You may have seen the fire and brimstone prognostication that Valve’s recent confirmation that Steam and Source were coming to Linux means that Windows 8 is dead in the water. Well, stepping back, the article in question admits that it would be Microsoft that would drive people to Linux, assuming Windows 8 is as big of a clusterfuck as anyone who needs an opinion in his or her back pocket about it will tell you it will be.

I’m not sure about the article’s claims. First, it munges the Windows 8 hate with a rosy forecast for Linux by way of Gabe Newell’s “stunning negativity” regarding Windows 8. As an aside, the article throws in that maybe…maybe…the Linux versions of Steam and Source were confirmed at this time as a kind of of middle finger towards Microsoft and the future of it’s desktop support. Valve is supporting Linux, so maybe we should consider Windows to be DOA?

Sorry, no. Steam is a massive player in digital distro; the biggest on the desktop, for certain. But Source? We’re talking 0.00001% of all games available out there, and they’re all ancient by modern gaming standards. Welcome to 2004, Linux! Plus, at least for me, I like my computer to work. I grew up with x286, x386, and the need to tweak config.sys and other system files just to get the soundcard to work with my games. I’m done with that. Linux is not ready for mass consumption because the Linux priesthood is more enamored with maintaining their geek cred then they are with making the OS easy enough for their mothers to use. I shouldn’t have to download a library to support a library to support a library to support a library. If Linux wants to unseat Windows, they’ll have to swallow their pride and put all the garbage under the hood where it belongs, not rely on Newell and Co. to drag gamers with promises of 10 year old technology.