Ubuntu

While Steam is currently probably the most downloaded application on Ubuntu, a relaxing puzzle game Splice is storming the Ubuntu App Charts. In April, this game was on the 4th place in the Top 10 of commercial applications in the Ubuntu Software Center.

Codeweavers, the company behind CrossOver and Wine, has released CrossOver 12.2 for Linux and Mac. CrossOver is an emulation software which easily allows to install and run a countless number of Windows applications on Linux.

Nearly one year ago, Valve has started porting and testing the successful first-person shooter Left 4 Dead 2 with the current version of its graphics engine Source on Linux. At the same time, the managing director of the company Gabe Newell has informed me that the company has enormous problems with the graphics drivers on Linux and is urgently looking for Linux developers. Some Months later, an initial success has already been achieved.

Dell has started selling the Alienware X51 gaming desktop with Ubuntu on it. The X51 series is particularly an eye-catching device due to its compact size which is comparable with the dimensions of the current consoles. Dell advertises Ubuntu with the slogan „Simple and Stylish“. Moreover, the Steam Big Picture Mode on Ubuntu is billed as the ultimate gaming solution for the living room.

Every month, a Steam survey is conducted about the software and hardware being used among the Steam users. In this survey the users of the gaming platform are being asked about the CPU, the graphics card, the operating system etc. they are using.

In February, according to the survey results, 2.5% of the Steam users use Linux, 3.3% use Mac OS and the vast majority of 94% use Windows. It is noteworthy, that 1.8% of the users prefer Ubuntu Linux.

Here are the user numbers of the most popular Linux distributions: