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Linux and Gaming: Pilot (Sorta)

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Linux and Gaming is a new series that I am starting that is going to alternate with my Spring cleaning articles as for one I am finding it difficult to discuss ways to improve your system without upgrading your hardware and two because there seems to be a lot of ignorance about Linux and I want to clear that up some.

The way I am going to do this is Q and A style. This first one will just be some things off the top of my head, but at the bottom I am going to include a form that you can fill out asking me a question about Linux gaming and I will answer many of those questions in my articles.

First and foremost, people seem to misunderstand the difference between Linux and Steam OS. Linux is an operating system just like Windows and OS X are operating systems. Steam OS is a Linux distribution, but not Linux as a whole. Just like Windows 7 isn’t all of Windows. The tricky part is that there are many Linux distributions that have a multitude of versions developed by many different people. THIS is the nature of Open Source. What all of these distributions have in common is their Kernel. They all run a Linux Kernel.

Second, Linux is not that difficult to use. My girlfriend, thor save her, is not tech savvy and yet she is still able to use Linux on a day to day basis without having any issues. Once you get used to it, it’s just another operating system.

Third, Open Source does not equal crappy software. Big house devs like Apple and Microsoft make crappy software too. If anything Open Source means if it is crappy you can fix it if you so desire. With closed source software you are stuck with it if it is poor.

I have seen a lot of interest in Linux gaming on this site so I figured being a Linux guy myself I could clear up the air about gaming on Linux. I would love to hear your questions, and you can submit them in this form. Comments can be made below.