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To get Linux on an Xbox 360 right now you have to modify the hardware.

Only if you have a recently-updated 360. There's a game-related hack to get around it, although the Free60 website's front page is currently 404 so they're not serving up any info on the hack.

Ball's in their court they just choose not to play because no one is making them.

They are playing the game, and you have implicitly accepted their rules by giving them money for the product as it stands. I can't make this any clearer without drawing you a diagram.

It sounds like there will be a lot of X-Boxes coming onto the used market soon, for cheap.
Now, what to do with them ...

There I said it. Read his blog, and I quote:

"The real reason I'm against piracy on this blog is the DMCA and lawyers though. It's not a moral issue."

Thank you Mr. Asshole. There goes your not-for-piracy argument.

By his own words his hack is unpatchable. Yet we've seen nothing. No proof no nothing. Compare it to this doc about the xbox

What's even more funny is that he's been told several times that the isolated SPU is the key to the system's security which, according to him doesn't matter as he will shut it down. Yeah, right.

Linus Torvalds is a hacker. So is Theo de Raadt. This imbecile is just a hack, nothing else.

More to the point, this is unlikely to be a practical issue right now because it's a related key attack. You have to encrypt something with multiple keys that are closely related (similar in many respects) before the attack applies. This usually doesn't happen unless the implementers are idiots.

Related key attacks are very feasible if a block cipher is used as a building block for a hash function. FYI XBOX was broken with a related key attack.

(credit goes to Orr Dunkelman for finding this out)

wat?

http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/Main_Page

Seriously, while a toy can help provide familiarity, it's not enough to learn the field well. A more powerful and useful set of tools for an X-Box are at http://www.xbox-linux.org/. Enjoy.

A memory card adapter can easily be made from an Xbox controller pigtail and a USB extension cable

Google how to make an xbox memory card adapter found this, but a lot of people can't be bothered to learn to solder.

However, there are forums where you can find someone to help you (or do it for you for a fee) all over the country.

I tried xbox soft-mod service indiana on Google but didn't see anything relevant. What keywords should I have tried instead?

All the answers are out there, an intelligent person could spend two or three minutes and get them all.

One problem is that some of the resources about soft-modding are outdated (e.g. Version 1.6 Warning). Some people who are otherwise intelligent don't have the specific knowledge about how to tell if a given tutorial is up-to-date or out-of-date. For instance, the first result from Google xbox soft-mod is from May 16, 2004. What kind of query would one use to ask "Has anything about Xbox soft-modding changed since May 2004"? Or would that be more of a "sign up on a forum" thing?

1) Buy a used xbox from someplace that lets your look at it first. You can determine the version by looking at serial number and manufacture date. Short version: if it was made before 2004, it's pre-1.6

2) You can still use a hardware mod chip on a 1.6 box.

Buy and old xbox.

Any ideas on how to buy an old Xbox console without buying one that has version 1.6 firmware?

Definitely seems to be working now... http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/Screenshots

You let me know when Microsoft starts selling Macs or Linux boxes

MS sold hardware that can run Linux, it's called Xbox and Xbox 360.

You can get a used XBox for $100.

And how much for basic electronics classes to learn to solder?

Put in a cheap hard drive. Purchase a mod chip on the cheap

What web site lists mod chip stores that you consider reliable?

or do a soft mod.

That won't work if GameStop sells me an Xbox 1.6.

Yes, but you may notice the fight between P2P programs and ISPs/big media. They may very well push most people into a web and email-only "internet." Where point to point communication is limited.

Then there is the DMCA and other laws which allow just about anyone to silence a small time website.

And, don't let us forget DRM and laws such as the SSSCA, which could create a situation where the common person could easily be limited as to how many people they can reach, assuming they are allowed to publish anything at all.

Just because it wasn't codified into law doesn't mean DRM still isn't a problem. The Xbox was Microsoft's DRM prototype, and while its program loading protections where cracked, they can always be made stronger.

From the xbox linux site:

In order to lock out both copied games as well as homebrew software, including the GNU/Linux operating system, Microsoft built a chain of trust on the Xbox reaching from the hardware to the execution of game code, in order to avoid the infiltration of code that has not been authorized by Microsoft.

