Linux fans are free to do the open-source shimmy today in celebration of Valve announcing the launch of a limited access Steam for Linux beta. Valve invited experienced Linux users to sign up for the closed beta in October and claims to have received over 60,000 responses in the first week alone. The first round of beta participants has already been selected, though more gamers will be added throughout the course of the beta, Valve says.

Croteam CTO Alen Ladavac is the latest game developer to lash out against Windows 8, and he did so by posting a rather lengthy message on Steam's forum. Ladavac was commenting in a thread dedicated to a new Serious Sam 3 patch, and he sort of went off on a tangent, complaining about the tiled interface in Windows 8, the certification process, and age restrictions that have prevented titles like Dishonored and Skyrim from appearing in the Windows Store.

The talking heads at Valve continue to downplay the importance Windows plays in the future of PC gaming, pointing instead to Linux as an alternative in progress that's gaining steam (and Steam, for that matter). Serving as the latest indication that Valve has a growing affinity for Linux, software engineer Drew Bliss talked up the open source platform during a presentation at the Ubuntu Developer Summit.

A new survey conducted by The Associated Press and GfK reveals that the majority of American adults are completely oblivious to Windows 8. That's bad news for Microsoft, which is banking on Windows 8 and its touch friendly features to transform the landscape by unifying both desktop and mobile platforms under a singular UI, one that represents a re-imagining of Windows and a new era in computing.