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PayPalThe day I'm sure many have been waiting for, and just as many probably thought it wouldn't happen. Linux has finally hit 1% again on the Steam Hardware Survey.
Not the first time, in fact years ago when Steam for Linux was pretty fresh we actually saw it remain over 1% for a while. That didn't last long though, and it's been bouncing around at sub 1% for multiple years now as we've been showing on our dedicated Steam Tracker.
Want to see what systems our readers are running? Check out our statistics page.
If we take how many monthly active users Steam has which Valve reported at over 120 million at the start of this year, that would give us an estimated 1,204,000 monthly active Linux users on Steam.
The question in my mind is: why are we seeing a sudden surge? Starting in April 2021 it started to gradually slowly move upwards but now it's a much more pronounced jump. Perhaps this is as a result of the Steam Deck announcement? It certainly wouldn't be surprising to see more people try out Linux as a result of it so they know a bit more about what to expect.
What do you think has caused the recent up-tick in users? Let us know in the comments.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Quoting: The_AquabatI don't get why the graphs count only "Spanish from Spain". Quite frankly is not fair to Spanish :P, it's the same as counting only English from GB. Sorry but it doesn't make sense.The Steam language settings distinguish between Spanish - Spain and Spanish - Latin America, and also Portuguese and Portuguese-Brazil, so they get separate entries in the Steam Hardware Survey. The GOL graphs don't show all the languages.
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Quoting: CatKillerThis is a fallacy, btw. If you're not into computers, you're only looking skin-deep. "This is the Internet, this is the app store, this is the update button" is all they need to know. Linux is the ideal grandmother OS. It's the Windows Power Users that have the hardest time; they're very familiar with the entrails of Windows and freak out about Linux' guts being different when they try to poke at them.
Yes, I think the people having most problems with Linux are the ones who think they know everything about computers, when in fact, they only know enough stuff to get around with Windows. And those are, how could you call it?, "offended" by Linux. "How can it be me, the super hacker, cannot easily do everything with Linux (without learning)?!? Linux is bad!" That's also where anti-Linux trolls are often coming from (like the one trolling for years, how's their name, Mercano or the like?).
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Quoting: PJQuoting: KohlyKohlGnome out of the box is ugly and to make it useful you have to add plugins to it. The default should be a useable desktop without the user having to do anything.
yeah, but if you had actually read my post you'd notice I acknowledge that. IMO every single one of the major DEs on Linux are ugly. Gnome is a bit dysfunctional unless you're into very specific (and I'd argue for lot of workflows just not good) workflow with not so cool icons (even though they've improved and also Adwaita becomes bearable). KDE looks like someone puked rainbow on your screen, trying to make a windows clone with bad font choices and totally tangled settings and options. Xfce is like stepping back in time. I could go on.
But the thing is every single one can be made awesome. With Gnome you just install 2-3 extensions, tweak the same amount of settings (for example turn on extra window buttons) and install icon theme. With KDE you add a theme and spend quite a bit going through the settings then disable/tweak stuff that does not work so well (for example Kwallet or file search). And so on.
My belief is that most of the parts are there (or mostly there - like with sound system, where I had some hopes with Pipewire). They're just not put together well by default (maybe a bit better on Ubuntu) - maybe because we don't have much of actual frontend UI/UX designers on our platform. Or maybe there's no company that actually cares that will pay someone to do the tedious work nobody wants to do. I don't know.
But at least we could do it ourselves. No matter the DE - IMO most of them are awesome!
I can not, for the life of me understand people that like GNOME3. I was a Windows 7 user and when Win8 was announced decided to dual-boot and get used to Linux. I started with Ubuntu Mate (thank god someone decided to fork gtk2) because I loved the theme and taskbar/launcher at the time, then switched to Mint Mate because it was buggy (had memory leaks) until KDE Plasma became stable enough, then I switched to KDE Neon and later to Manjaro KDE. I never needed to tweak any of the Desktop settings or themes on any of them, just switch to Application Menu on KDE, my friends that are Windows users also liked the default themes of KDE and Mint Mate. The default theme is perfect.
