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Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Valve’s Steam Software Arriving On Linux Soon

After a long wait in now seems as though Steam for Linux might actually be arriving in the next couple of months. Valve’s gaming distribution software Steam, has been available on PC systems since it was revealed to the public on 22 March 2002 at the Game Developers Conference.
Since then the game platform has arrived on Mac systems worldwide on May 12, 2010. Providing a much needed gaming service for the neglected Mac gaming scene.
Now Michael Larabel has confirmed that a Linux edition of the Steam software is currently in the works, and has already got Left 4 Dead 2 running natively on Ubuntu 11.10 with AMD Catalysts drivers. No date has been announced for the release of Steam on Linux but as soon as we hear anything else we will keep you updated.
Steam has grown from strength to strength over the years since its launch and as of January 2012, there are 1504 games available through Steam, and 40 million active user accounts, with concurrent users peaking to 5 million on January 2, 2012.


Most Popular Linux Distribution: Ubuntu (and Its Variants)


There are Linux distributions of all shapes and sizes, with varying levels of complexity and difficulty. Some are super-easy to install, and can be installed like any other OS, with minimal knowledge of the command line—you click "OK" a few times and you're up and running. Others require you get your hands reallydirty with the underpinnings of the system you're building, making sure it's just right for your specific needs. So which do you prefer? Well, earlier last week we asked you what you thought the best overall Linux distribution was, understanding that "best" is a relative term. Then we took a look at the top five Linux distros, based on your over-400 nominations, and put them to a vote. Now, we're back to crown the overall winner.
Ubuntu (and its variants) took the top spot with room to spare—bringing in just over 51% of the overall vote. Behind it in second place was Linux Mint, with close to 16% of the votes cast, and hot on its heels in third was Arch Linux with just shy of 15% of the total vote. In fourth place with 10% of the vote was the venerable Debian, and bringing up the rear with over 8% was Fedora.