The Verge interviews Valve CEO Gabe Newell
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 8th Jan 2013 23:45 UTC
Games The Verge got to interview Valve's CEO, Gabe Newell, and the priceless quotes are just flying left and right. "We'll come out with our own and we'll sell it to consumers by ourselves. That'll be a Linux box, [and] if you want to install Windows you can. We're not going to make it hard. This is not some locked box by any stretch of the imagination." Others will be making Steambox devices too. Also: "Windows 8 was like this giant sadness. It just hurts everybody in the PC business. [...] When I started using it I was like 'oh my god...' I find [Windows 8] unusable." This last point is something I agree with vehemently. Can't comment on Windows 8 on tablets, but on regular PCs it's a schizophrenic, unusable clusterduck. It got me to switch back to Mac and use KDE (on my laptop). Let that sink in for a while.
E-mail Print r 3   29 Comment(s) http://osne.ws/kl1
Thread beginning with comment 548134
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
RE[9]: Comment
by ssokolow on Thu 10th Jan 2013 14:40 UTC in reply to "RE[8]: Comment"
ssokolow
Member since:
2010-01-21

No. I'm saying that if it is such an issue for you, then you have options.

I'm not even sure where you come into the picture, because I'm certain I wasn't replying to you. If you're going to cut in on my discussion with someone else you should at least bother reading with proper context.


I've read every post on this article.

JAlexoid is saying that Modern UI is sub-par for non-touchscreen use.

I have no problem with people suggesting options, but you did still suggest he replace perfectly good hardware to compensate for what is effectively a software usability regression.

(This is the kind of situation which Microsoft and Apple fanboys seek out and jump on as "proof" that open-source software like Linux is inferior to proprietary stuff because, without management, things like Unity get released disruptively half-baked and change happens with no regard for existing users.)

Edited 2013-01-10 14:43 UTC

Reply Parent Score: 3

RE[10]: Comment
by Nelson on Thu 10th Jan 2013 18:22 in reply to "RE[9]: Comment"
Nelson Member since:
2005-11-29


I've read every post on this article.

JAlexoid is saying that Modern UI is sub-par for non-touchscreen use.

I have no problem with people suggesting options, but you did still suggest he replace perfectly good hardware to compensate for what is effectively a software usability regression.


I suggested it if he made the determination the experience so terrible that he cannot possibly manage, that he can purchase supporting peripherals.

This is a very extreme usecase: A desktop which doesn't have a trackpad (Because its not a Laptop) and a user who in is having very specific issues.

This isn't to say that his problems are widespread beyond just him or a vocal minority of people who think like him. This is a specific solution for a specific problem he's having.

I think you make a critical mistake in believing that because I suggested a specific solution for someone, that it is an essential part of using Windows 8. It isn't.


(This is the kind of situation which Microsoft and Apple fanboys seek out and jump on as "proof" that open-source software like Linux is inferior to proprietary stuff because, without management, things like Unity get released disruptively half-baked and change happens with no regard for existing users.)


I think this is a strawman, in fact, I say that the people crying over Unity are extremely nearsighted. In fact, I take that supposed criticism and invert it a bit in that I say that Linux is inferior because it has a userbase that amounts to petulant children who chastise developers trying to bring Linux up to par.

Reply Parent Score: 3

RE[11]: Comment
by ssokolow on Fri 11th Jan 2013 02:36 in reply to "RE[10]: Comment"
ssokolow Member since:
2010-01-21


This is a very extreme usecase: A desktop which doesn't have a trackpad (Because its not a Laptop) and a user who in is having very specific issues.


I'll accept "very specific issues" but we'll have to agree to disagree on the "doesn't have a trackpad" being an extreme case.

I hate those things and, if I have to buy a laptop, I always spend the extra time finding a laptop that has a touchpoint/micro-joystick and either no touchpad or a BIOS kill-switch for it. (I prefer to use that region on a laptop as a palm rest while typing or using the touchpoint.)


I think you make a critical mistake in believing that because I suggested a specific solution for someone, that it is an essential part of using Windows 8. It isn't.


Perhaps. Either way, we don't need to waste more time arguing over whether or not we're on the same page.


I think this is a strawman, in fact, I say that the people crying over Unity are extremely nearsighted. In fact, I take that supposed criticism and invert it a bit in that I say that Linux is inferior because it has a userbase that amounts to petulant children who chastise developers trying to bring Linux up to par.


I never said Unity is bad. I said it was released before it was ready and that, at minimum, shows disrespect for the users' needs. A lot of distros made a similar mistake with KDE 4.0 because the KDE developers did a terrible job of indicating what was a developer preview.

These days, my only significant problem with Unity is the same problem I've had with MacOS since I first encountered it as a kid in the System 6.x days:

I think detaching menu bars from their associated windows is bad design, even if it doesn't auto-hide the way Unity does it.

Reply Parent Score: 2