Arch Linux and Valve Collaboration - Arch-dev-public - lists.archlinux.org
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We are excited to announce that Arch Linux is entering into a direct collaboration with Valve. Valve is generously providing backing for two critical projects that will have a huge impact on our distribution: a build service infrastructure and a secure signing enclave. By supporting work on a freelance basis for these topics, Valve enables us to work on them without being limited solely by the free time of our volunteers.

This opportunity allows us to address some of the biggest outstanding challenges we have been facing for a while. The collaboration will speed-up the progress that would otherwise take much longer for us to achieve, and will ultimately unblock us from finally pursuing some of our planned endeavors. We are incredibly grateful for Valve to make this possible and for their explicit commitment to help and support Arch Linux.

These projects will follow our usual development and consensus-building workflows. [RFCs] will be created for any wide-ranging changes. Discussions on this mailing list as well as issue, milestone and epic planning in our GitLab will provide transparency and insight into the work. We believe this collaboration will greatly benefit Arch Linux, and are looking forward to share further development on this mailing list as work progresses.

  • oce 🐆@jlai.luEnglish
    34·
    10 hours ago

    Successful open source software business model at work. Way to go.

    I don’t think FOSS represents a lot of how they make money, the money making is probably all closed source, so I don’t think it’s a good example. It’s more like a for-profit company also doing so good quality charity work on the side. It’s mostly good for their image and a way to tell Windows that they could go without them if they don’t collaborate.
    I fully enjoy what they have been doing as a Linux only patient gamer for the past years, but I am realistic.

    • pivot_root@lemmy.worldEnglish
      36·
      10 hours ago

      In reality, it’s likely a self-preservation move. Microsoft made what appeared to be a monopolistic move to control the entire Windows ecosystem when they added their own app store and the locked down S edition of Windows. If Valve both hadn’t invested in Linux and Microsoft hadn’t halted going down that path, they would have been screwed.

      • Aatube@kbin.melroy.orgOP
        2·
        1 hour ago

        I’d doubt that. Everyone hated S mode: Corporate hated it, power users hated it, newbies…probably ignored it. Even if MS continued down it, it’d just be like Digg v4.

        Personally, I think the profit incentive is a way to improve SteamOS further for free.

      • henfredemars@infosec.pubEnglish
        1·
        1 hour ago

        I’m not sure that Microsoft ever did halt going down that path. My wife recently bought a PC that came locked down by default and required some fiddling to allow running unsigned apps. This was Windows 10, not sure about 11.

        I think it could be more that broad compatibility with everything is their main selling point, and by doing so they were undermining their own ecosystem.

        However, this is mere speculation on my part.

    • helenslunch@feddit.nlEnglish
      6·
      9 hours ago

      and a way to tell Windows that they could go without them if they don’t collaborate.

      Ehhhh it’s a step in that direction. But as long as 96% or whatever of their users run Windows, it’s hardly much of a bargaining tool.

      I do think that’s what they’re working for. After all Windows could flip a switch at any time and royally fuck them.

      • WalnutLum@lemmy.mlEnglish
        7·
        3 hours ago

        I think Steam does have enough influence to be able to pull a sizable chunk of users away from windows.

        • henfredemars@infosec.pubEnglish
          3·
          1 hour ago

          That’s a tough nut to crack. Even as a video game platform, they don’t write most of the software that they sell today. They would need to find some way to convince developers to write software for something that’s not the platform nearly all users are running.

          • TechnicallyColors@lemm.eeEnglish
            4·
            1 hour ago

            They’ve more or less already done that with Proton and DXVK. Nearly all Windows games “just work” on Linux without developers needing to change anything. TBH whenever big studios develop Linux versions of games they’re usually not well-done anyway; for now it’s better if people develop with their comfy Windows tools and let compatibility tools take care of the translation. When the balance shifts to Linux dominance we can start pressing on them to learn how to use Linux SDKs.