U.S. Playstation 2 Linux Hits the Streets.

msolnik writes: "The U.S. version of Playstation 2 Linux is getting ready to hit the streets. Here is an review of the first public beta. It really looks sweet and comes with a lot of nice hardware. I can't wait for it to start selling -- finally I will have a legit reason to buy a PS2."

USB?

[autopr0n]

If you're going to use the built in networking on the PS2, why use USB? The thing comes with firewire ports! Thats more bandwidth then 100baseT ethernet :)

No.

[autopr0n]

wouldn't that be more likely to have Linux ported to it? then again, x-box just came out.

The PS2 has been out a lot longer, Had a Linux based development kit, has had a Linux port out in Japan for a while now, oh, and it isn't controlled by a corporation that considers Linux the "number 1 threat".

Sony has been on the Linux bandwagon with the PS2 for a while. Remember they ported this themselves, it's not a hack.

Anyone got a mirror?

[danaris]

Looks like the site is slashdotted already; anyone got a mirror they want /.ed real fast? I want this: I have a PS2, and would love to get my hands on a Linux distro that runs on it.

By the way, does anyone know if other distros (eg XDarwin) could be ported to PS2, now that this is here?

Dan Aris

You mean besides....

[moniker_21]

"...finally I will have a legit reason to buy a PS2."

You mean besides,

All [ebgames.com]
the [ebgames.com]
really [ebgames.com]
really [ebgames.com]
great [ebgames.com]
games [ebgames.com]
? [ebgames.com]

And many more... You just can't beat the PS2 right now simply because it has so many amazing games available for it. Sorry it's offtopic, but it's true.

Re:USB?

[domc]

Yes, Firewire can be used to network couputers daisy-chain style. I'm not sure if you can do such a thing with USB.

domc

Dreamcast!

[Spackler]

I just flipped my self-burned CD-R into my $50 Dreamcast, just to reply to this. You can do this today, for about as much money as a PS2 game and a keyboard. Granted, no hard disk, but the idea was to mess with embedded Linux.

Don't miss the point here. Run to "Toys R us", and scoop up the Dreamcast (read the manufacture date through the hole in the back to make sure it was made before Sept. 2000). Go to fivemouse.com and grab the image. Burn it with DiscJuggler, and start playing with embedded Linux tonight!

-Spackler

Mirror

[gabeman-o]

http://www.stormcloudtech.com/~gabe/mirror/

Sorry, didnt get a chance to mirror the full size screen shots.

Re:One question... why?

[Randy Rathbun]

I want it so I can be watching TV and check my email without having to get off my ass and walk the 20 steps to the computer room. Plus, how often are you sitting at the TV and think to yourself, "I really need to remember to look this up on the web when I get a chance.." then go off and forget about it. Hell, I do it all the time.

To me this is gonna be cool.

Re:USB?

[autopr0n]

Is it possible to do n-way (n>2) networking with fire wire? I was intending to use USB because each unit has two USB ports - so each unit can be daisy chained to two others (granted, I suppose they'd have to be set up as routers).

I'm not actually sure you can daisy chain USB right out of the box like that. Maybe with some extra software.

On the other hand, you can plug as many boxes in with Firewire if you get a hub. Gran Tourismo 3 actually allows you to link up 6 PS2s (the most number of cars on the road in the game) via Firewire/iLink if you get a hub.

But yeh, people are probably just going to use the Ethernet that comes with the Linux kit :P

Re:Networking?

[ZeroLogic]

I've been using a DLINK USB ethernet adapter w/ Tony Hawk.

You don't HAVE to use the Sony adapter, there are other ones that will work as well.

Re:Dreamcast!

[Anonymous Coward]

The newer DC's won't boot CDR's. I gave my original DC to my dad, and I bought a another used one. When I got it home I popped in a burned cdr and it wouldn't boot. I promptly returned it and made sure to check the date this time.

Re:Crippled or no?

[Afrosheen]

That's plenty to run Blackbox or IceWM.

Re:Crippled or no?

[mikeee]

RDRAM is well and good, but the fact that that RAM is 100% faster than mine isn't going to matter when it starts swapping, 'cause my RAM is about 1000000% faster than that IDE hard drive. (No, really, it is. Do the math.)

OTOH, my previous PC ran Blackbox tolerably with 28 MB, so maybe...

Mozilla's Classic theme looks like 4.7

[yerricde]

One of the pictures shows Netscape being run on the PS2. It looks to be 4.7x

If your computer contains a Netscape Communicator 4.x profile when you install Mozilla, Mozilla defaults to the Classic theme, which looks like Netscape Communicator 4.7.

Last time I checked netscape was closed source.

Mozilla is free software licensed under the Mozilla Public License and the GNU { |Lesser} General Public License. Netscape 6.x is mostly MPL/LGPL free software with some minor proprietary things linked in (AIM client, spell checker, etc) but the Mozilla team is working on replacing those.

This is no beta. We've been tricked!

