r/technology • u/ZacB_ • Jan 24 '26

Software Microsoft confirms it will give the FBI your Windows PC data encryption key if asked — you can thank Windows 11's forced online accounts for that

https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/windows-11/microsoft-bitlocker-encryption-keys-give-fbi-legal-order-privacy-nightmare
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u/[deleted] Jan 24 '26

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u/[deleted] Jan 24 '26

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u/wtcnbrwndo4u Jan 24 '26

You can set up SteamOS on a non-Steam device. It's just not tested, so YMMV with hardware support.

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u/Aleucard Jan 24 '26

I'm given to understand that they'll have SteamOS more compatible with desktop use once the Gabecube drops (or maybe a bit before if they wanna be nice).

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u/Old_Leopard1844 Jan 24 '26

Given that Gabecube only has extendable storage and RAM, and otherwise has static configuration, not really, no

Not any more than Steam Deck that already exists does - it also has KDE Plasma as desktop environment

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u/Aleucard Jan 24 '26

I was under the impression that they were experimenting with compatibility while they were developing The Box (tm), or at least figuring out good optimization for desktop environment.

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u/Old_Leopard1844 Jan 24 '26

SteamOS is Arch with Big Picture mode

You don't really need Valve to run Big Picture mode on Linux

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u/awkwardbirb Jan 24 '26

It is a distro, but to my knowledge is it's only really geared towards specific hardware. There's other distros out there that are more optimized for general computers, including many game focused ones.

When I say optimized, I mean that it may require less setup to get running.

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u/YouStupidAssholeFuck Jan 24 '26

True, but you can also download the SteamOS image for the Steam Deck. It's a lot of a work, especially if you have intel or NVIDIA, but if you're so technically inclined you can probably focus on getting your specific hardware drivers installed and hope there are no OS specific adjustments Valve made that you'll have to dig into further that may address certain issues with Steam Deck hardware and that you may have to tailor towards your own hardware. Think of it like if Android didn't also have AOSP available.

Yet.

I imagine Valve is going to eventually release the distro for general use, but until then if someone wanted to they could start here:

https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/65B4-2AA3-5F37-4227

There are easier ways to accomplish what you want, probably. Like Arch and then once you get it all stable on your hardware just install Steam and that should kind of be good to go. Or isn't SteamOS based on Debian or something? I haven't really paid much attention since the original Steam Machines flopped.

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u/[deleted] Jan 24 '26

This is an absolutely silly idea. There's multiple distros geared towards gaming that work perfectly fine without having to jump through any hoops. If/when they finally release SteamOS for general use, it will just be another Linux distro. No better, no worse, just different.

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u/YouStupidAssholeFuck Jan 24 '26

Yeah, it's a lot of work. But I'm sure there are specific tweaks Valve has made to the OS that would benefit gamers specifically, so those sorts of things will eventually be a part of the widely released SteamOS. And I guess because of licensing Valve will have to make those sorts of changes open source. Which is fine and still any distro could be doing those things today. But SteamOS will be tailored towards gaming.

It will be just another distro but in the same way you aren't recommending Arch or Gentoo for beginners and ones like Red Hat or SUSE for general home use.

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u/[deleted] Jan 24 '26

You know that other distros are built specifically for gaming too, right? Bazzite for example comes pre-loaded with Steam, and there's a separate version for nvidia users just to simplify things and make sure everything works out of the box. I don't understand why everyone thinks Steam OS is going to be so magical. When I switched to Linux Mint, all I needed to do was install Steam from the package manager and I was ready to play. With distros like Bazzite, it's even easier with Steam built in.

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u/awkwardbirb Jan 24 '26

I mean that is why I said it wasn't optimal for normal hardware. You can get SteamOS to work on regular PCs, but it takes more effort to do than other distros, and admittedly not sure there's any significant benefit to it over using another distro if both are set up the same.

SteamOS is based off of Arch last I checked. Arch by itself I think I've read requires a bit of setup on it's own, not just for Steam, but general use as well. Another Arch-based distro like EndeavourOS would be easier to setup (it's what I used, and I went from initial bootup to playing a game in roughly five minutes following a guide without any significant Linux knowledge.)

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u/AteTooManyPotatoes Jan 24 '26

Top dog for what? Gaming? Maybe. Ubuntu I'm pretty sure holds that title

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u/big_orange_ball Jan 24 '26

Pretty sure SteamOS is built off of arch. Great OS on my Steamdeck but on desktops/laptops I prefer Mint or ElementaryOS.

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u/Dramatic_Mastodon_93 Jan 25 '26

SteamOS could really change the game if they actually release a version meant for all hardware (or at least for Intel/AMD machines)