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Valve's Steam client for Linux confirmed?
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 Re: Valve's Steam client for Linux confirmed?
Posted by RedWood on Mon Dec 1st at 6:40pm 2008

www.techspot.com/news/32675-valves-steam-client-for-linux-confirmed.html

If this is true then it means upcoming Valve games will have to support the must up to date versions of OpenGl. Witch is grate because I don't want to update to Vista or Visa SE. And getting DX10 to run on xp is a pain in the ass (because im ignorant). It's also smart of Valve, for many reasons. One of witch is that less than 10% of their user base is able to run DX10, according to their last hardware survey.

What do you guys think.


Reality has become a commodity.



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 Re: Valve's Steam client for Linux confirmed?
Posted by Le Chief on Tue Dec 2nd at 3:09am 2008

Does Linux not run DirectX?

I think whats happening is there trying to open Steam to the largest possible market, if Steam keeps going like the way it is, it really is going to dominate the market interms of online game distribution and its going to be hard to compete with.


Aaron's Stuff



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 Re: Valve's Steam client for Linux confirmed?
Posted by RedWood on Tue Dec 2nd at 3:41am 2008

Whoa, sorry. Looks like I made more of a hate speech than a comment on the article. My bad, i need to stop doing that.

My understanding is that DirectX is windows only.

I agree, it looks like Valve is trying to expand its user base. I wonder if their upcoming games are going to support OpenGl, given DX10 current status it looks like it would be a good idea.


Reality has become a commodity.



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 Re: Valve's Steam client for Linux confirmed?
Posted by larchy on Tue Dec 2nd at 10:08am 2008

lol talk about jumping to conclusions. There were a few linux libraries in the L4D distribution, but they're almost certainly just part of a linux dedicated server client for the game.

Yes DirectX is a Windows API smiley

You can use WINE or Cedega to achieve most DirectX 9 functionality under linux (including playing games), but it is beyond Joe Bloggs user in terms of the configuration that is required.



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 Re: Valve's Steam client for Linux confirmed?
Posted by Le Chief on Tue Dec 2nd at 10:34am 2008

Well, yeah, I knew that DirectX is a Microsoft API (technically not Windows since the Xbox console uses DirectX), I just wasn't sure if Linux used DirectX. I should have known that Linux didn't want to contribute to Microsoft's monopoly!


Aaron's Stuff



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 Re: Valve's Steam client for Linux confirmed?
Posted by larchy on Tue Dec 2nd at 10:42am 2008

Well the Xbox runs a version of the Windows Kernel, hence it's DirectX support. It is specifically an API for Windows.

Linux couldn't have DirectX unless Microsoft released DirectX for linux - DirectX isn't open source. There is no way you could make a linux version unless MS gave you the code. Obviously MS isn't about to let DirectX work on one of its main rivals smiley

WINE works pretty well on linux, but linux graphics drivers have always been very poor in performance terms compared to Windows. Its handy for playing lower end games (Civ4 works great) or apps like photoshop, but still dual booting Windows & linux or OSX is often the best way to go if you enjoy gaming.

EA are releasing a load of titles on Mac OSX apparently - like Spore for example. They just use Cedega for this rather than doing full ports, but at least the effort seems to be emerging.



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 Re: Valve's Steam client for Linux confirmed?
Posted by RedWood on Tue Dec 2nd at 11:58pm 2008

Quoting larchy
lol talk about jumping to conclusions. There were a few linux libraries in the L4D distribution, but they're almost certainly just part of a linux dedicated server client for the game.


To be a little more precise: "While the game's full release does not include these libraries, their inclusion in the demo suggests that Steam games could have native Linux clients in the near future, especially considering the libraries contain several strings nonessential to a Linux Left 4 Dead dedicated server but rather point to a Steam 3 release client on a Linux file-system."

Your rite though, it is quite a leap.


Reality has become a commodity.