[Nemith]

After reading this article it dawned on me that this isn't a beta of the US version of linux for the PS2. It is just a english site on the Japan version.

The X11 screen shot on that site is exactly the same as on the Japan site [ps2linux.com]. Furthermore the kit showing is also right off the Japaneese site. [ps2linux.com] Check out this dmesg [ps2linux.com] on the site. Look familiar?!?. Ya I though so.

From my understanding the US version will have an internal harddrive/network card to fit in that big hole in the back of the PS2. Now I am a little dissapointed. This casts no forshadow to release of the US version and we still have to wait. Why this even made Slashdot I am not sure, but dont be fooled with this trickery.

Um, take another look at dmesg

[jmorris42]

Notice anything missing from the dmesg output?

Yup, just the hard drive! No access to the closed hardware in the CD/DVD player. No CD/MP3/DVD/VCD/Divx;) players for us until some outsiders reverse engineer things and distribute a loadable module.

Bummer. I'd have bought one in an instant as a play everything console.

Anybody know if it has one or two PC Card slots? It needs one for the HDD/ethernet but since ethenet to my TV would be a bitch I'd prefer to slam a Orinoco into it.

post nov 20000 anti-piracy Dreamcast workaround

[mastagee]

is here [megagames.com]

The bioses in US dreamcasts manufactured after November 2000 will not boot audio/data multi-session cds. This was done because major piracy groups (Echelon mainly) were using this as their primary self-booting game format. The workaround is to convert the audio/data cd to a data/data cd.

Re:USB?

[Wesley Felter]

USB networking is impossible because each USB port is either a host or device, and there can only be one host on the bus. Since the PS2 is hardwired as a host, you can't connect two PS2s using USB. Also, you'd need a USB A to USB A cable, which doesn't exist (because it would create an invalid bus topology).

I have seen devices that have two device ports and proxy traffic between them to create a USB network, but they're much slower and more expensive than just daisy-chaining with 1394 cables.

There is an extension in the works for USB 2.0 that will allow multiple hosts to network over USB, but by the time it is delivered I suspect 1394 will be pretty entrenched.

Linux on Xbox ain't gonna happen without HW mods

[yerricde]

Of course it's only a matter of time before some clever people do port Linux to XBox.

Ain't gonna happen. Microsoft controls the BIOS, and the Xbox will run only signed, encrypted code. See my previous comment [slashdot.org]. Of course, you could theoretically throw in a mod-chip, but Microsoft would use its vast re$ources to sue any mod-chip maker out of existence.

Re:This is no beta. We've been tricked!

[Hal-9001]

Well, there is this article [cnn.com] (hyperlink from the original posted link [netgod.net], where Shin'ichi Okamoto, senior vice president and chief technical officer of Sony Computer Entertainment, said that although he couldn't provide a U.S. release date for the PS2 Linux Kit yet, "we'll be able to announce it soon."

That article is dated October 24th, 2001, so the question is whether that pre- or postdates the disclaimer on the PS2 Linux Kit website [ps2linux.com] stating that

• The Linux Kit is designed exclusively for the Japanese model of "PS2", SCPH-10000,SCPH-15000 and SCPH-18000. Since these models are for domestic use in Japan, the Linux Kit is only available in Japan.
  
• At this point, there is no plan to release the Linux Kit for non-Japanese model of "PS2".
  
• Overseas delivery is not available.

I for one hope this if for real, because for me, like for timothy, this would be the straw that breaks the camel's back and convinces me to purchase a PS2.

Re:This is really cool

[drinkypoo]

I was under the impression that DirectX was a Win32 thing and wasn't implemented in hardware.

DirectX is a collection of APIs. One of them, Direct3D, can more or less be done in hardware; At least for nvidia cards, most direct3d drivers only have to map D3D functions to identical functions in hardware on the card, which helped put nvidia's TNT card at the head of the Direct3D performance line, and continues through the GeForce line. In fact, it seems that nVidia is leading the direct3d featureset, and not the other way around.

It's RISC

[Penguinoflight]

As many of us know, this is a RISC R5000 (modified) processor. This is the same kind of chip you'd get in a 02 likely. Indy's don't get 294mhz. The potential for digital video editing is probably pretty good, because as I recall, the PS2 has a 32mb video ram, they're probably using opengl for the video (considering it's a R5000), and it's a fast video chip to do all those games.

What I'm wondering, is why hasn't Sony released the source code to their modified Linux kernel? Linux is definatly GPL, XFree86 is GPL, at least a lot of the code, and plenty more apps. Isn't porting considered big enough a change that it requires a source release?

Re:Review contents - site /.'ed

[AntiTuX]

I've played with one of the ps2 Development tools, they're actually quite interisting. The problem lies in the fact that the ps2 only has 32 megs of ram. That's not a helluvalot, which makes the box kinda useless for anything other than just hacking around. I don't know if you can buy extra ram, or just make shitloads of swapspace for the thing, but it's still one cool hack.