You're absolutely right, it's the testers fault that these things happen so often.

Yes, they're old. But the best testers in the world would have noticed the mistakes (?) the best coders in the world made.

In more modern operating systems, it's become well known that MSFT hid the facts about how incredible their coders really are.

Must be another CO day here. While we are at it, let me add my totally obvious comments. Instead of spending atleast 400-450$ on a PS3, you can build yourself a proper PC with components from newegg and download Ubuntu and install it for a superior Linux experience. What's that you say? You want a Blu-ray drive? Here's one that's not so expensive.

You don't want a BDROM and you can't be bothered to put together a PC? Say hello to Zonbu and their line of line of cheaper machines.

Zonbu not upto your taste? Perhaps Madtux might help.

That was from 3mins of Googling - you get my drift. Linux on PS3 is almost as old as Linux on PS2 (one with HDD). Anyone remember Linux on xbox?

I am not sure who or what I should be insulting here - the selection of this story or Popular Mechanics. Oh and 129$ from newegg for a BDROM drive is cheap enough for me (HTPC and all) - Give it a couple of months and you will get sub 100$ BDROM drives and as any serious gamer knows, it's not the console price that will get ya - it's the games as they come out but I digress. Back to watching Monty Python on Hulu...

Name is good, it has plenty of games, you may have trouble finding out whats worth playing/not worth playing because there are so many, overall its a great emulator.

Mupen64+ is also a good nintendo64 emulator for those of us on linux. I hear ps emulators are fairly good to but, i think you cant go wrong with arcade classics (NAME) and N64 (project64/mupen64) as N64 games are more multiplayer orientated. (f-zero X, mario cart, micro machines), hell i even used to play with a non-geek girlfriend.

An important factor would be the controllers, as a fan of Xboxs original large controllers, i choped up 2 of the cables to make xbox - usb cables, (its a fairly trivial task). you can also get usb converters for xbox/ps controllers, or buy a couple of wii controllers and a bluetooth dongle. There may also be good pc controllers, but i never found any.

For arcade games, phones + bluetooth, (i bound anyremote, to 16 random keys but there are probably other ways of doing it), will also do nicely.

Also a DS emulator works quite nicely with a laptop touch pad, but its only 1 player.

...or you can imagine a situation where console still contain very weird innovations, but still provide a simple common layer.

Games are either manufacturer-exclusive and exploit all special bells-and-whistles (original new controller, clever usage of the steam coprocessors or whatever) or games target a special set of API and hardware capabilities that exist across all major player.

The concept is somewhat similar to what currently happens with some developing toolset that let developers cross compile software for several consoles (id software's next engine which works on PC, XBox 360 and Playstation with one single toolset is such an example).

The only difference is that current such tools are done by 3rd party, have to be acquired separately, and finally produce console-specific disc wich bundles game data with console-specific runtime layer, whereas EA's idea could be implemented if every console offered in it's firmware a "standarised environment".
It could be something similar to what smart phones (and to some extend, the interactive capabilities of high definition disc players are doing) are already doing : most of them have different and specific hardware and OS platform (Symbian, Linux, Windows CE, Palm OS, ...) but all have Java MIDP which can be targeted as a standard unified platform, it doesn't provide all the niceties of native binary but is the kind of "one target to rule them all" that developer are looking for.

In the console realm, an open-source stack based around Linux + SDL + OpenGL + some scripting language (like python's pygame. Or better Parrot Bytecode engine for more language flexibility) could provide such a unified target. Specially since some console already have linux (PS3, PS2) and other are getting it hacked in (Wii) or have already had (Xbox 360, DS, PSP (somewhat. An uCLinux proof-of-concept currently),XBox, GameCube, Dreamcast... )

Actually, in contrary of what they think, allowing linux on the consoles could somewhat drive piracy down. Currently both pirated games, linux and homebrew all share the same need to circumvent the cryptographic locks that exist inside consoles (either to crack the games, or just to be able to run their own non-signed code). So efforts are shared among all those groups.
If Linux gets an official support from companies, the linux community won't need modchips and such anymore, and in addition to commercial game developers looking for a standard platform, homebrewer will get a platform they can target too, without needing to circumvent cryptography. Thus less efforts go into the development of methods to circumvent the cryptographic lock around vendor specific platform for games.

