going to be SteamOS in all but name: Arch-based, immutable (meaning the entire OS is treated as a single "package" that gets updates maybe once a month like Windows instead of each component updating whenever it wants), and of course using KDE for its desktop environment. So if you have the patience to wait for that, it should be ready for prime time within the year.

 

[wonko the sane?]

Okay, that actually sounds pretty good. I'll dig up a bit on KDE and check it out.

Optimally, I would just use some alternate hardware to road test the distro... but I don't actually have any anymore. and I dunno how badly (at least, right now.) I want to faff around with a dual boot.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

SteamOS I think is more for if you just want your machine to act like a console.

You have my attention. That's exactly what personal computers were before Bill Gates ruined everything. A personal computer OS wasn't supposed to be a place where you hang out, or a thing you have to babysit. It was supposed to load your programs into memory and then get out of the way as much as possible so you could actually get full usage of the hardware you paid for. If SteamOS works as a desktop at all, working more like a console than like other desktops would be a plus in my book.

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

Bazzite is a distro that's essentially SteamOS but not controlled by Steam to my knowledge, if you wanted to look into that. SteamOS I think is more for if you just want your machine to act like a console.

Oooh, that sounds like what I'd need for a machine hooked to my TV that I've been wanting to get together...