this post was submitted on 27 Aug 2024
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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What do you mean by an escape hatch. Valve have been messing with hardware and Linux for way longer than the Steam Deck.
"Escape hatch" specifically refers to the speculation that Valve is positioning themselves in a way that they can't be forced into paying fees for existing on the Windows platform, and that if push comes to shove they can say they only support Linux now. This hasn't happened yet, but it's a strategic stance which will likely prevent it from even beginning to happen. This doesn't have to do with the Steam Deck specifically; it was also part of their intentions with the Steam Machine and etc.
Sometime around Windows 8 Microsoft started making noises about closing the Windows ecosystem and making people buy software through their store. This would have shut things like Steam out, so Valve said "Okay, we're going to make a Linux-based gaming platform, because we think gamers will follow us and not you. Also we're going to create console-like gaming PCs called Steam Machines and make our own controller, because we think we can win against Xbox, too." Microsoft didn't lock down the platform, Steam Machines didn't really go anywhere, but it laid a lot of the groundwork for the Steam Deck.