Steam for Linux may delete all your data. Valve shrugs.

[:Flash:]

All as in all that the current user has rights to delete.
If you manually move a steam directory, Steam will run a "reset" script that will execute rm -rf /* .
https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/3671
This issue has been opened two days ago, and no official statement from Valve so far.

Valve seems to be intent on deleting files that were not created by Steam. The Windows Version deletes the folder it was installed in upon uninstall, meaning that if you accidentally installed it in C:\, your hard drive will be erased as well. They don't even care about fixing that bug, instead they put a warning on their website.

 

[Infinitron]

Why on earth would you install Steam in your C:\ directory?

Wouldn't be surprised if plenty of applications do this and nobody ever found out.

 

[taxalot]

Not in root, but if it's in your /home where most people's shit at, you're still pretty fucked yo.

 

[potatojohn]

Well I'm glad to see that all those Valve billions are being used to hire the best and brightest programmers.

Turns out Half Life 3 is so late because they're writing it in node.js

 

[:Flash:]

Why on earth would you install Steam in your root directory?

Wouldn't be surprised if plenty of applications do this and nobody ever found out.

You don't need to install it in your root directory. It doesn't matter where it's installed.
The script has a line that says
rm -rf "$STEAMROOT/"*
And STEAMROOT can evaluate to nothing, if you moved one of your steam folders, leaving rm -rf /*
Their only reaction so far has been to take down the page where you could look at the actual code. I saw it earlier today, and the coder had even commented that line with a # scary!

 

[Infinitron]

You don't need to install it in your root directory. It doesn't matter where it's installed.
The script has a line that says
rm -rf "$STEAMROOT/"*
And STEAMROOT can evaluate to nothing, if you moved one of your steam folders, leaving rm -rf /*
Their only reaction so far has been to take down the page where you could look at the actual code. I saw it earlier today, and the coder had even commented that line with a # scary!

I was talking about the Windows version

 

[:Flash:]

I was talking about the Windows version

I wouldn't call C:\ root, though. And that was just an example.
It has happened to me that I accidentally installed software into folders that had other data and subfolders, and I used the uninstaller to cleanly uninstall the software, because that's what the uninstaller is supposed to do. I might think twice about that now.
But the Linux bug is much worse, as it will wipe all your drives.

 

[PlanHex]

Hahahaha, holy shit.
This dude needs to request plane tickets from Gaben. Demand justice for that 3TB external drive!

 

[Drax]

lolwtf?

 

[Kane]

This issue has been opened two days ago, and no official statement from Valve so far.

This is an issus of enormeous proportions. It is preposterous that ______ (fill in company name) has not responded to this within a week/as soon as possible/immediately. I will no longer consume/buy _______ (fill in company name) product and/or service.

 

[Outlander]

lol linux

 

[Bruticis]

This is an issus of enormeous proportions. It is preposterous that ______ (fill in company name) has not responded to this within a week/as soon as possible/immediately. I will no longer consume/buy _______ (fill in company name) product and/or service.

What are you talking about, Linux users make up a HUGE portion of Steams user base.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

That's only people who agree to share their computer statistics with Valve, Brut. You think Linux users are gonna let The Man know how much RAM they've got? They're just concealing their numbers. Like sand people.

 

[Kane]

That's only people who agree to share their computer statistics with Valve, Brut. You think Linux users are gonna let The Man know how much RAM they've got? They're just concealing their numbers. Like sand people.

the amount of ram youve got is top secret as it is a direct indicator of your ability to compile the kernel. cant just give that to gaben for free (as in beer)

 

[Gerrard]

This is like that thing Charles Darwin was talking about.

 

[Melcar]

Serves the right for installing Steam.

 

[Garryydde]

That's only people who agree to share their computer statistics with Valve, Brut. You think Linux users are gonna let The Man know how much RAM they've got? They're just concealing their numbers. Like sand people.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

Honestly, it's kind of scary that an application millions of people use just outright deletes everything in its working directory, instead of keeping track of every file it creates and only deleting those. Really terrible practice, especially when it comes to deleting shit. Having shitty code elsewhere just affects the application itself, while this can potentially nuke a whole partition worth of user data.

Not joking, this is scary enough that it makes me want to get rid of Steam for Linux and never install it again.

 

[Melcar]

Do it.

 

[Nutmeg]

Thank you thread for reminding me to

sudo pacman -Rs steam; rm -rf .steam .steampath .steampid

Corporate scamware, I'm embarassed I ever used you (not due to the issue described in this thread, but other issues).

 

[7/10]

What's the point of SteamOS anyway? From what I've seen, it's just a regular distro with uncustomized Gnome-Shell and a Steam client. Why make another CrapOS, just so you can sell games to all 5 people, who are retarded enough to use Linux as a gaming system?

Can't they just put an embedded Linux-based system on their consoles?

 

[Melcar]

Because Gabensama did not want to sing the MS tune.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

I can imagine SteamOS being coded in the same such wonderful way.

*Boot SteamOS for first time.
*SteamOS cleans up temp files after installation, wipes hard drive clean.

 

[Melcar]

I can imagine SteamOS being coded in the same such wonderful way.

*Boot SteamOS for first time.
*SteamOS cleans up temp files after installation, wipes hard drive clean.

Yeah, but SteamOS has an additional step. After cleaning out your drive, it downloads a full album of Dear Leader Gaben photos to your PC.

 

[Outlander]

OH NO IT'S LIKE THIS ALL OVER AGAIN!!!!