If you had told me 5 years ago that Valve would be responsible for the rise of Linux in the mainstream and change the way we use our devices, I would’ve laughed you out of the room. Well, it seems very likely today. Let me explain.
Since Windows 95, potentially Windows 3.1 but I can’t find data back that far, Microsoft Windows OS has been the dominant OS. Although there were some trip-ups, it was mostly good times from Windows 95 to Windows 8 or Windows 10, depending on who you ask. The debut of Windows 11 had me scratching my head. When it was revealed, there were no new features, aside from some fancy window tricks. I mean, there were new features announced, but these would not make it into the OS until later. Again, head-scratcher. What is the selling point? What’s the angle here? Historically every version of Windows had shipped with major new features for us power users to tinker with from beta to RTM (Release to manufacturers). As techs, we would spend so much time finding everything there was to find. This new version of Windows was Windows 10 with a new skin. It was free to use, though you would have a watermark and some features not accessible if you didn’t have a license. Otherwise, it was fully functional as far as using it as an OS. This seemed…suspicious to say the least.
Well, turns out I wasn’t wrong. Fast forward to 2025 and Windows 11 has become unbearable for some of us. From ads from preinstalled apps like Spotify and Candy Crush to nagging to purchase Microsoft 365, OneDrive, and other offerings. Not to mention the non-stop spying via Edge and other telemetry data they sip…no…GULP from our machines. Then there are the OS system requirements, like TPM2.0, CPU generation cut-offs, and so on. I understand that some are okay with these requirements. I do. The problem I see with them is that computers last much longer than they used to. They are much more reliable and remain quite snappy if they are maintained somewhat regularly. Add to that, support for Windows 10 being dropped in October of 2025, which equates to a lot of e-waste and wasted money for consumers at a time when they are more strapped for cash than they have been in decades. I have considered switching to Linux many times as it is fully usable for day-to-day tasks. My issue is I do music production and other niche things that don’t have much support on Linux. A switch to Linux just isn’t practical for me and many other users. So, we wait and complain about Microsoft’s antics while we use their OS.
Valve, to the rescue. While Valve’s Steam Deck is a cool useful device, at the time of its release, I didn’t see it as a threat to Microsoft. Now that Valve is introducing SteamOS, their in-house Linux-based OS, to other portable devices as well as allowing users to install it on their personal computers, the support for Linux may finally change and shift things in a big way. Hear me out. This isn’t just about gaming. Following the Steam Deck release, many games became Steam Deck verified in a very short time, thanks to Proton, a compatibility layer for Linux that allows users to run Windows games. This was the first preview for more support for Linux. While gaming is not all we do on our PCs, games are a big driver of PC & PC Component sales. Developers go where the users are. The more devices and PCs that adopt SteamOS, the more support Linux gets. Developers will take notice and not want to miss out on those users. We could see many users leaving Windows behind in exchange for a free OS where they can compute how they want without constant ads, more supported CPUs, allowing them to keep their older systems, and the ability to use and customize their OS how they see fit. This will attract more software support leaving users with little reason to run Windows if not for proprietary reasons often found in large businesses.
I could see using an Apple Mac Mini, which starts at $699 as of typing this, for music production and SteamOS on my PC for gaming. Even more than this, the Steam Deck is providing an alternative to desktop gaming. With graphics cards becoming more expensive often costing $600 and up for mid-range, a far cry from five years ago, handhelds may just provide a good alternative for those who do not have the cash or just simply choose not to spend on an expensive rig.
I remember a time when the way we listened to music was via a Tape, CD, or Computer. We would rip our CDs or download MP3s via…well let’s just say…methods. That’s just how we did it. There were some portable MP3 players you could buy, but these were often clunky or small and didn’t provide enough storage. Still with those, you had to add the MP3 file to them via one of the ways mentioned before or iTunes. Even content streaming was done on a computer, whether it be a desktop or laptop. Eventually, both shifted to phones, tablets, and even TVs as they became more powerful. I see the same shift happening with gaming. With Game Streaming becoming a thing, that will possibly shift the tides even further. Game streaming still has some latency issues to work out, but for simpler slower reaction games, it tends to work fine. I believe the latency is more of an infrastructure issue and even then, feels far away.
For now, we have Valve coming in to shake things up with SteamOS and I for one am grateful. Not just because I have a problem with the state of Windows today. But also, because it’s interesting. I am 41 as of writing this. I have lived to see many shifts in computing and gaming. Things were stale for a while, and I was becoming uninterested in computing as a whole. Now, I couldn’t be more excited to see what the future holds. I know some are reading this wondering why I didn’t mention the Switch as far as the credit it deserves. You’re not wrong. The switch inspired the Steam Deck, no argument there. But this isn’t necessarily about the Steam Deck. It’s more about SteamOS and how I did not expect Valve to be the one to shake things up and potentially shift how we compute. Strap in folks, we’re in for some interesting times and I want to personally thank Valve for providing the interest. Cheers.