The only draw back is that cross-platform developers targeting Linux for commercial games won't benefit any more from the copy protection provided by the cryptographic locks and will have to either invent other protections that will work on this standard platform (cue in StarFuck and all associated problems), count on log-ins for on-line games or accept risk and take into account the possibility of being easily copied.

Gee, this scheme will work just about as well as it did on the XBox.

I can't buy a modded Xbox in U.S. retail stores or on eBay; where else should I buy a modded Xbox?

Cottage industry made america great. There are ads in small papers and on bulletin boards across America advertising modded Xboxes and Xbox modding. Or, you could mod your own, let us continue.

If you mean that I should learn to mod one myself, can version 1.6 be modded without soldering? Does your "no cheaper way" estimate include training for somebody who has never soldered before? And I still can't buy modchips in U.S. retail stores or on eBay for the same reason as above.

No, but modchips can be had easily enough; if you're willing to use ebay then why not another online service? Get a temporary CC number and go to town. You CAN buy them in retail stores in the US, but only small shops that probably won't exist in a year or two, and typically only in cities.

Does your "no cheaper way" estimate include the potential $750 to $30,000 statutory damages (per 17 USC 504 and foreign counterparts) for infringement of the copyright in the Xbox BIOS and/or the XDK libraries against which XBMC and most of these emulators are compiled?

It is possible to come up with a Linux-based solution (using cromwell BIOS) which does not involve the use of a hacked-up Xbox BIOS. So if you are truly worried about this, then you do have the option of a free solution. There are XBMC-like applications which will run on Linux. Though, I do admit, the value of the Xbox is diminished while not running its native OS. It's a little light on RAM.

Per several comments in other console vs. PC discussions on Slashdot, isn't television output overrated? Isn't it "better" to buy one set of PC, monitor, keyboard, and mouse per person and play multiplayer games over the LAN, because that way each player has a hundred triggers for discrete actions and can't easily cheat off other players' screens?

Console gaming does not necessarily replace PC gaming. They are suited to different situations and purposes. Heck, in certain environments there's no room for a large output device and they're practically the only thing available. (Most console games these days are inscrutable on a 13" television. No Atari-sized pixels.)

Also, the purpose of the device is not just to play games, but also to watch movies. I still use my PSTwo for a DVD player sometimes (it boots marginally faster than the Xbox) so it's not just the Xbox to which this argument applies.

"Screen cheating" is simply another game mechanic. Besides, in the really real world you have a level of situational awareness which cannot be provided by a TV screen; peripheral vision, highly directional hearing, etc etc. A little more information on what your opponents doing might be considered to help make up for that lack.

Finally, console gaming does not actually preclude network gaming; while almost no one ever got groups of consoles together to play games until recently, even though a number of older games permitted it (I've done it with Wipeout XL on PS1 for example) the feature is available in some cases.

And, let me remind you, you can run Linux on the Xbox.

Yeah, as a server: "A 1.6 Xbox (softmodded) is known to not work with 2.6 kernels, the screen will lock or the tv will lose video sync." But then you lose the TV output advantage of the Xbox chipset, and you might as well use an old paid-for PC.

Who says you have to use a 2.6 kernel? 2.4 is still quite viable and perhaps bet

I can't buy a modded Xbox in U.S. retail stores or on eBay; where else should I buy a modded Xbox?

Cottage industry made america great. There are ads in small papers and on bulletin boards across America advertising modded Xboxes and Xbox modding. Or, you could mod your own, let us continue.

If you mean that I should learn to mod one myself, can version 1.6 be modded without soldering? Does your "no cheaper way" estimate include training for somebody who has never soldered before? And I still can't buy modchips in U.S. retail stores or on eBay for the same reason as above.

No, but modchips can be had easily enough; if you're willing to use ebay then why not another online service? Get a temporary CC number and go to town. You CAN buy them in retail stores in the US, but only small shops that probably won't exist in a year or two, and typically only in cities.

