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1 | --- |
2 | title: "DeckPC - Christmas 2022 Update" | |
3 | date: 2022-12-18T17:20:00+02:00 | |
4 | description: "The long awaited sequel to my DeckPC experiment. I will attempt to give a conclusive rating to 'is it a de-facto PC replacement?'" | |
5 | tags: ['steam', 'steamdeck', 'handheld', 'linux', 'deckpc'] | |
6 | type: blog | |
7 | --- | |
8 | ||
9 | It has been *a while* since the last word on my DeckPC experiment, I originally set myself the goal to see | |
10 | if using Valve's Steam Deck as a regular Linux desktop with its preinstalled SteamOS environment is enough | |
11 | to replace the need to use my otherwise power-hungry PC. I even left an "unresolved" case in the last blog | |
12 | that never got a proper answer. | |
13 | ||
14 | ## The resolved "unresolved" | |
15 | Last time I noted that you are unable to use the offline password manager KeePassXC with any browsers in | |
16 | SteamOS out of the gate without it staying persistent throughout updates. I am glad to say that just today, | |
17 | before writing this article, I managed to get it working thanks to a suggestion by BieHDC to try out a project | |
0e0a9454 | 18 | called [distrobox](https://github.com/89luca89/distrobox). I simply created a new Arch Linux container with |
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19 | `distrobox create -i archlinux -n sneed` and installed Firefox and KeePassXC in them with pacman. After installation |
20 | I created new desktop entries as such: `distrobox-export --app firefox` and `distrobox-export --app keepassxc`. | |
21 | ||
0e0a9454 | 22 | ## On topic of distrobox |
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23 | I only have high praise for this solution - this has opened a huge window of customizability on otherwise |
24 | immutable filesystem. You are able to create rootless mutable environments where you can setup full build | |
25 | toolchains or applications that otherwise would be wiped by a system update. It is genius in the approach | |
26 | it takes and integrates with desktop itself. There are limitations to doing this rootless, but it is far | |
27 | more elegant than struggling to resetup everything each update. For one, I was unable to get postmarketOS | |
28 | pmbootstrap to work in a container due to it being unable to remount /proc and /dev. | |
29 | ||
30 | ## The practicality | |
31 | I wouldn't suggest going down this route for a non-technical person, but if you have the technical aptitude | |
32 | on Linux and willingness, you can easily extend your capabilities on the Steam Deck without resorting to | |
33 | the only available virtualization software Gnome Boxes (read: rebranded QEMU frontend). | |
34 | I understand average Joe's unwillingness to step into this territory, but these kind of issues are more likely | |
35 | to affect a poweruser than Joe. | |
36 | ||
37 | ## Have you seriously used the Steam Deck for all this time? | |
38 | Yes. A lot of the issues I would have brought up here have already been fixed by Valve. To give an example | |
39 | of an issue that is fixed - you may recall me talking about flatpaks being unable to open any browser links | |
40 | at all in the last post - that has been resolved about a month ago. | |
41 | ||
42 | ## So, what's your take? | |
43 | I absolutely love it, there are obvious hurdles for a beginner to look out for, but once you get the hang of | |
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44 | it, the Steam Deck can absolutely be a replacement for your PC if you can find a match for everything you use |
45 | on a regular basis. My experience so far has shown that if you are creative enough, you will find a solution. | |
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46 | There is inevitable tinkering ahead to get the best experience possible, but you absolutely can make it your own. |
47 | I conclude this experiment a huge success - I would recommend this to my technical friends and maybe less | |
48 | demanding non-technical friends. I would be cautious about recommending it to absolutely everyone, though. | |
49 | Every recommendation would have to be circumstancial - you most definitely can give your grandparents a laptop | |
0e0a9454 | 50 | with Linux Mint if all they do is browse the web, similar logic can be used with the Steam Deck. You can't however |
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51 | claim this to be a PC replacement for someone who is stuck with Windows or Mac without any FOSS equilevant or |
52 | option to run their programs (e.g. broken in wine) and has no interest in ever tinkering with their system. | |
53 | I will dare to say, however, Valve and KDE have done a spectacular job in bringing Linux closer to the layman | |
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54 | while also not completely offending the more experienced user. Flatpak solution, while not the best, is the most |
55 | elegant bridge we have for the time being. | |
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56 | |
57 | ## tech tips pls | |
0e0a9454 | 58 | Sure, we have a few people already daily driving the Steam Deck as a PC replacement at based.quest Matrix chat. Be |
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59 | sure to drop by and we will give you the training wheels to get started and help you even ride the bike over time. |
60 | ||
61 | ## TL;DR | |
62 | Amazing for me, definitely a PC replacement for me, bunch of things fixed, recommend for technical folk, | |
63 | cautious for less-technical. | |
64 | ||
65 | Hope you enjoyed a quick status update on the DeckPC project, I accidentally burnt my dinner making this post :( | |
66 | ||
67 | Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas, | |
68 | - Cernodile |