Windows Kernel Lockdown: A Win for Linux Gamers?

Microsoft’s apparently keen to kick software vendors out of the Windows kernel. Lots of folks are thinking this has a silver lining for us Linux gaming enthusiasts. After all, if EAC and others have to run in userspace, that’s gotta be a good thing for us Linux gamers, right?

Except, not so fast. There’s a lot of nuance here and many questions that remain unresolved. So let’s dive into this: will a lockdown of Windows help or hurt Linux gaming?

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About Gardiner Bryant: A native Maine resident, Gardiner (yes, that's his first name) is an enthusiastic Linux evangelist, a believer in the efficacy and superiority of the Free and Open Source way, and President of Heavy Element. Heavy Element offers web design, media production, and YouTube consulting services to individuals and companies in Maine and beyond.

#linuxgaming #windows #kernel

-- Chapters --
00:00 Windows Kernel Lockdown: Does it help or hurt Linux
00:29 Why Are We Even Talking About This
01:10 A little bit of history
01:44 Why this wouldn't help Linux Gaming
03:10 The real issue Linux Gamers face with anticheat
04:14 More Harm Than Good
06:04 How it actually could help Linux Gamers

[MashedStar]

I think its the publishers, not the developers who want to block Linux access.

[spiritmacardi]

"Live service game developers aren't supporting Linux."

Another massive W for the penguin as far as I'm concerned.

[mixk]

I feel what screwed Vista the most is the overextended development cycle. People just weren't prepared for such a jump in minimum system requirements.

[sitarygaming]

Yeah I don't think it will really increase linux compatibility much, but it is a win for gamers to not have to install 3rd party tools with kernel access just to run a game!

[blenderpanzi]

As a Linux user I hear messages of the imminent demise of Microsoft since 25 years now. I'm not holding my breath.

[merthyr]

Anticheat is IMO a skill issue for game devs - Live service games obviously want very tight controls on software access, but these games are usually heavily competitive to encourage paying for live service features and foster addictions. Games like Deep Rock Galactic, for example, do NOT have rampant cheating -- I wonder when we'll consider game design as a method of preventing anti-social gaming.

[revengerwizard]

To be honest, being able to bypass userspace and running directly through the kernel even for security reasons defeats the whole purpose of running an OS with multiple rings of protection in the first place. Especially after what happened with Crowdstrike.

[SkylerLinux]

As far as I'm concerned Cloud Strike and all of it's fall-out, proves that Microsoft is a Monopoly

[tkabiranik]

When Linux becomes the next best thing, remember those companies that did not side with Linux.

[lunaxyzi]

Some leaks says valve is working on a machine learning anti-cheat which does not need kernel access. If it happens it would be game changing.

[gr-lful]

"microsoft doesn't shoulder any of the blame here"
that depends on if crowdstrike's driver was whql certified by them despite being able to run arbitrary unsigned code via uncertified network updates

[WagnerBrahm]

The Epic case is more that they don't want to see Steam Decks running their game.

[Winnetou]

I'm not sure this is a good take.

The Kernel lockdown is exactly what MacOS does already, from what I understood. If I'm not mistaken, these APIs would basically have the same access as a kernel-level driver, but to run in the user-mode, so if it crashes, the system doesn't go down. And that would not remove the 3rd party software companies being able to make the same exact applications. Neither for the EU to come down on Microsoft for pushing competition away.

Unless I'm very wrong somewhere.

[seeibe]

As I said before, the code that allowed for CrowdStrike to deploy these ".sys" files which ultimately caused the crash was certified by Microsoft. If Microsoft certified it, then Microsoft also is to blame for what happened when CrowdStrike pushed the faulty update, bypassing not only their own code review, but also Microsoft's certification process, which Microsoft allowed them to bypass.

[Bareego]

I don't give a hoot about online multiplayer shooters anyway, so anti-cheat can go eat a pumpkin

[vortex]

Or... They can make windows so bad people will actually be pushed to seek alternatives.

[milasudril]

The Linux kernel is also sort-of locked by the license, and it is probably a good thing to lock the kernel, as long as you can manage to write all drivers yourself. If NT were locked, Microsoft would have a monopoly on writing drivers for NT. For Linux, this could be a good thing, since hardware vendors must publish their spec. If they offered their spec under an NDA to Microsoft only, that must be illegal.

[Davivd]

Isn't the real problem that monopoly of Microsoft? If every company effected by Crowdstrike had a Linux of Mac back up system, nothing would have happened. I know this is about Linux gaming, but the real problem is bigger than gaming.

[jessephillips]

Epic gets to view Linux as competition now. Valve has really laid out a path that places them as the Linux Gaming store. Epic could go that route too, but they don't want to utilize proton or build their own.

[georgesobczyk]

My hope is for gaming is for Valve to either create a new anticheat or sort of change their existing one. Steam os can be the future for gaming specific OS