The absolute worst possible time for system and game updates is when I am booting up the device or starting a game.

My Fedora and Windows OSs both give you a “update and shut down” option. This is the best time to do updates.

When Steam is a desktop program, it obviously is not involved in the OS and not aware when you are shutting down but when Steam IS the OS? Seems like a fairly obvious inclusion.

Now obviously there can be additional mandatory updates between startups, but this would at least help to minimize those.

Why is this not standard? Is this something the community could develop? Maybe via plug-in?

      • skulblaka@kbin.social
        7·
        10 months ago

        That’s definitely not true because there isn’t a computer system that exists in the world that is designed for true 24/7 uptime, and the meaningful benefit to shutting it down is both lack of power consumption and system stability. If you keep it on 24/7 it’s going to start crashing frequently after a few months of uptime and you’ll be paying for a non negligible amount of power you’ve used for no reason.

        Edit: I stand by my power consumption statement, but re: uptime, my Windows centric history is showing. The Linux gang has shown up to correct me and they should be listened to.

        • conciselyverbose@kbin.social
          43·
          10 months ago

          This isn’t correct. Most Linux systems are designed to never need to be rebooted. Multi-year uptimes aren’t unusual at all.

          Negligible isn’t the word for the power usage. A whole bunch of tiers below that is. If you’re turning off your switch or steam deck, you’re using it wrong.

          • Stampela@startrek.websiteEnglish
            3·
            10 months ago

            Exactly, that’s why the Deck has as the default option to never shut down no matter how long it’s been inactive

            /s

          • skulblaka@kbin.social
            3·
            10 months ago

            I’ll yield to your expertise for this one, then. My Windows-centrism is showing I suppose. I used to work IT but my environment was overwhelmingly Windows and that colored my perspective of computing as a whole. Excessive uptime was our #1 cause of problems by a massive margin.

            Plus I keep forgetting, like a dumbass, that SteamOS is built out of an offshoot of Linux and carries a lot of the benefits of the Linux kernel.

            I’m still shutting it down overnight, though.

        • Björn Tantau@swg-empire.de
          12·
          10 months ago

          If you keep it on 24/7 it’s going to start crashing frequently after a few months of uptime

          That’s such a Windows mindset. My Linux servers keep on trucking for years and years without a single reboot. My laptop as well if I’m not on holidays.