I'm considering moving to Linux for lighter everyday tasks to improve my laptop's battery life. I mainly need Firefox, Discord, an office suite, OrcaSlicer, FreeCAD, and VS Code, which should generally be available on Linux. I still need Windows for several engineering applications, including Autodesk software, MATLAB, Vivado, FluidSIM, and various PLC tools, so I would probably keep a Windows installation or use another machine for those.
I recently watched a video about using SteamOS in desktop mode and became curious. Valve has a strong reputation, so I wondered whether SteamOS would offer better stability or support than other distributions. If it isn't suitable for a normal desktop laptop, I was considering Ubuntu because most tutorials target it. I've used Manjaro with KDE Plasma before, but updates occasionally caused problems, and I had trouble configuring the correct keyboard layout.
3 Answers
SteamOS is mainly designed around the gaming-console experience. It’s based on Arch and includes gaming-focused software and customization, but that doesn’t make it a better general-purpose desktop distribution. Its immutable design can also make installing and managing ordinary desktop applications less convenient.
For your use case, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora, openSUSE, or a similar mainstream distribution would be a more natural fit. Choose one whose default desktop and package management you like; most of the practical differences can be customized later.
If you specifically want a SteamOS-like experience, Bazzite is worth investigating. It aims to provide a console-style gaming setup while also supporting desktop use. Even then, it may be more specialized than you need, so a conventional distribution with KDE, GNOME, or Cinnamon will probably be simpler for Firefox, office software, development tools, and engineering-related utilities.
Because several of your engineering programs are Windows-only, I’d plan on keeping Windows available rather than trying to force everything through compatibility layers. Dual-booting is one option, and a virtual machine can work for some applications, although GPU-heavy engineering tools, licensing systems, and hardware-connected PLC software may not work well that way.
For Linux, a stable mainstream option such as Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Linux Mint, or Debian would give you plenty of documentation. Since you previously had trouble with updates breaking things on Manjaro, avoiding a fast-moving setup may be more comfortable.
That makes sense. I was mostly wondering whether Valve’s reputation translated into better desktop stability, but it sounds like SteamOS is specialized rather than a general desktop choice.