It sound great for now, but how will it influence the future?

Jul 30, 2012 14:41 GMT  ·  By

Richard Stallman, founder of the the GNU Project and of the Free Software Foundation has spoken about Valve's intention of bringing its games on the Linux platform.

Steam will launch for the Linux platform this year and it will be one of the cornerstones in Linux history. Most likely, a lot of other developers will opt for this platform in the future, but what will be the impact of games that cost money on a free platform?

“In direct practical terms, this development can do both harm and good. It might encourage GNU/Linux users to install these games, and it might encourage users of the games to replace Windows with GNU/Linux."

"My guess is that the direct good effect will be bigger than the direct harm. But there is also an indirect effect: what does the use of these games teach people in our community?” - said Richard Stallman.

Everyone is thinking that Steam and Valve's games on Linux is a great idea, at least for now, but how will it affect the platform in the future?