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They already do even for native Linux games, that’s what Steam runtime is. Unfortunately some libraries need to be from the host (e.g. the Vulkan/OpenGL libraries).


> Unfortunately some libraries need to be from the host (e.g. the Vulkan/OpenGL libraries).

AFAIK, they don't need to be from the host, they only need to be compatible with the host hardware and the host kernel (and the kernel ABI stability rules makes this easier). For instance, when running the Steam flatpak, these libraries come from the freedesktop runtime, not from the host.


Yeah big -1 from me on Steam using its own graphics/sound/hmi drivers.


This is what flatpak solves


Static linking / bundling libraries helps absolutely nothing. My SimCity 3k from Loki is dead because of OSS vs lack of hardware mixing, because it tries to go fullscreen with nowadays unsupported resolutions and refresh rates, etc. . The static linked copy may actually "load" but it's actually the dynamic exec which saves the day since you can at least replace/hook some functions in order to provide better compatibility with a recent desktop.


You can still access those files in the flatpak, replace them with your new ones, and package it back as a flatpak and let users use it.


No, you can't. That would most certainly involve modifying and then redistributing a modified flatpak, which is certainly not going to fly in the face of binary-only proprietary software like the one most likely to benefit from a stable ABI over the years.

Not to mention, flatpak would still add nothing. Just additional annoyances.




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