I haven’t run into any limitations of the file system and I hardly even know what pacman is. And I haven’t felt ‘controlled’ by Valve, certainly not to the extent of a console or even Windows/Mac. I can sudo whatever I want. I’m sure you have a use case, but I’m still just not seeing it.
Are their proton versions just proton GE? To what extent does it actually run better?
If you get into Linux more, you will start using something like pacman (short for Package Manager), which is where you install libraries and apps natively. Then with Arch, there’s also the AURs (community repository).
The way you do it on SteamOS is usually through Discover Store (aka flatpak). That’s all fine and good, but there are nuances to how it sandboxes the apps that may not be desirable for everything you install and do. Secondly, when you update to a new SteamOS version, anything installed via pacman or AUR gets wiped. Only your home directory remains untouched (i.e., game installs and saves, Discover apps). Some tools just aren’t offered on flatpak, and some times what is there is behind a version or two.
For the average user, no real advantage. For developers and tinkerers, it opens all the doors. If you just want to have the same Steam Deck experience, but make sure everything that phones home is gone, then CachyOS also has something for you.
And I haven’t felt ‘controlled’ by Valve
That’s not what I mean. What I mean is that Valve controls and makes all the decisions on how the OS is designed. Some of it open source, some is not at all (telemetry stuffs, for example). Again, depends on how you use it whether or not it’s an issue for you.
Are their proton versions just proton GE? To what extent does it actually run better?
No, they are separately maintained Cachy Proton versions, based on GE. I haven’t looked deep into it, but I gather they run better because they are tweaked to fit into how Cachy has things setup. And again, only marginally better. I just notice less stutters in some heftier games where I would see a bunch before, that kind of thing.
ETA: there was one game, don’t remember which, that I couldn’t get to run in Proton, GE or otherwise. It does run in Cachy’s Proton, though
I haven’t run into any limitations of the file system and I hardly even know what pacman is. And I haven’t felt ‘controlled’ by Valve, certainly not to the extent of a console or even Windows/Mac. I can sudo whatever I want. I’m sure you have a use case, but I’m still just not seeing it.
Are their proton versions just proton GE? To what extent does it actually run better?
If you get into Linux more, you will start using something like pacman (short for Package Manager), which is where you install libraries and apps natively. Then with Arch, there’s also the AURs (community repository).
The way you do it on SteamOS is usually through Discover Store (aka flatpak). That’s all fine and good, but there are nuances to how it sandboxes the apps that may not be desirable for everything you install and do. Secondly, when you update to a new SteamOS version, anything installed via pacman or AUR gets wiped. Only your home directory remains untouched (i.e., game installs and saves, Discover apps). Some tools just aren’t offered on flatpak, and some times what is there is behind a version or two.
For the average user, no real advantage. For developers and tinkerers, it opens all the doors. If you just want to have the same Steam Deck experience, but make sure everything that phones home is gone, then CachyOS also has something for you.
That’s not what I mean. What I mean is that Valve controls and makes all the decisions on how the OS is designed. Some of it open source, some is not at all (telemetry stuffs, for example). Again, depends on how you use it whether or not it’s an issue for you.
No, they are separately maintained Cachy Proton versions, based on GE. I haven’t looked deep into it, but I gather they run better because they are tweaked to fit into how Cachy has things setup. And again, only marginally better. I just notice less stutters in some heftier games where I would see a bunch before, that kind of thing.
ETA: there was one game, don’t remember which, that I couldn’t get to run in Proton, GE or otherwise. It does run in Cachy’s Proton, though