That doesn’t really matter to the point I’m making. Some Android users do things like install AOSP after building it themselves from source or install one of many custom open source Android distributions such as LineageOS or YAAP. I would consider this type of person much more of a Linux user than a person who buys a SteamDeck and just plays games on it.

The key difference for me is that a Linux user is aware of the open source movement around Linux and at least engages in some aspect of the open source community. They don’t have to become a software developer or a contributor or even a hacker. They just have to be aware of the fact that they’re using Linux (regardless of the name of the distribution they’re using), that Linux is open source, and that they can (and do, at least in some small way) exercise some of the freedoms of open source that are afforded to them.

A person who buys a SteamDeck and merely plays games on it might be aware that it’s running Linux (they might’ve heard it from someone else) but if they don’t care about that and don’t engage with any of the things that make it Linux then they might as well be using a proprietary OS (or even using a dishwasher with Linux on it for that matter).

Yes but what I’m getting at here is much more cultural than technical. While we all applaud the growth of Linux that doesn’t necessarily translate into more people who are actually “Linux users” like the type of folks who would join this community.

Someone who simply runs SteamOS on a computer or handheld just so they can play games (basically a game console) doesn’t actually care that they’re running Linux and doesn’t actually learn anything about Linux, so I wouldn’t consider them a Linux user anymore than I would for an Android user.