Does your "no cheaper way" estimate include the potential $750 to $30,000 statutory damages (per 17 USC 504 and foreign counterparts) for infringement of the copyright in the Xbox BIOS and/or the XDK libraries against which XBMC and most of these emulators are compiled?

It is possible to come up with a Linux-based solution (using cromwell BIOS) which does not involve the use of a hacked-up Xbox BIOS. So if you are truly worried about this, then you do have the option of a free solution. There are XBMC-like applications which will run on Linux. Though, I do admit, the value of the Xbox is diminished while not running its native OS. It's a little light on RAM.

Per several comments in other console vs. PC discussions on Slashdot, isn't television output overrated? Isn't it "better" to buy one set of PC, monitor, keyboard, and mouse per person and play multiplayer games over the LAN, because that way each player has a hundred triggers for discrete actions and can't easily cheat off other players' screens?

Console gaming does not necessarily replace PC gaming. They are suited to different situations and purposes. Heck, in certain environments there's no room for a large output device and they're practically the only thing available. (Most console games these days are inscrutable on a 13" television. No Atari-sized pixels.)

Also, the purpose of the device is not just to play games, but also to watch movies. I still use my PSTwo for a DVD player sometimes (it boots marginally faster than the Xbox) so it's not just the Xbox to which this argument applies.

"Screen cheating" is simply another game mechanic. Besides, in the really real world you have a level of situational awareness which cannot be provided by a TV screen; peripheral vision, highly directional hearing, etc etc. A little more information on what your opponents doing might be considered to help make up for that lack.

Finally, console gaming does not actually preclude network gaming; while almost no one ever got groups of consoles together to play games until recently, even though a number of older games permitted it (I've done it with Wipeout XL on PS1 for example) the feature is available in some cases.

And, let me remind you, you can run Linux on the Xbox.

Yeah, as a server: "A 1.6 Xbox (softmodded) is known to not work with 2.6 kernels, the screen will lock or the tv will lose video sync." But then you lose the TV output advantage of the Xbox chipset, and you might as well use an old paid-for PC.

Who says you have to use a 2.6 kernel? 2.4 is still quite viable and perhaps bet

"Who said anything about TV?" -- Smug PC weenies

I agree with you that a set-top box should be the best solution for some entertainment environments. But unfortunately, all stand-alone set-top boxes that are significantly cheaper than a Mac mini are thoroughly Tivoized. I want to help us come up with some ammunition against smug PC weenies who almost unconditionally prefer the 2-foot experience over the 10-foot experience, so here are four of their objections in increasing order of devil's advocacy:

1. I can't buy a modded Xbox in U.S. retail stores or on eBay; where else should I buy a modded Xbox?
2. If you mean that I should learn to mod one myself, can version 1.6 be modded without soldering? Does your "no cheaper way" estimate include training for somebody who has never soldered before? And I still can't buy modchips in U.S. retail stores or on eBay for the same reason as above.
3. Does your "no cheaper way" estimate include the potential $750 to $30,000 statutory damages (per 17 USC 504 and foreign counterparts) for infringement of the copyright in the Xbox BIOS and/or the XDK libraries against which XBMC and most of these emulators are compiled?
4. Per several comments in other console vs. PC discussions on Slashdot, isn't television output overrated? Isn't it "better" to buy one set of PC, monitor, keyboard, and mouse per person and play multiplayer games over the LAN, because that way each player has a hundred triggers for discrete actions and can't easily cheat off other players' screens?

