• exanime@lemmy.world
    92·
    2 months ago

    And for those who have not tried it, the desktop is fully functional (not some half baked version. My son uses the desktop mode as a full school workstation for internet browsing, email, teams, Google docs, etc

    • dch82
      56·
      2 months ago

      More people should thank KDE for the desktop mode.

      • exanime@lemmy.world
        15·
        2 months ago

        Indeed… I avoided it for years because I bought into the “it’s too heavy” narrative.

        Then I saw a phoronics benchmark sayin it was actually faster and lighter than lxde if you turn effects off

        I tried it then and was blown away, never looked back

        • dch82
          5·
          2 months ago

          I don’t know what the KDE devs eat, but they are somehow maximising both features and performance.

          Incredible.

      • Xella@lemmy.world
        7·
        2 months ago

        I pretty much only use mine in desktop mode and I’m currently playing world of warcraft on it lol!

        • ano_ba_to@sopuli.xyz
          9·
          2 months ago

          To me, it’s looking like a replacement for a PC and a portable device, and does not need to compete against a console. And that’s what I’m looking for. I’m just sick of the rising price of video cards, and the worsening state of Windows. I’ve had plans to upgrade my video card for a while now, and could never justify it. I feel like it’s as viable now to get a Deck and a PS5 Slim or a Pro than to get a PC and another portable. PC gobbles up too much power as a desktop nowadays and too expensive as a premium machine.

          • dirtbiker509@lemm.ee
            4·
            2 months ago

            It was my steam deck that convinced me to just wipe windows from my laptop and install Kubuntu which is basically the same as steamOS. I had no idea Linux desktop was so good these days. Bye bye windows! I love my steam deck but I also still need a laptop form factor, I can’t always dock it and use it as my PC.

    • penquin@lemm.ee
      20·
      2 months ago

      That is KDE Plasma for those who are curious. It is one of the main desktop environments in Linux. It is my daily driver on my main PC. It is the most customizable desktop I know of. There is nothing you can’t change.

      • xavier666@lemm.eeEnglish
        81·
        2 months ago

        Hi there, just a small correction. Compared to existing linux distros, it’s slightly different. Steam OS is an immutable OS, which means you can’t edit the root partition (Like you can’t edit the C:\ drive in Windows). This is both good and bad.

        Good -> Users can’t mess up their device while trying to mess around with it. Updates are smooth because Valve knows the previous state of the OS.

        Bad -> It’s bad only for extreme power users as it’s not fully customizable. You can’t run your own kernel, install certain build packages to do some advanced stuff. But this is a tiny tiny bad.

        Overall, Steam OS is great and I believe will be the gateway for the general PC crowd.

        • penquin@lemm.ee
          3·
          2 months ago

          Thank you for the correction, although I was only talking about the desktop environment. I understand the immutable part of it :)

      • Grimpen@lemmy.ca
        21·
        2 months ago

        Thanks to KDE on the SD, I’ve switched my main DE on my desktop. Still have a soft spot for XFCE, but KDE Plasma on the SD was polished and was very “coherent”.

        One thing the SD is missing for being a complete “serious” computer is printing support. I’m sure I could it installed, the SD is eminently hackable, but a Flatpak solution or a Steam default solution would really justify using a SD in Desktop mode for school and work.

    • FinishingDutch@lemmy.world
      18·
      2 months ago

      I had to use mine as a desktop for two weeks while my PC was undergoing a repair. It was wholly uneventful: installed OpenOffice and had a wholly normal workweek. It’s perfectly fine to use as a regular, boring desktop if you need it to. Absolutely love the Steamdeck. Every gamer should have one.

      • Grimpen@lemmy.ca
        3·
        2 months ago

        I’ve been complaining about printer support. It’s pretty much the last piece of the puzzle for a school focused SD.

        • Evrala@lemmy.world
          1·
          2 months ago

          There’s a workaround where you can install Chrome then install ipp/cups printing from the chrome web store, then save whatever file you need printed to Google docs.

    • PrettyFlyForAFatGuy@feddit.uk
      9·
      2 months ago

      I used mine for a few months for work. only problem i had with it was it struggled with multiple external monitors. i got it working but i had to fiddle with xrandr everytime i docked it and put it into desktop mode

      This was a couple years ago now though, it might be better now.