this post was submitted on 08 Mar 2026
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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No, it seriously doesn't! Here are the actual steps, unabridged and in full, that I go through to game on Linux:
sudo apt install steamGood luck getting Marathon to run on that without bugs. The distro won't be getting the needed driver updates for 6 months.
You knock it off, there are so many small issues a distro like bazzite fixes that kubuntu won't have patches for out of the box. Discord screen sharing, for one.
Then in steam you have to direct steam to use proton for almost every game with a Linux build because almost none of them actually work correctly.
Also, if you're directing the average joe to use the terminal, it's too hard. Seriously. It needs a polished, self explanatory GUI. If the app store version of steam isn't good enough, then its not a good distro to recommend. Even then an app store might be too hard, many people are used to downloading apps from their website, and that problem hasn't been solved by many distros, either.
The average Joe can certainly find it difficult to justify spending the time learning the terminal.. but actually learning how to use the terminal is easy (and I'm tired of everyone pretending it's not). If we tech literate people can put aside our low expectations then maybe we'll find it's easier to teach that expected.
Then we can consider something like downloading apps by visiting websites (perhaps after dodging malware links from adverts in modern search engines) a solved problem: don't do that.
This is something which aught to be taught in school as part of using a computer but users being tech literate probably goes against tech corporates that have their claws in education.
Okay, I admit, that's one flaw (out of many) with Kubuntu: there are two different entries for Steam in DIscover (the graphical software installer interface) because of Canonical's obsession with Snaps, so that's why I wrote an unambiguous console command instead.
To be clear, I don't actually like Snaps or some of Canonical's other business practices. I don't want to be recommending Kubuntu. But I can't deny that it's the easiest distro I've ever used.
And with Bazzite you can even skip step 2!
I installed Steam on several distros with no extra steps, and had issues with several games not launching correctly on Gnome.
On KDE Plasma, no issues.
It doesn't just fucking work for everyone equally, that's why letting someone else choose and setup what works best is a good idea.