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Steam now has a Featured Linux Games Section

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Looks like they are rolling out all area's for Linux on Steam now! Valve are improving the store for Linux users.

Seems like the official release isn't far away at all.

It has been said this month will mark the official release, I am inclined to believe it considering the sudden surge of Valve titles and more front page coverage with the Featured Linux Games section.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Steam
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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17 comments
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Hamish Feb 7, 2013
Still says "FEATURED PC GAMES" for the Windows listings though... *sigh*.
eldersnake Feb 7, 2013
I agree with Hamish, why can't they just put "Featured Win Games" there. -_- A Linux PC is still a PC
Punisher Feb 7, 2013
I agree too with Hamish but...
Cheeseness Feb 8, 2013
This is good to see on the front page. It's not as exciting as all of the promoted games (big scrolling banner across the top) being available for Linux, Mac OS and Windows. Equal footing ftw :D
Joe Feb 8, 2013
This "PC" labeling of Windows was a genius marketing move by Apple with their "PC vs. Mac" campaign. It basically preemptively kept Linux from the radar of common folk by re-labeling Windows to "PC". Now the Linux community needs to re-train people to understand that a PC doesn't equal Windows. So what we're seeing here on Steam just follows the trail that Apple set.
Cheeseness Feb 8, 2013
Quoting: JoeThis "PC" labeling of Windows was a genius marketing move by Apple with their "PC vs. Mac" campaign. It basically preemptively kept Linux from the radar of common folk by re-labeling Windows to "PC". Now the Linux community needs to re-train people to understand that a PC doesn't equal Windows. So what we're seeing here on Steam just follows the trail that Apple set.

Actually, it was in place long before that ad campaign (and though Apple definitely embraced the notion of distinction between their platform and other personal computers, I don't believe it originated with them either).
Yulike Feb 8, 2013
We should count ourselves lucky, while I agree that PC does not mean Windows, PC is associated with Windows. Therefore PC is associated with slow boot times, viruses, blue screen of death etc. Which, as we know, does not occur on Linux. So we should look of the bright side of this situation.
Guest Feb 8, 2013
Quoting: JoeThis "PC" labeling of Windows was a genius marketing move by Apple with their "PC vs. Mac" campaign. It basically preemptively kept Linux from the radar of common folk by re-labeling Windows to "PC". Now the Linux community needs to re-train people to understand that a PC doesn't equal Windows. So what we're seeing here on Steam just follows the trail that Apple set.

No -- Apple did not invent the term "Personal Computer" -- The Xerox Alto is regarded as being the first "PC", but the term was popularised by IBM (with the IBM PC 5150) in 1981.

The distinction between PC and Mac did not come about until the Macintosh 128K which was marketed as "Mac" in 1985.

It also wasn't a ploy to keep Linux off the radar -- that's just your opinion. When Apple released those adverts, nobody gave a damn about Linux.
Joe Feb 8, 2013
Quoting: edgleyNo -- Apple did not invent the term "Personal Computer" -- The Xerox Alto is regarded as being the first "PC", but the term was popularised by IBM (with the IBM PC 5150) in 1981.

Please read my comment again and make sure you understand what I wrote before you reply.


Of course we'll never know if Apple had Linux on their radar when they ran the PC vs. Mac campaign. However I wouldn't underestimate the long-term view they most likely had under Steve Jobs and that they did consider Linux a threat in the desktop / laptop market. By running these ads, I would say they were definitely able to push public perception of the market in a direction that penalized desktop Linux adoption without actually naming Linux in the ads at all.

In any case, the future for Linux is still bright. Android is already eating into Apple in the much bigger mobile market and Microsoft is just a fringe player there.
CFWhitman Feb 8, 2013
Using the term "PC" to refer to Windows computers is just one of those odd things that happened because IBM called their first microcomputer series "IBM PCs."  There were already several home and business computers at the time, so "IBM PC" was used to distinguish the IBM ones from others, like Apple II, TRS-80, Commodore 64, etc.

Eventually the phrase "IBM PC and compatibles" was adopted when Compaq and others began to sell computers compatible with the IBM PC series.  This distinguished those from the Apple MacIntosh and the Commodore Amiga.  Of course we know that people tend to shorten things.  It was probably during this time that it became popular to just say, "PC," "Mac," and "Amiga" to distinguish the various platforms.  That distinction stuck all during the time DOS was augmented with Windows, was turned into the Windows 9x series, and was replaced by the Windows NT series.  The term "PC" being used to refer to Windows based computers came about mostly because IBM used the generic term "PC" as a name for their line of personal computers back in the day.  If you want to blame someone, blame them.
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