

Valve CEO: Windows 8 Is a ‘Catastrophe’ for Game Developers - jeffreyfox
http://mashable.com/2012/07/26/gabe-newell-windows-8/

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jeffool
Admittedly I'm sleepy and wild-eyed, but... I have to wonder: If Valve pushes
Linux as the focus of their internal development? But give it three years.
What if Linux actually becomes the chief gaming environment? I can certainly
see indie developers pushing Linux, or at the least offering Linux versions,
as Steam currently offers both Win+Mac versions of games.

Given Linus' own comments about gnome, maybe some new attention is exactly
what's needed for a new desktop environment to spring forward? And considering
the freeform nature of Valve, I wouldn't be amazed to find out that some of
the internal focus on the rumored "SteamBox" console turns into a new Linux
desktop.

And what happens with MS? Do they chiefly become a device pusher like Apple?
Are they even prepared for this fight?

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laserDinosaur
On one hand, even if Valve did start developing for Linux, I'd wager that 99%
of their engineers and their tools, as well as all the hardware they develop
for (DirectX is mighty handy), are all based around Windows. You can't just
switch that out overnight. I would say without those resources being available
it would drasticaly reduce what they could develop. On the other hand, look at
what Google/Facebook/GitHub/Android/etc. have done for the open source scene.
I keep hearing rumours of Valve making a console, maybe a console/pc hybrid
that can run steam on top of linux using their own SDK, I could believe it.
It's tricky though, only because so much of Valves infastructure revolves
around developing for windows, switching to Linux would cause a lot of their
top egineers to be forced out. But christ, if MS forces Valve to leave the PC
world and we are stuck with Origin and Games for Windows Live, the PC is
officaly dead.

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topbanana
He's worried MS are going to steal 30% of his lunch. He can probably afford
it.

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kitsune_
Wasn't this posted to HN yesterday?

