In December of 2020 it was reported that there's 100 million(about 18% of all Windows users). As for March 2023 it's reported only around 3.37% are Windows 7(32 bit and 64 bit) users.
Here's the data from March 2023 for Steam users concerning Windows OS and the percentage that use them.
Windows 10 64 bit - 73.95%
Windows 11 64 bit - 22.41%
Windows 7 64 bit - 1.06%
Windows 8.1 64 bit - 0.20%
Windows 7 - 0.05%
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I've been thinking about this for some days and since this thread is already here I'll go ahead and shot a question to whoever might actually have the tech know-how about this subject:
Is it possible to develop an alternative client for Steam?
I don't mean hacking the existing one but rather making an open source one from scratch capable of login in into Steam in order to download and play games, just the basic functions in order to offer a minimalist alternative that extends support for deprecated OS's like Windows 7 or even XP maybe. There's a decent number of games on Steam that still support older systems and it's likely that they'll remain that way indefinitely since development for those titles has completely ceased, some don't even run in newer versions of Windows, so the idea of having a way to legally play old games in era appropriate hardware sounds pretty compelling. Otherwise the only option is being forced to pirate stuff that one already owns, which is quite silly.
As far as I understand programs like ASF already operate as some sort of counter-fit client and Valve hasn't nuked it into oblivion yet, so a client that does only the bare minimum to install and run a game and clearly states that it doesn't support of endorses piracy might be allowed to exist if it's aimed at systems which Steam has left behind for good. Just a thought.
If anyone actually has any clue on how viable or not doing something like this I'd love some info, if it's possible it might be worth organizing something for when Win 7 is dropped.
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right now the work around is to stop steam from updating and never go online again
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Yeah but that's just a workaround, and it's only gonna be good for a few more months, then if someone didn't already have Steam + games installed they're out of luck.
I'm currently on W10 in this PC but my other two are still on W7, one I can update no problem and will have to do so but the other one is just too old plus there's only W7 drivers for it. So I'm actually interested in the possibility of developing a more permanent solution, even if it's gonna end up requiring me to embark in doing it myself, but right now I simply don't even know if such a thing is possible much less viable. Ultimately if I need to learn how to write a client from scratch I might just go for it even if it takes me years and my knowledge of programing is seriously out of date and limited. I imagine there has to be at least a few thousand people out there that are also interested in something like that so they can keep playing Steam games on their older PC's.
Or I guess we can all migrate to GOG but it's gonna take me like a decade and plenty of money to rebuild my library there.
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I'm sure it's possible, but what makes you think Valve won't notice their servers being accessed by third party software, or that they won't try to put a stop to it by both technical and legal means?
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That's exactly why I'd love to get some actual info on if it's viable or not, as I said the fact that they allow ASF to exist means that there might be some wiggle room if some very specific steps are followed.
At the end of the day I'm very much aware of how much of a reach this whole idea is, but it keeps coming back to my mind and seeing this thread was an opportunity to put it out there and maybe get some concrete input.
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that is stupid none of your games will get updates then
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Is it possible to develop an alternative client for Steam?
It's possible, for example I've seen this alternative open source Steam client for Linux (still alpha)
https://github.com/20PercentRendered/opensteamclient
and the reason it says "partially" open source is because they use libraries from steam client itself:
This is a GUI for Valve's own Steam Client binaries like
steamclient.soandsteamservice.so
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Cool, guess I don't have to do anything myself then, I can finally eject this damn thought out of my conscious mind.
Thanks for your help :)
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the app is still very much alpha, with lots of bugs and missing functionality, it still has long way to go to be considered a viable alternative ;)
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Yeah but it's not like I would be able to do a better job or get things done any faster, and if someone else is doing something at least somewhat similar to what I was thinking about that's good enough for me. I was mostly annoyed by that desire to do it myself, I wanted to get rid of it asap, and now I have an excuse to kick it back into the void without hesitation whenever it creeps back into view.
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Isnt that subjective though? So many think Windows 10 is the best and Windows 11 is a step down.
I personally haven't seen Windows 7(even saw XP) anywhere except in the software side of ATMs, etc.
But it is surprising to know 100 million Steam users use Win 7. Aside from the aesthetics and UI preference. Don't you want the latest security updates for your system? These compatibility issues will only increase with time.
This feels like when Windows XP users thought Windows 7 wasn't worth it. 20 years later, now that the user base has increased, the percentage of such users seems similar as per the first comment on this thread.
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windows 10 had the worst launch out of any of them, even vista.
for years after it came out it also had the biggest security risk. you could make any program look like any other program, im sure its patched by now. my friend had a windows 11 laptop that starting messing everything up. audio stopped working, files missing all over the place. no way to even reinstall windows or factory rest. he even tried to usb install the operating system 3 times. he purchased a new windows 11 laptop and let me mess with his old one. i downgraded it for him and now he has two laptops. windows 7 and a windows 11. the older 7 boots and runs faster, and they both have the same ram.
the reason they gave away 10 and 11 for free is because YOU are the product they are selling to the companies that get to put their default non removable programs all over. you gotta install another program just to disable and remove them
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Idk about the compatibility issues. I personally struggled in Windows 7 with respect to driver issues. And one of my older laptop from 2011 or so,was very responsive after switching to Win 10. But then again this was my personal experience.