I don't use KWallet and disable Search indexing, but I wouldn't call that "tweaking". It seems to me that you are a GNOME fanboy that's pushing your preferences on people that don't know better (Widnows users), which is really annoying because every distro out there is doing the same. It's like they don't understand why Linux Mint is so popular. Why would you want your desktop empty (no desktop icons) Why would you want your start menu to be fullscreen? Didn't you learn from Windows 8 that nobody wants that?
I was really disappointed when I first saw SteamOS with the GNOME DE. If I was first introduced to Linux by you or SteamOS, I would think "Linux looks horrendous" and never look at it again. Mint and KDE are not Windows clones. You may hate the taskbar and launcher of KDE because they reminds you of Windows, but there is a reason why all the OSes used to use the classic taskbar and launcher. It's like pushing a window manager like i3 because you think it's cool. I like i3 too, but I'm realistic enough to know that majority of people would hate it (I don't want to use those keybinding all the time either). Maybe it would be good idea to put it on university PCs that teach programming?
To me GNOME added features nobody asked for and removed the ones everyone loved and was used to because the developers thought it looked cool. Not caring what the users of the DE thought about it.
I used to think KDE4 looked bad. Since GTK3 was released GNOME has been getting uglier and uglier.
IMO the only reason GNOME became the primary DE over KDE5 was because of development resources. Now that KDE Plasma is stable and improving, things are changing.
End of rant.
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Quoting: Purple Library GuyWhat's annoying about Windows is mostly all the Xtra Proprietary-ness.But you do realize that most of people do not care about that? We may, but most of the folks just want to get their job done.
Quoting: Purple Library GuySecond, there are two main reasons musicians, graphic designers etc. use OS X. The first is that it has an excellent software ecosystem for that kind of peopleyes - and its backed by the OS. For example - on OSX you basically connect an audio device and you have low latency audio out of the box.
On Windows you need to add some special drivers. Oh, and have you tried it on Linux? Yes, in theory it is doable but you need to fiddle with JACK and preferably custom kernel. I doubt most of musicians would go with that - not because they're not capable to learn it, but because fiddling with systems is not their job.
That's what I think when I say "we should do better". We should offer better OS tools that would grant user better experience when they're trying to get their job done.
Making the workflow / UI "similar" IMO should be just an afterthought.
And yes, that's just my opinion. But I try to base it on what I see. Look - OSX is popular among creatives as it offers good experience for them, even though it is different. Linux dominates server / supercomputer space - again because it offers better experience for folks that are into it, not because it is "similar". That's IMO the approach that brings folks on board.
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Quoting: PJQuoting: SchattenspiegelLet's hope the ones crossing over do not come into contact with GNOME desktop first. Otherwise they might start to find windows 11 not so bad after all. ;-)and that's debatable. My personal experience is that when I introduce some non-techie to Linux Gnome works best (with addad dock and some minor tweaks). Those were folks that actually kept using Linux.
With "techies" KDE is usually the best choice. Sucks with default settings but you can do almost anything with it.
IMO one of the issues with Linux desktop is by default every single DE sucks... even though every single one (among the major ones) is actually awesome.
When I had introduced GNOME and Unity to my friends and other people I know, nobody liked it they couldn't understand where the start menu was, didn't like the big icons of the start menu (thought it was meant for tablet). Most didn't even realize the OS had completely loaded.
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Quoting: PJQuoting: Purple Library GuyWhat's annoying about Windows is mostly all the Xtra Proprietary-ness.But you do realize that most of people do not care about that? We may, but most of the folks just want to get their job done.
Well, he was talking about what annoys people that are annoyed. Yes, some people dont' care.
But second, I don't think you'll find many people who are happy about what Purple listed (and you cut out)...
Quoting: Purple Library GuyThe way if you're not using Microsoft Edge as your browser (and who does?) it will keep on badgering you to start. The way it keeps popping up weird notifications that sound like something dire but if you think about it for a while is actually just them complaining that you set your settings not to hand over all your data. The other popups that are basically just incomprehensible and almost certainly irrelevant, but which sound like your computer is on fire or something.