"Who said anything about TV?" -- Smug PC weenies

I agree with you that a set-top box should be the best solution for some entertainment environments. But unfortunately, all stand-alone set-top boxes that are significantly cheaper than a Mac mini are thoroughly Tivoized. I want to help us come up with some ammunition against smug PC weenies who almost unconditionally prefer the 2-foot experience over the 10-foot experience, so here are four of their objections in increasing order of devil's advocacy:

1. I can't buy a modded Xbox in U.S. retail stores or on eBay; where else should I buy a modded Xbox?
2. If you mean that I should learn to mod one myself, can version 1.6 be modded without soldering? Does your "no cheaper way" estimate include training for somebody who has never soldered before? And I still can't buy modchips in U.S. retail stores or on eBay for the same reason as above.
3. Does your "no cheaper way" estimate include the potential $750 to $30,000 statutory damages (per 17 USC 504 and foreign counterparts) for infringement of the copyright in the Xbox BIOS and/or the XDK libraries against which XBMC and most of these emulators are compiled?
4. Per several comments in other console vs. PC discussions on Slashdot, isn't television output overrated? Isn't it "better" to buy one set of PC, monitor, keyboard, and mouse per person and play multiplayer games over the LAN, because that way each player has a hundred triggers for discrete actions and can't easily cheat off other players' screens?

I was thinking along the lines of adding a PIC controller with a simple clock/timer routine preprogrammed on it, and making it available through the i2c bus and connecting an output to the poweron pin of the xbox. Some kind of simple daemon could manage requests for 'wakeups' by storing a list of requests and making sure the most imminent one was loaded onto the PIC controller. Upon shutdown/wakeup the daemon could update the chip to the next required 'wakeup'. Maybe you could ask your friend how difficult it would be to attach a simple pic device to the i2c/smbus and have it available at a given address - I have limited hardware hacking skills

It may be possible to alter the code on the onboard PIC16LC chip which already controls the power/reset, eject and led functions. This chip has also been alleged to contain the realtime clock (by bunnie) as it is powered when the xbox is switched off (will run for some time after power cord is removed from a capacitor). Microsoft have probably blown the fuses that would have allowed for this.

http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/SMBus_Controller

http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/Xbox_Hardware_Overv iew#PIC16LC

http://www.xenatera.com/bunnie/proj/anatak/xboxmod .html

I was thinking along the lines of adding a PIC controller with a simple clock/timer routine preprogrammed on it, and making it available through the i2c bus and connecting an output to the poweron pin of the xbox. Some kind of simple daemon could manage requests for 'wakeups' by storing a list of requests and making sure the most imminent one was loaded onto the PIC controller. Upon shutdown/wakeup the daemon could update the chip to the next required 'wakeup'. Maybe you could ask your friend how difficult it would be to attach a simple pic device to the i2c/smbus and have it available at a given address - I have limited hardware hacking skills

It may be possible to alter the code on the onboard PIC16LC chip which already controls the power/reset, eject and led functions. This chip has also been alleged to contain the realtime clock (by bunnie) as it is powered when the xbox is switched off (will run for some time after power cord is removed from a capacitor). Microsoft have probably blown the fuses that would have allowed for this.

http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/SMBus_Controller

http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/Xbox_Hardware_Overv iew#PIC16LC

http://www.xenatera.com/bunnie/proj/anatak/xboxmod .html

From what I've heard part of the reason they're working on a Linux port is so that they can have this fine software running on the Xbox 360 (seeing as it's possible to run Linux on a limited number of Xbox 360 consoles) as well as the PS3 which can run Linux out of the box.

Another possible motivation is departing from using the XDK. As you may or may not know the XDK (Xbox Development Kit) is not publicly available and thus the XBMC team does not distribute binaries, but only source code. Then various groups with illicit copies of the XDK compile this code into the XBMC that we know and love. You have to know where to go to get it, et cetera. In addition, to even run it you either need it to either be signed, which is only done by Microsoft, or to have a hacked Xbox. In order to run unsigned Xbox (XDK) programs on the Xbox, you need a hacked BIOS. And these are by definition modified copies of the original BIOS, which are in turn illegal to distribute, and possibly to create or possess (depending on how valid the Xbox EULA is.) Work proceeds on an Open XDK replacement, but it's not up to most tasks yet.

However, it is possible to run Linux on the Xbox using an alternative BIOS known as Cromwell. This is an entirely Free/free solution, and is completely legal. You can flash it to the system in the same way as you would any other BIOS, so if you have an early Xbox you can do the internal TSOP reflash and you don't even need a modchip.

