[pjmlp]

We all know about the Windows tax and Microsoft making Windows XP free for Netbooks.

OEMs making custom distros didn't help.

If anything that was the precursor of the Android distros mess that we got afterwards.

They also did the same with CP/M, MS-DOS and Windows since forever, including UNIX clones, why wouldn't they do otherwise with GNU/Linux.

As former owner of an Asus Netbook 1215B bought with Linux pre-installed, even that way wasn't without issues.

OpenGL support was always lagging behind what hardware was capable, GL 3.3 vs GL 4.1, hardware video decoding only worked during Flash heyday, and wlan drivers always had issues with hardware when doing large downloads.

[npteljes]

OEMs were smaller than Microsoft, that was the problem I think. Valve seems to have success with Linux, which is maybe because of their niche, and size. Smaller players just don't get to be trendsetters.

[pjmlp]

Success in a relative kind of way.

Valve has failed to convince studios already targeting POSIX like environments like Android NDK and Orbis OS (PlayStation), to port their games to GNU/Linux.

Had to switch translating Windows games, as plan B kind of solution.

It remains to be seen for how long Microsoft will tolerate Proton, or just like it happened with netbooks, will drive other handheld OEMs to use Windows and thus in a decade from now people will foundly remember Steam Deck.