Screen Lock on Gnome Version?
I recently replaced SteamOS on my Steam Deck with Bazzite. So far I'm enjoying it, I work as a web developer and it's been much easier to install what I need for my development environment. And I enjoy being able to use Gnome rather than KDE.
That being said, I'm spoiled to being able to lock my workstation by hitting Win Key + L whenever I leave my desk. Steam OS didn't have this functionality easily accessible by default, but I figured out this workaround a long time ago:
https://github.com/RHOPKINS13/SteamDeckScreenLock
My question is whether it's possible to lock the screen when using Gnome on Bazzite. The option is missing, and from what I can tell it's because it's using SDDM rather than GDM. Is there any workaround? I really don't like leaving my computer unlocked for anybody while I step away from my desk.
GitHub
GitHub - RHOPKINS13/SteamDeckScreenLock: How to Enable Screen Lock ...
How to Enable Screen Lock on Steam Deck's Desktop Mode - RHOPKINS13/SteamDeckScreenLock
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Actually, I figured out a few things in the past hour. It's a little kludgy, but I think it works pretty well.
You're not locked down to using sddm. gdm is already included and easy to switch to, in a terminal window:
After rebooting, I end up with the typical Gnome login screen. If I'm using my Steam Deck as a handheld, I can use accessibility tools to access an on-screen keyboard for typing in my password. There's also a settings gear icon that lets me pick between Gnome (aka "Desktop Mode") and Steam Big Picture Mode (aka "Gaming Mode").
After doing this, the typical screen lock options appear in Gnome. At first, when locking the screen from Desktop Mode, I noticed that I couldn't get into accessibility to access the on-screen keyboard, I had to use my physical keyboard. Luckily, that can easily be solved by changing your settings to "Always Show Accessibility Menu" in the top bar.
Game Mode works pretty well, but if you try to "Switch to Desktop Mode" it doesn't work. So far the only way I've found to enter Desktop Mode after launching Game Mode is to reboot the Steam Deck. It's not ideal, but it works.
Anyway, I hope this helps somebody. Maybe someone else will know how to polish this up a little bit. But for now, this makes using my Steam Deck as a full-blown PC replacement a little easier, and (I think) a little more secure.
Wat, gdm shipped with bazzite the entire time? Dang, I wish I knew this earlier
But side note, on KDE, you can enable a lock screen on desktop mode. There's
screen locking settings on the KDE desktop
The KDE lock screen won't show up for game mode though, you'll need to add a steam pin thereThis bug is also why Bazzite-deck-gnome defaults to sddm instead of gdm
The Switch to Desktop mode relies on sddm