[moetech]

The whole Steam on Linux thing is believed to have started because Valve saw the Windows Store as a threat to their business model. IIRC, at the time it looked like Microsoft would disallow installation of programs from outside sources.

As for Google, well they are just big competitors in a lot of areas. I'm sure they would love to beat Microsoft on the desktop like they did in the smartphone space.

[Sylos]

The official version is that Gabe Newell thought Windows 8 to be a catastrophe, presumably due to the horrible UI. That Microsoft would single-handedly crash the PC market and take down Steam with it. So, they wanted to become less dependent on Microsoft in general.

Windows 10 is somewhat less of a catastrophe in the UI department (though there is something to be said about mostly being able to ignore the mobile UI in Windows 8), but it's still controversial with its often illegal data collection. I mean, it's probably not going to happen, because the entire world depends on it, but theoretically countries could still block the sale of Windows 10.

But yeah, I don't believe myself either that the Windows Store is not seen as a threat. When you own a platform, you can push pretty much any software to be dominant on it.

[Klover]

Would Valve not rather have Microsoft than Google then? Windows users have administrator accounts and can install steam and its games without issue. Google play store would directly compete with steam.

[moetech]

No, because Google doesn't wield the same power over Android that Microsoft wields over Windows. If Google decided to disallow Steam from Android, Valve could just fork Android and carry on. They can't do that with Windows.

[Sylos]

That's optimistic...

Google exerts a lot of power over Android.

The EU did recently punish Google for that, so theoretically Google now has to stop with it, but up until this point, they forced manufacturers to only ever preinstall the Google version of Android (or permanently lose their license to preinstall the Google Apps) and also forced manufacturers to always install the whole Google app bundle, not just the Play Store.

To put their power into perspective, just remember that Amazon has been in the game of distributing an Android fork and alternative app store for a while now. And Amazon is magnitudes bigger than Valve.

[moetech]

It's not optimistic, just simplified. Surely you agree that Valve could escape Google's claws on Android much more easily than they can escape Microsoft claws on Windows? Heck, they could even partner with Amazon!

[Sylos]

I do think so, yes, but I also think that they still could not actually escape. That they'd go bankrupt within a year, or at least that they'd have to shrink their operation to only cover the Chinese market, which doesn't have access to the Play Store, but also isn't terribly excited for yet another US company trying to enter their market.

[gregknicholson]

Do you mean Android the open source project that pretty much everyone agrees is mostly useless on its own? Or Android as in Google Play, the proprietary software that Google controls fully?

It was easy. They just started using the same name, “Android”, for loads of proprietary stuff, and the geeks didn't care because they were too busying sucking up to Google for not being Microsoft.

[moetech]

AOSP is not "useless own its own". I don't know how you got that idea. Custom ROMs are every bit as capable as Google-flavored Android.

[gregknicholson]

I said “mostly” useless on its own.

I believe Lineage and co have to supply their own replacements for some important features, and/or use the proprietary Google Play Services.

AOSP isn't a usable base product, like Chromium for example.

(That's my understanding anyway. It's quite possible I'm wrong!)

[Fnoord]

You can't "just fork Android". Android devices come pre-installed with Android right now. OEMs aren't allowed by Google to distribute a non-official Android version. Its Microsoft all over again.

[naibafo]

That is a ridiculous statement