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Quoting: BOYSSSSSIt seems to me that you are a GNOME fanboy that's pushing your preferences on people that don't know betterOMG, how did you get that impression? Because I've said I think ALL de-s are actually amazing, including GNOME? Since when not hating something became fanboyism :D ?
I don't mind that you don't like GNOME - it is simply personal preference. I like it, but I also like KDE Plasma, Xfce, Cinammon etc. But I also see issues with every single one of those.
Quoting: BOYSSSSSI don't use KWallet and disable Search indexing, but I wouldn't call that "tweaking".ok, but think about regular folks - for them it is serious tweaking. They wouldn't know where to find those settings. They would just be hella annoyed by the constant KDE Wallet nags (which shouldn't be a thing if the wallet actually got properly opened by SDDM, other login managers actually can do it, no issues with PAM modules) and search not working.
Just open KDE settings and think about regular folks - do you think they'd enjoy those? Heck, I'm pretty familiar with them and still often forget where to look for the setting I want to change.
So even though I seriously think it is amazing what this amount settings brings to the table and I often install KDE on work machines I also see that the way it is exposed to the user can also be a potential problem.
In the end I don't care which DE "wins". Heck, I don't even look at it as some kind of competition. I'm glad we have choices and I like what those bring to the table.
What I care about is whether Linux offers better workflows and experience for "non-techies". And IMO we have all the means, almost all the parts are there, but it didn't happen.
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Quoting: Eike(and you cut out).not out of malice though :) . I just didn't think quoting huge block would change anything.
Look, I'd love people to get annoyed. Techies usually are. But I often work with people that are not into computers. And to my horror I often see them using Edge, or installing Chrome and simply ignoring those popups. They don't care.
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Quoting: PJconstant KDE Wallet nagsI don't know what nags you're talking about. Among all the times I've installed a distro with KDE I've only gotten it once and then I put on a password and that was it. If you're constantly getting notification just uninstall it.
Quoting: PJOMG, how did you get that impression? Because I've said I think ALL de-s are actually amazing, including GNOME? Since when not hating something became fanboyism :D ?You're the guy that's recommending GNOME for new people to Linux right? Or was I mistaken? Sorry if I was mistaken.
ok, but think about regular folks - for them it is serious tweaking. They wouldn't know where to find those settings.
Quoting: PJKDE looks like someone puked rainbow on your screen, trying to make a windows clone with bad font choices and totally tangled settings and options.Where did you get that impression from? I like the default settings and so do most people.
Quoting: PJWith Gnome you just install 2-3 extensions, tweak the same amount of settings (for example turn on extra window buttons) and install icon theme.You think it's easier to make GNOME look like KDE than vice versa? Which do you think is harder, removing KWallet or putting the classical start menu and taskbar on GNOME for a newbie? (I haven't used GNOME since 3 was first released so there are probably other things a Windows user and I will hate about the DE)
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Quoting: PJWith Gnome you just install 2-3 extensions, tweak the same amount of settings (for example turn on extra window buttons) and install icon theme. With KDE you add a theme and spend quite a bit going through the settings then disable/tweak stuff that does not work so well
This is one of the biggest misconceptions the Linux community has that makes Linux very unfriendly to new users.
You think that it's easy for a newbie to search the whole internet (Linux wikis, forums etc.) for a command that will need to be put in the terminal to run something. And at the same time you think it's hard for anyone to find a button in System Settings or Launcher Menu.
It's the opposite! You even have a search bar to help you with finding things.
This is what annoyed me to no end when I first started using Linux. Every little thing needed a command. If there's a setting or GUI it's easy for me. I will find it and change it and I'll remember that the setting is there. But I can't remember every single command that is needed to change something that I may never use again. (That's why I have a txt file with all the commands I've ever needed to do in case I need them again)
And that's why Linux will always be unfriendly to newbies. The Linux community doesn't understand that simple fact and instead thinks too much settings are hard to remember.
>Oh NO! I need to remember where this setting in the interface is! That's too hard!
>If only I could install some packages, change some config files with root privileges and run some commands in the terminal after some googling.
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