Hello Linux Geeksters. Valve has officially joined The Linux Foundation. This decision is quite logical, since Valve has made gaming on Linux possible, via its Steam client.
From the official announcement:
“Joining the Linux Foundation is one of many ways Valve is investing in the advancement of Linux gaming. Through these efforts, we hope to contribute tools for developers building new experiences on Linux, compel hardware manufacturers to prioritize support for Linux, and ultimately deliver an elegant and open platform for Linux users,” said Mike Sartain of Valve.
“Our membership continues to grow as both new and mature entities embrace community development and open technologies,” said Mike Woster, chief operating officer, The Linux Foundation. “Our new members believe Linux is a strategic investment that allows their markets to evolve as quickly as possible to achieve long-term viability and competitiveness.”
Valve’s boss, Gabe Newell really believes that Linux is a good environment for gaming, since they are already developing their own Linux system, called SteamOS. Also, see the above video:
For those who don’t know yet, Valve has initiated some ambitions projects: the SteamOS, a Linux operating system optimized for gaming, the Steam Machine, a gaming colsole that will run with SteamOS and the Steam Controller, a game controller specially designed for SteamOS and the Steam Machine. A demo video of the Steam Controller can be found here. Also, iBuyPower, a third party manufacturer will release the first non Valve Steam Machines running with AMD hardware.
Also worth mentioning is that SteamOS will not be based on Ubuntu, but a custom made Linux system and it will not provide the basic functions of a normal OS, since it won’t have a file manager or a image view aplication. However, it will most likely have support for streaming video services, like Netflix or Hulu Plus, since Valve has announced that the most popular and loved TV shows, music videos and other video media will be available via Steam and SteamOS.