I get that we shouldn’t be happy about any type of Monopoly but Steam occupies the PC gaming space similar to how Linux dominates the server space.
You can’t really complain that almost every server running Linux is a bad thing. Granted Steam is not open source, but you have to imagine how little effort it takes to not make a shitty marketplace/platform as a competitor.
The fact that such a low bar cannot be surpassed by multi billion dollar companies is all you really need to know, especially when GOG successfully exists.
Free can still be a monopoly. There is still a controlling group that decides the direction of linux and then entire ecosystem moves with that direction.
None of that is a monopoly. Ecosystems have fragmented before because of decisions and Linux wouldn’t be immune to it. Alternative forks of entire ecosystems happen.
A monopoly isn’t a guarantee to always be a monopoly. It’s just at a point in time.
Linux isn’t a monopoly obviously because windows and other operating systems exist but in a world where there was only Linux it being free and open source wouldn’t change its monopoly status.
It’s more accurate to call it a commission for marketing, advertising, and distribution services. Steam isn’t doing nother, they are providing a service to their customers.
Steam is a closed source market place blob that takes 30% middle man tax. Valve however has understood FOSS, and the contributions they are making are immense.
When a true FOSS project is dominating this means the people are in control of it. Not corpos nor is it a monopoly. People have voted by donating work for it to be the most successful thing in its applicable area. Dominating FOSS projects also suck up and integrate a lot of innovation greatly reducing duplicated effort.
FreeBSD is alive and well, and it even benefits from Linux’s DRM GPU drivers.
Although the drm gpu drivers are mostly of a corporate effort, we are seeing an occasional interventions by the people “no, not like that” to keep the sometimes shoddy quality up.
![Steam competitors be like. [Extended?]](https://thelemmy.club/pictrs/image/8d2d46eb-234c-41bd-b7c1-fb9c4c9f2508.webp){kind=link}
I get that we shouldn’t be happy about any type of Monopoly but Steam occupies the PC gaming space similar to how Linux dominates the server space.
You can’t really complain that almost every server running Linux is a bad thing. Granted Steam is not open source, but you have to imagine how little effort it takes to not make a shitty marketplace/platform as a competitor.
The fact that such a low bar cannot be surpassed by multi billion dollar companies is all you really need to know, especially when GOG successfully exists.
Linux is free. Free cannot be monopoly. Bad comparison here.
Free can still be a monopoly. There is still a controlling group that decides the direction of linux and then entire ecosystem moves with that direction.
If you stretch the definition long enough, sure.
None of that is a monopoly. Ecosystems have fragmented before because of decisions and Linux wouldn’t be immune to it. Alternative forks of entire ecosystems happen.
A monopoly isn’t a guarantee to always be a monopoly. It’s just at a point in time.
Linux isn’t a monopoly obviously because windows and other operating systems exist but in a world where there was only Linux it being free and open source wouldn’t change its monopoly status.
Steam is also free unless I’m missing something?
They mean free as in freedom / free speech (libre), not free as in free beer / free robux (gratis)
Linux is libre, Steam is not libre, both are gratis
Oh okay, thanks for clarifying.
Steam is gratis to create an account, it is not free. All game purchases have a 30% tax, and you don’t own the games you purchased.
Not tax, it’s Steam’s cut.
It’s more accurate to call it a commission for marketing, advertising, and distribution services. Steam isn’t doing nother, they are providing a service to their customers.
Thanks for clarifying
Steam is a closed source market place blob that takes 30% middle man tax. Valve however has understood FOSS, and the contributions they are making are immense.
When a true FOSS project is dominating this means the people are in control of it. Not corpos nor is it a monopoly. People have voted by donating work for it to be the most successful thing in its applicable area. Dominating FOSS projects also suck up and integrate a lot of innovation greatly reducing duplicated effort.
FreeBSD is alive and well, and it even benefits from Linux’s DRM GPU drivers.
Although the drm gpu drivers are mostly of a corporate effort, we are seeing an occasional interventions by the people “no, not like that” to keep the sometimes shoddy quality up.
/<this is a bit too high effort post.>