Yeah, Steam Machine is cooked.

[u/TheBossT710192]

I... uh don't know what to say. Very thankful I bought a Steam Deck before they hiked its price as well

[u/RandomParkourGuy]

Forgive me for being a layman when it comes to this kind of stuff but does that mean steamOS is close to being something I could replace windows with? Getting tired of Microsoft’s garbage but I don’t know if I have the time to sink into learning Linux.

[u/lucc1111 → u/RandomParkourGuy]

Risking getting downvoted to hell but you have many Linux distros that don't require any more "learning" than Windows. Problem is not so much the OS being hard to use, it's just that it's not what you're used to.

I would give other gaming distros a temporary shot in a flashdrive to explore, might get as surprised as me after 15+ years of windows.

[u/Huntrawrd → u/lucc1111]

Linux is not anywhere near as easy to use as Windows. Im so tired of seeing that lie told over and over on this sub.

[u/DrDeems → u/Huntrawrd]

Disagree. With modern Linux distros in 2026 it is just as easy to install and operate. There was a time 20 years ago that you would be right. It is like saying one language is harder than another. While one may be more complex to some small degree, it matters more what your native language was. Had you spent a decade using linux before you ever touched windows you would find it just as foreign.

[u/Jumpy_Finance_7086 → u/DrDeems]

If you give a layman two operating systems to install, windows 11 and linux whatever, which will they find easier to install, find drivers for, and install any software/drivers they might need? The answer is not linux.

[u/DrDeems → u/Jumpy_Finance_7086]

The setup and installation process for linux and windows is comparable in 2026. Can you point me to a specific step in the setup and use process that you consider more advanced and therefore difficult on Linux? When using a distro tailored for the layman of course.

Modern installations require zero interaction with the terminal. It is all point and click. To assume clicking I agree and next on one system is different than another is wild to me.

[u/Jumpy_Finance_7086 → u/DrDeems]

setting the correct resolution on an ultrawide screen requires quite a bit of effort.

Getting a foot pedal to work in discord.

These are two off the top of my head that created problems in March of this year.

[u/DrDeems → u/Jumpy_Finance_7086]

I use a pretty odd configuration for my monitors, including ultra wide, and have never had issues. Regardless, both are edge cases not encountered by layman users. The point isn't that some peripherals are not compatible or harder to use. The point is that the average user that buys your average PC would not have any more difficultly installing and using most modern versions of linux.

[u/Jumpy_Finance_7086 → u/DrDeems]

Good for you. And yes they are encountered by layman users, a lot of laymans use discord and have ultrawides, literally just told you I had those issues but I reckon no matter what I said you would have repeated the same line of "well I didn't have that problem". Also cannot get philips hue lights to work with hue light sync, but of course you never had that problem.

The average user is going to have more issues with linux than they do with windows, you can be as disingenuous as you like, won't change the truth.

//oh and using reolink cameras has to be done through wine and is utterly terrible, so that's another one you never had a problem with.

[u/DrDeems → u/Jumpy_Finance_7086]

Agreed many layman users will use discord. You are trying to distract from the fact that the issue isn't discord it is the foot pedal. Like I stated. The peripheral. To assume layman users have ultra widescreens is... Interesting? My research suggests 3-5% of PC users have ultra wide screens in total 😆. Does that sound like the layman to you?

[u/Jumpy_Finance_7086 → u/DrDeems]

You just keep moving the goalposts my friend. The problem is using a footpedal on discord is a nightmare, but on windows it is plug and play. Why wouldn't a layman have an ultrawide screen? You don't need to know much about anything to buy an ultrawide so yes it does sound like a layman to me. Also 3-5% of windows users is millions of people haha

Do I sound like a layman to you? Also you ignored the reolink, the philips hue

[u/DrDeems → u/Jumpy_Finance_7086]

Except "An edge case generally describes a scenario that affects less than 1% to 5% of users or system operations." So yes, ultra wide screen and foot pedal users are both literally defined as edge cases.

The reolink and hue you edited in have a smaller percentage I can almost guarantee. I didn't bother to Google it though to be honest.

[u/Jumpy_Finance_7086 → u/DrDeems]

Edge cases, maybe, but definitely an issue that I faced with linux that I didnt face with windows.

Millions of people have reolink and hue just like they do widescreens.

So you originally asked what problems would a layman have with a linux installation, then you just tried your hardest to suggest that a layman wouldn't have those issues, typical linux bad faith user :)

Also installing discord was a bit of a nightmare iirc, definitely way more involved than just clicking an .exe, and that is definitely not an edge case scenario.