I can certainly agree on the 'You are the product' part. Forget about bloatware software, Windows is now planning to insert ads within the Start Menu!! There's also to issue of Microsoft telemetry that is persistently present even after removing, due to updates.
However I have heard of an edition of Windows that has less or no issues like these. It it called Windows LTSC. I believe it only receives security updates, no features. And there are barely any default apps in it, discounting the bare minimum ones. I dont feel optimistic about your plan of sticking to Windows 7, so perhaps this edition of Windows could be the lesser evil for you🙃
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Windows LTSC
It is an enterprise/corporate only version, not available to home users. If you see anyone running LTSC on their computer they are most likely running a pirated version ^^
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Or play games and use their company computer.at home :)
Most companies would hate it though.
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do you have a plan for when they eventually stop supporting windows 7 on steam?
use linux maybe?
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not 100% sure thats the reason for the group.
right now my only plan is to stop steam from updating
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I can't speak for him but I'll tell you my plans since I use Windows 7. If there's no workaround at the time Steam stops Windows 7 support I'll use my computer for other things- Gog games, my physical game collection, emulated console stuff, etc. My computer is over 9 years old and isn't worth upgrading or reconfiguring at this point. It'll probably have a major hardware failure in the next year or two and then I'll get a new PC which will use Linux.
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^^^ ll probably have a major hardware failure in the next year or two ¯_(ಥಥ)/¯ my laptop has blue screened me twice in the last year. once it craps out i just wont have a laptop, dont really need one with what you can play on your phone
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Good luck with the group!
Valve's support ends doesn't mean it will immediately stop working on Windows 7 (unless they do it purposefully), it usually means they won't fix anything if something gets broken. This can take a long time too, I doubt though.
However I sincerely recommend to try Linux, you don't have to delete Windows 7 and use them both while trying out. Check this. (Linux Mint could be a nice start point.) I believe you'll find more than you can hoped for.
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We still got 245 days. Man I know Windows 8.1 sucks ass for everyone. I can't even remember why I upgraded to that one but It must have been hardware related. I could go back to 7 Ultimate but I'm too lazy for that, and too lazy for Windows 10 too.
Games like Zero Sievert already require Windows 10 for the "Best experience", so this is unavoidable.
I guess money is the issue here. Is there no upgrade path for your system?
It really sucks they're doing this.
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While I use Win10 for my daily driver I have an old HP laptop from 2006 which I upgraded with a new processor and an SSD running Win7x64 Ultimate. Due to the specific hardware configuration there's no dice changing to a Linux distro.
For fixing potential security issues with Win7 I use 0patch.
I don't like it one bit that a bunch of technocrats try to tell me which software I can use. Would I do as they say I'd have to throw a perfectly working machine in the landfill.
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updated. because i had included the group link when i 1st posted this but replaced with with giveaway links by mistake
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Why is It people ok with this though? When X game company makes an impopular decision they make a big deal of It and in many cases the game company backpedals and apologize. But when It comes to Steam everything is justifiable. Why?
There's so much capable hardware that can run Steam with the right software.
I still can't believe a multi million company can't create something like Facebook Lite that works even on Android 5 or even lower I think.
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im doing my part. no idea wtf i would do if steam100% stopped working on my pc cause it cant handle 8 or higher
why do i need a new pc if i can play games that came out this year just fine?
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think its hilarious how the % of people using windows 7 and windows 7 64 bit have gone up since steam announced this, and still rising
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could just be that more users are agreeing to let steam collect data from them in hopes of stopping the end of support. ive never agreed to sharing my data with them
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This is not something you would prefer but I think SteamCMD could be a workaround for Windows 7, since this is just commandline and does not include Chromium like Steam client. There is also a GUI for this. It's more like to run dedicated servers for games but it can be used to run games too. Maybe you may need a one more GUI for using this on playing games alone for an easier use (if a developer makes a launcher for that of course), but it seems it's possible.
I also found about some program called Steam-TUI which makes possible to run games through a terminal using SteamCMD but it's not out for Windows. I'm putting this here so maybe a developer who loves Windows 7 sees this and it could give them an idea to make something like this for Windows. It's written on Rust so maybe it's easier to make it cross-platform.
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Apparently Uncle GabeN has a surprise for your cakeday :(
This version of the Steam client will no longer run on Windows 7 or Windows 8. Users on these OS versions will not automatically update to this new version of the Steam Client. See the Windows 7 and Windows 8 Support FAQ for additional details.
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WOOOH no more garbage updates
achievements new system still broken to all hell and you cant open in new window or copy and paste from it
screen shots a borked
library load times got worse
tons of other small bugs they never fixed
just as bad on steam deck... worse in some places
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Well, that's one way to look at it. :)
It seems it will continue to work until it's completely broken at some point. I guess even small mode is pretty bad by now.
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to help share workarounds and what not, as the steam overlords try to cut us off.
over 100 million people still using windows 7, the numbers are far higher, because that's just the legit copies. its simple really. i will update my operating system, when you produce a better one!!!!
obligatory giveaway https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Windows7ForeverUpdateNever
why would i update to windows 10, when they already bailed and moved on to 11?
https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/uG7qE/ben-10-power-trip
https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/a1M4p/cobra-kai-the-karate-kid-saga-continues
also compiling a list of games that claim they only work on 8/10/11, but run just fine on 7
some games that just need you to change one number on one file
if anybody has some, that would be helpful. been playing on 7 for ages and know theres a long list
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