A Message From Valve's Gabe Newell

[RussianNeuroMancer]

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTA4MTQ

For the many wondering, yes, we briefly talked about Valve's gaming work on Linux. He's not accepting any offer from Valve to work on their Steam/Source port to Linux because he's not at all willing to relocate from North Carolina to Washington to become a full-time Valve employee. But yes, he has talked with Valve, etc.

[gQuigs]

Perhaps... We could focus this thread on the two problems "Gabe" mentioned (on steamforlinux.com):
1. L4D2 runs multithreaded at 250 – 300 fps on my Windows 7 machine. Single threaded it’s ~180 fps. On Linux it runs at 25 – 30 fps with the same NVidia GTX 580 video card (after getting them to fix some things), and around the same on a ATI 6970.

I've had performance issues with L4D2 on Wine. To the point where I don't try playing it. At the same time CS:S/Portal are both easily playable.

2. Good tools to track down OpenGL performance and help debug rendering issues just don’t exist.

http://www.opengl.org/wiki/Debugging_Tools
Some of these tools, have not yet been mentioned and do run on Linux. Anyone experienced in OpenGL debugging, want to see if these could help?

Of course, if they would release a development version, we might be able to help a lot more...

[Naib]

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTA4MTQ

ok now we are getting somewhere, still sceptical since no specifics (and in light of Phoronix history on this topic). A valve statement would be nice when they are ready ... prob next year...

[kazetsukai]

If this is real (and Michael gets some footage of hanging out with Valve) then I'm psyched. As a community I think the best we can do is take this seriously by giving what advice we can and referring those we think can help make this a reality. Its up to Valve / whoever to follow through.

I'm going to go out, learn C for real this time and start some (at least) basic Linux Driver development... after reading this I'm done sitting on the sidelines.

[Michael]

It's called hypocrisy. If you keep telling people that you're interested in something, hell you even go so far as to open up a website about it, and then you don't even use it yourself but something else, that makes you a hypocrite. And thus a morally generally suspicious person, whose other statements should also be taken cum grano salis.

I would have no problem using windows myself if I wanted to play games that were written for windows, I find it a much better solution than using wine, it's just that it would be kind of hypocrite of me to support Linux all the time and then go and use something else instead, so I just don't play games for windows. And reading mail isn't even a crapOS exclusive thing.

I name it crapOS for two reasons: first, because I don't like advertising things I despise, and two, because that's what it is for me.

By the way, using 'lol', 'u', and calling other people names doesn't exactly make you come off intelligent.

At Ryan Gordon's presentation this weekend, he was presenting all of his slides from his Apple iPhone running iOS... He must be trying to undermine Linux too and secretly is a co-conspirator with Apple too?

[Sidicas]

Also all these people that have "sent an email to Gabe", sorry but if they think the CEO of a large company is going to respond to "little peoples" emails well... Its one thing for Michael to be in communications (linux news site), it is another to expect some random nobody off the internet to be in communications.

Gabe responds to "little people" emails ALL THE TIME. Go google it. You'll find dozens of instances where the STEAM community had questions/concerns/problems about something and hundreds of people sent Gabe an e-mail because they didn't believe everybody else, and Gabe responded by email to so many many many people. I guess the linux community just isn't aware of how serious Gabe is about treating people who send him e-mails with respect.. And I'd certainly hope people in the Linux community who aren't familiar with Gabe would treat him with the same kind of respect.

Some of the comments in this thread are horrifying.. Making fun of Gabe after all he's done for the gaming industry.

Here are the facts, it's pretty clear that Valve is looking for skilled linux game developers and skilled driver developers. Valve is trying to get the best-of-the-best people on this. Valve only hires the best of the best. If you know of somebody who fits that criteria, then let them know. Otherwise, leave Gabe alone, he's a busy guy.. There's already been half a dozen different people who e-mailed him to confirm this and he already has, so there's no reason to flood his e-mail box with confirmation requests.

No doubt, if Valve can't get the talent it needs, then there's not going to be a Steam for Linux any time soon... So there's no reason for Valve to be announcing anything.. They're looking to see if it's even possible to hire a team together to fix the open source gaming drivers and Valve's games in a reasonable amount of time. Assuming that Valve is even going to try to fix the graphics drivers, which I doubt, because it's not really their responsibility.

[mattst88]

At Ryan Gordon's presentation this weekend, he was presenting all of his slides from his Apple iPhone running iOS... He must be trying to undermine Linux too and secretly is a co-conspirator with Apple too?

He might if he ran an Android review site.

[susikala]

At Ryan Gordon's presentation this weekend, he was presenting all of his slides from his Apple iPhone running iOS... He must be trying to undermine Linux too and secretly is a co-conspirator with Apple too?

Hey, don't try to twist the words out of my mouth. I was never talking about any conspiracy. I am talking about integrity or lack thereof, i.e. hypocrisy. If that guy presents himself as a champion of porting stuff to Linux, why is he using that kind of evil? I'd condemn this kind of behaviour just as well. This has nothing to do with conspiracy (and shows how serious you take people who don't agree with you, putting them into the 'conspiracy theorists' drawer).

There's a pretty saying that goes "put your money where your mouth is". In other words, it's all pretty to talk about Linux, adopting of Linux, gaming on Linux, etc. etc., but at the end of the day, if you don't even use it yourself for the most basic tasks, what's the point?

[KameZero]

Also all these people that have "sent an email to Gabe", sorry but if they think the CEO of a large company is going to respond to "little peoples" emails well... Its one thing for Michael to be in communications (linux news site), it is another to expect some random nobody off the internet to be in communications.

Gabe is actually very well known for answering almost every email that comes into his inbox

I wouldn't think requesting some independent confirmation is too much to ask now; and no more ppl saying "I haz email" doesn't count, nor does myself emailing

It's not, but valve isn't exactly known for their speedy press announcements. And while emailing them wouldn't count as confirmation for anyone else, it's certainly interesting getting an email from gabe about it

Yes I do play HoN (I do forum moderation for S2, irc op and the occasional tech).

Hey! I'm one of the guys who trolls around the Linux/Mac tech forums after you stopped!

[yogi_berra]

At Ryan Gordon's presentation this weekend, he was presenting all of his slides from his Apple iPhone running iOS... He must be trying to undermine Linux too and secretly is a co-conspirator with Apple too?

Well, he is obviously crazy for turning a job at Valve down:

We’re not satisfied unless you and your family feel secure, happy, and taken care of. We start with the basics: competitive salaries, blanket medical, dental and vision coverage, flexible spending accounts (for health and child care), life and disability insurance, and matching 401(k)s. Then we add the little extras that make your work life and home life easier and healthier: parking, food, laundry service, monthly fitness stipends, and in-house massage. We’ve got you covered.

http://www.valvesoftware.com/jobs/index.html

That beats freelancing any day of the week.