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Late Night Linux – Episode 380

·20 min·2 clips
Linux just hit 5% on Steam, but the hosts doubt if these gaming numbers are real.
Episode 380 of Late Night Linux opens with a plug for the Linux App Summit 2026 in Berlin. The hosts immediately dive into discussing Linux's market share on Steam, which has reportedly surpassed 5% for the first time. They express skepticism about the accuracy of this specific number but agree the overall trend is upward. They analyze which Linux distributions saw the biggest increases, speculating about SteamOS and CacheOS. The conversation shifts to why Linux gaming is growing, with theories about Proton and Wine improvements making Windows less necessary, combined with hardware price inflation extending PC lifespans. They then explore Wine 11's upcoming ntsync technology, which promises massive performance gains for Windows games on Linux through improved thread scheduling. Specific examples include Dirt 3 jumping from 90 to 850 FPS. They discuss how this integrates with Proton and kernel changes. Next, they examine a proposal for Ubuntu 26.10 to drop support for ButterFS, ZFS, and LUKS from GRUB, which could break default server installations and encrypted setups. The hosts debate the security rationale versus practical consequences. Following this, they discuss Ubuntu quietly raising its minimum system requirements from 4GB to 6GB of RAM for the desktop edition, comparing it to Windows 11's requirements. Joe shares a practical test on an old laptop, finding 6GB necessary for comfortable use. Finally, they cover Martin Wimpress stepping down as Ubuntu MATE's lead maintainer, reflecting on the project's history and uncertain future. The episode concludes with standard sign-offs.

As heard by us

A Linux desktop milestone runs into the bootloader details that can complicate progress.

Linux desktop momentum gives this episode its through line, starting with the Steam survey passing 5% for the first time and the panel asking whether the chart really proves as much growth as it seems to.

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Why you'd press play

You can hear Linux passing 5% on Steam meet a GRUB proposal that makes boot setups suddenly feel personal.

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