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 Re: Valve's Steam client for Linux confirmed?
Posted by omegaslayer on Wed Dec 3rd at 12:47am 2008

DirectX is kinda short for direct access. Its an API that Microsoft developed to allow programs direct access to memory and what not. In fact it was more logical to run graphic intense games in Dos, that way they had access to memory rather than sending requests (that took a long time back then) for memory through the operating system (Windows 3). That is why you will never really be able to run direct x 10 on XP. Because Direct x (in essence) isn't something tacked onto windows, its built into windows so that programs such as games have direct access to memory, etc. Your never going to have directx 10 in anything other than windows 6 (visa)

Arron, why do you think it was called xbox? Because originally it was going to be called directXBox smiley

Redwood - While I think you may have some misconceptions about vista (like many people do), you dont, and shouldn't upgrade just yet when Windows 7 is on the horizon (I think there is an internal beta going about, that is able to run quite nicely on a 1GB machine, better than vista basically). Larchy - don't ask me to cite any sources regarding windows 7, if I posted links this web site might get take down from the wrath of bill gates.



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 Re: Valve's Steam client for Linux confirmed?
Posted by larchy on Wed Dec 3rd at 2:28pm 2008

lol... Beta 1 of Windows 7 will be doing the rounds in about a week's time.

One of the Vista product managers gave an interview a while ago where he admitted they really should have developed DirectX 10 for XP. There were some technical reasons why this would have been impossible, but allegedly MS actually changed the way DX10 handled memory to accomodate the fact that nVidia still doesn't know how to write graphics drivers (same as they did with XP SP2 and the 4GB address space gimping). The changes mean that it would be technically possible for DX10 to be ported to XP, but even if its true it still ain't gonna happen smiley

Not that it really matters... it's not as though it's needed for anything and by the time it is DX11 and Windows 7 will be here.

Also, Gates has retired. You now have to deal with Bulmer who likes to throw chairs across the room and tell everyone he is 'going to fuck Google' smiley (for real!)

Never heard about 'directXbox' before... that true? Any reason for the '360' rather than Xbox 2? I'm kinda wondering if the next one will be called Xbox 720, or Xbox 5 just to confuse everyone (since Windows 7 will be version 6.1 smiley )



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 Re: Valve's Steam client for Linux confirmed?
Posted by omegaslayer on Thu Dec 4th at 2:55am 2008

Quoting larchy
Never heard about 'directXbox' before... that true? Any reason for the '360' rather than Xbox 2? I'm kinda wondering if the next one will be called Xbox 720, or Xbox 5 just to confuse everyone (since Windows 7 will be version 6.1 smiley )

Bad source I know but: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DirectX

"The Xbox was code named DirectXbox, but this was shortened to Xbox for its commercial name."
It has a source (14), but (surprise) the link takes you to a long removed article.



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 Re: Valve's Steam client for Linux confirmed?
Posted by Riven on Thu Dec 4th at 5:13am 2008

I can confirm that "DirectXbox" name because I remember seeing one of the developers mention that on a G4 presentation on "The history of the Xbox" -aired in 2003 (before the 360 release or announcement for that matter), but you can watch it here on youtube. It's split into three parts.

-Or watch it below! -Thanks to Larchy!

=====The History of the Xbox prt 1=====




Blog: www.playingarchitecture.net
LinkedIn: Eric Lancon
Twitter:@Riven202



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 Re: Valve's Steam client for Linux confirmed?
Posted by RedWood on Thu Dec 4th at 7:51am 2008

Quoting omegaslayer

Redwood - While I think you may have some misconceptions about vista (like many people do), you dont, and shouldn't upgrade just yet when Windows 7 is on the horizon (I think there is an internal beta going about, that is able to run quite nicely on a 1GB machine, better than vista basically). Larchy - don't ask me to cite any sources regarding windows 7, if I posted links this web site might get take down from the wrath of bill gates.


I like to stay away form Vista and Win 7 all together but, I may give in to Win 7, for Dx10, months after its release depending on how it turns out.

Every one hear knows you can run DX10 on Xp right? Their is a performance hit but it most certainly works. Hears a link. Im going to give it a shot after I reinstall my hard drive this X-mass.
www.technospot.net/blogs/download-directx-10-for-windows-xp-from-alky-project


Reality has become a commodity.



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 Re: Valve's Steam client for Linux confirmed?
Posted by omegaslayer on Thu Dec 4th at 5:18pm 2008

Im still not convinced that you can get DirectX 10 on XP. I've looked over some of his stuff and its just emulating directX 10 through software, not actually having the api direct access to the video card hardware (think running HL1 in software mode).

This shouldn't turn into a vista > XP battle, but vista has improved since service pack 1. While I question a few of its "security" features (UAC can get turned off very easily), I do enjoy their event logger and system tools for removing nasty bugs. I also really enjoy robocopy immensely (when I need to migrate data from drive to drive).




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