Free60 Project Aims for Linux on Xbox 360

BlueMoon writes "The Free60 Project wiki and developers mailinglist has been launched. The project aims to port open source operating systems like GNU/Linux and Darwin to the Microsoft Xbox 360 gaming console. The site already contains some interesting details about the Xbox 360 security: per-box key stored on CPU, boot ROM will be on CPU too and a hypervisor verifies the running state of the kernel."

*click*

[NightDragon]

*Starts the "Time-to-360-hacked" Stopwatch....*

Re:Why would you need it on a three 3.2 GHz proces

[amliebsch]

They want to run KDE.

Re:Easier option...

[mordors9]

Because the most important question of all must once again be answered, "yeah, but does it run linux?"

Re:My Thoughts Exactly

[Miros]

So, buy an extremely expensive piece of propreitary hardware, an extra pc case, a bunch of modding tools, spend hours of your time moving the pieces from one to the other and getting the OS tweaked just right... to not waste money on overpriced games.... dude, just go out and buy a computer, seriously.

They should probably wait...

[Hymer]

...until that overheating problem is solved...

First step!

[Libor Vanek]

I already know 1st step "HowTo run Linux on your XBox 360" - it's:

1, Attach your XBox on a string so it can be c00l enough ;-)

Re:My Thoughts Exactly

[Anonymous Coward]

4) Install Linux and stop buying those ridiculously priced games...

...so you can play Tux Racer. Oh Oh Oh, what about bzFlag? Linux can play games, honest!

Good idea

[GroeFaZ]

because game consoles, too, want to be free.

Re:Why would you need it on a three 3.2 GHz proces

[paranode]

And they want to open something in OpenOffice.

Re:Yay

[porneL]

It just gives that fuzzy feeling that Microsoft has paid $126 for your Linux box.

Obligatory PA

[Sumocide]

Enjoy

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2003/06/30 [penny-arcade.com]

Re:Consoles are not general computing platforms

[Anonymous Coward]

You missed the whole point of being a geek. Sorry, slashdot is not for you, don't come back.

This is not the slashdot I once knew

[Anonymous Coward]

Hello fellow slashdotters, I've been reading slashdot for several years but this is ourageous.
As the Executive Sales Manager for Microsoft XBox 360 I don't see this as news but a direct
illegal action against the Microsoft corporation. Hacking the XBox hardware which the machine was
not originally intended for will be further looked into by the FBI and CIA as it is considered a
hostile Terrorist action against the United States of America's privatly owned enterprises. We
have the governments full support to fight this Communist plague and any attempt to interfere or
hinder this investigation will result in an immediate hostile response.

At least

[paranode]

Before they try porting Gentoo to it.

Re:Yay

[Anonymous Coward]

>>> Why would you need it on a three 3.2 GHz processors.

Because they're THERE!

Geesh... :-)

Re:Yay

[hullabalucination]

Why would you need it on a three 3.2 GHz processors.

The main reason: Jewel Box Total Annihilation Edition
http://www.games.ru/games/linux/screenshots/xjewel .gif [games.ru]

Re:Question

[Slashcrap]

But even the best game consoles make for pretty poor PCs if you just look at the specs, so it seems to me that this is more of a proof-of-concept and the sheer devilish joy of seeing Tux on an Xbox.

3 x 3.2Ghz Power PC CPUs, 512MB memory, high-end GPU, 20GB HDD & wireless.

I see what you mean. It's hardly worth bothering with really is it?

Re:holy mangled facts, batman

[CustomDesigned]

Thanks. No wonder I couldn't google it either :-)

Re:Why?

[Aqws]

According to Godwins law, I must now try to hack the x-box.

Re:Yay

[Geoffreyerffoeg]

But how long does that fuzzy feeling last when your system crashes because the power-supply overheated?

Then it becomes a warm fuzzy feeling.

Re:How To

[Eideewt]

I believe that's:
1. Get modified Xbox with Linux installed
2. Suspend on a piece of string
3. Spin 360 degrees on piece of string
4. ???
5. Profit!

One other thing

[Zen Programmer]

Cziksentmihalyi is pronounced "CHICK-SENT-ME-HIGH", and although he was the first to academically describe this state, as Cziksentmihalyi acknowledges, it has been known and pursued for much, much longer by yogis and many others.

Re:Yay

[akeyes]

Why would you need it on a three 3.2 GHz processors.

You must be new here...

OOo?

[tepples]

You should be certain to specify that these CPUs don't execute OoO

Only because they haven't been cracked yet. Should the box be cracked, you'll see a port of Linux, and then you'll have your OpenOffice.org suite.

Re:holy mangled facts, batman

[Scherf]

[...]Csikszentmihalyi, and he's Hungarian[...]

