Glossary¶

Compatibility Layer¶: Software that enables programs designed for one platform to run on another. Proton is a compatibility layer that allows Windows games to run on Linux.
Confinement¶: The security isolation that snaps run under, restricting their access to system resources. Snaps can have strict confinement (limited access), classic confinement (full system access), or devmode (development mode).
GameMode¶: A Linux daemon/library that optimizes system performance for gaming by adjusting CPU governor, I/O priority, and other settings when games are running.
gaming-graphics-core24-snap¶: Graphics stack useful as a content snap for gaming snaps.
MangoHud¶: An overlay for monitoring system performance in games, showing metrics like frame rate (FPS), CPU/GPU usage, and temperatures on Linux.
Native Game¶: A game that has been compiled and designed to run directly on Linux without requiring compatibility layers like Proton.
Proton¶: Valve’s compatibility layer that allows Windows games to run on Linux. Based on Wine and additional libraries, Proton translates Windows API calls to Linux equivalents.
ProtonDB¶: A community-driven database that tracks how well Windows games run on Linux using Proton. Users submit reports and ratings for game compatibility.
Snap¶: A universal Linux package format that bundles an application and its dependencies in a confined environment. Snaps work across different Linux distributions and are enabled by default in Ubuntu.
Snap Connection¶: A connection between occurs when a snap needing a resource is connected to another snap that provides that resource.
Snap Interface¶: Snaps can only access resources from the system and other snaps through interfaces that describe the resources they provide.
Snapd¶: The background service (daemon) that manages and runs snaps on a Linux system. It handles installation, updates, and the security confinement of snap packages.
Steam Deck¶: Valve’s handheld gaming device that runs SteamOS (a Linux-based operating system). Games verified for Steam Deck are generally compatible with Linux desktop systems.
Steam Play¶: Valve’s technology that enables cross-platform gaming. In the context of Linux, Steam Play uses Proton to run Windows-only games on Linux systems.