Seriously, I was this close to mod you funny... ;-)

Re:Why??

[Anonymous Coward]

Because not all of us share the same tastes as you and we actually find it funny?

I understand that it happens. I just don't understand *why* it happens. Let's look at the linked cartoon. Oh man that's a hoot! A joke about geeks not having sex! How *do* they come up with it? Geniuses, I tell ya.

FAQ

[Paradise Pete]

Pretty good FAQ [free60.org] on that site:

Q: Have you guys modded the Xbox360 yet?
A: No, not yet.

The name

[FLAGGR]

Free60? That's pretty cool. What are the other consoles going to get for a name? "Open Source Revolution", uh.. "PS3 Linux"?

Re:One other thing

[Oopsz]

It was always "Chick-sent-mah-hail-yah" through my motivation prof's lower east side accent..

Re:At least

[smittyoneeach]

Well, they already ported Gentoo's creator to MicroSoft, so the distro itself should logically follow.

Aussie

[tardigrades]

In case you didnt know free60 is Australian pronunciation of for 360. Im getting kinda fristy here.

It's just a ploy from MS to make Linux crash...

[marcushnk]

You see.. they're taking a $129 loss on every x360 sold.. the reason is that they KNOW we're going to put Linux on it.. and the moment we do you KNOW some well meaning twit will port Gentoo to it.
Now if these buggers over heat and die regularly what do you think GENTOO is going to do to it with all that compiling?!?!

It's going to set fire to houses and KILL PEOPLE!!
Then MS can sit back and let the marketing dogs of war loose, and Linux will be branded as the child killing OS for ever and a day.

so.. which of you genius Judas will be nailing Tux to a dead tree first??

Re:Not too quick!

[nazsco]

that makes sense!

1. M$ releases just a few machines as a probe
2. hackers abuse version 1
3. M$ launches version 2 that can't be hacked that way.
4. all of versions 1 burn to ashes
5. ???
6. hackers get to version 2, but then it's too much work for the pseudo-chip makers in china to cople with

Some team at M$ is watching

[bhav2007]

I bet there is some group within M$ whose job has been specifically to prevent Linux from running on the xbox 360. They better cross their fingers

Linux string?

[EmbeddedJanitor]

So what's the deal here? Using Linux string to fix the 360?

Re:Nice try

[croddy]

The real questions are: is there a hack that requires so little effort from the part of the user that it is worth the trouble, and if so, how long until it is discovered ?

After some analysis, I've already discovered what appears to be a critical vulnerability already in the 360's chain of trust.

The approach will not be easy. You are required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point. The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station.

Would Linux even run?

[Short Circuit]

Even if you got around the intentional security measures, would Linux even run on a machine with an number of processors not 2^n? If so, I've never heard of it before...

1, 2, 4, 8, even 32 processors, sure. The only non power-of-two systems I've heard of were clusters, which typically have a different task-distribution model.

Re:Nice try

[Jozer99]

I did it! I found all the security stuff difficult, so I replaced the hardware with my Pentium D desktop. Now, the XBox 360 will boot Suse, BSD, Windows XP, and even BeOS with little or no configuration. Then I decided that hacking the Xbox 360 alone was too easy, so I decided to write an XBox 360 emulator for my new hacked XBox 360. This was easily accomplished by subsituting the original scrapped hardware for the new hacked version. Spread the news.

Re:This must be a great story

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't worry. I hear they're working on a story about Linux on XBox 360, from the Free360 Project.

SAD NEWS! MUST READ!

[Anonymous Coward]

I just heard some sad news on IRC - Slashdot Editor CmdrTaco was found dead in front of his computer this afternoon. There weren't any more details. I'm sure everyone in the Slashdot community will miss him - even if you didn't enjoy his work, there's no denying his contributions to geek culture. Truly a Slashdot icon, and his picture will be turned into one soon.

Re:Nice try

[Eccles]

Many Bothans died to bring you this information.

Re:Nice try

[Lectrik]

After some analysis, I've already discovered what appears to be a critical vulnerability already in the 360's chain of trust.

The approach will not be easy. You are required to maneuver straight down this trench and skim the surface to this point. The target area is only two meters wide. It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station.

Wow, the 360 must use some sort of transfinite spatail interface just to have a 2 meter wide thermal port.
That and shouldn't that be

A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the [Play]station [3].

That's no moon, that's an XboX.

Re:are there any non-gaming applications to this

[mblase]

I'm sure there are a lot of high-perf researchers on a shoestring

A lot of Xbox 360 power bricks, too.

Grad Students

[Anonymous Coward]

As long as thier are grad students, linux will be ported to anything that can processes assembly instructions.