(Pardon my linkage; might as well make some links for posterity, and they support my argument) :)

Anyway, HTPC, Xbox 360 (and Playstation 3!) compatibility were probably the primary goals. But it also has a dandy side-benefit.

There is however still no legal way to do DVD menus (at least in the USA.)

From what I've heard part of the reason they're working on a Linux port is so that they can have this fine software running on the Xbox 360 (seeing as it's possible to run Linux on a limited number of Xbox 360 consoles) as well as the PS3 which can run Linux out of the box.

Another possible motivation is departing from using the XDK. As you may or may not know the XDK (Xbox Development Kit) is not publicly available and thus the XBMC team does not distribute binaries, but only source code. Then various groups with illicit copies of the XDK compile this code into the XBMC that we know and love. You have to know where to go to get it, et cetera. In addition, to even run it you either need it to either be signed, which is only done by Microsoft, or to have a hacked Xbox. In order to run unsigned Xbox (XDK) programs on the Xbox, you need a hacked BIOS. And these are by definition modified copies of the original BIOS, which are in turn illegal to distribute, and possibly to create or possess (depending on how valid the Xbox EULA is.) Work proceeds on an Open XDK replacement, but it's not up to most tasks yet.

However, it is possible to run Linux on the Xbox using an alternative BIOS known as Cromwell. This is an entirely Free/free solution, and is completely legal. You can flash it to the system in the same way as you would any other BIOS, so if you have an early Xbox you can do the internal TSOP reflash and you don't even need a modchip.

(Pardon my linkage; might as well make some links for posterity, and they support my argument) :)

Anyway, HTPC, Xbox 360 (and Playstation 3!) compatibility were probably the primary goals. But it also has a dandy side-benefit.

There is however still no legal way to do DVD menus (at least in the USA.)

From what I've heard part of the reason they're working on a Linux port is so that they can have this fine software running on the Xbox 360 (seeing as it's possible to run Linux on a limited number of Xbox 360 consoles) as well as the PS3 which can run Linux out of the box.

Another possible motivation is departing from using the XDK. As you may or may not know the XDK (Xbox Development Kit) is not publicly available and thus the XBMC team does not distribute binaries, but only source code. Then various groups with illicit copies of the XDK compile this code into the XBMC that we know and love. You have to know where to go to get it, et cetera. In addition, to even run it you either need it to either be signed, which is only done by Microsoft, or to have a hacked Xbox. In order to run unsigned Xbox (XDK) programs on the Xbox, you need a hacked BIOS. And these are by definition modified copies of the original BIOS, which are in turn illegal to distribute, and possibly to create or possess (depending on how valid the Xbox EULA is.) Work proceeds on an Open XDK replacement, but it's not up to most tasks yet.

However, it is possible to run Linux on the Xbox using an alternative BIOS known as Cromwell. This is an entirely Free/free solution, and is completely legal. You can flash it to the system in the same way as you would any other BIOS, so if you have an early Xbox you can do the internal TSOP reflash and you don't even need a modchip.

(Pardon my linkage; might as well make some links for posterity, and they support my argument) :)

Anyway, HTPC, Xbox 360 (and Playstation 3!) compatibility were probably the primary goals. But it also has a dandy side-benefit.

There is however still no legal way to do DVD menus (at least in the USA.)

Oh really?

I find on the best comparisons of Bill Gates to be with Andrew Carnegie. Unfortunately, everyone sees only the "Carnegie libraries," etc. as his legacy. It's easy to forget the strong arm tactics and violence at Homestead. Likewise, if Gates' (and Buffett's) money cure AIDS or malaria, then that may whitewash over public opinion, and sweep the abuses of the monopolist under the rug.

Personally, I won't forget the throttling of the competition (cutting of the air supply) of MS vs. Netscape. I won't forget the Allchin video in US vs. DOJ. I won't forget the backroom deals which sent money to SCO which were designed to put an end to competition once and for all.

It's frustrating that in this environment, people are so dumb (and governments will do nothing to protect them.) Joe XP-User would rather keep paying for the same thing over and over again, rather than think. How many times have you heard of people throwing out the hardware just because the software is infected with viruses and spyware? Just go down to Best Buy and ante up for another complete system with bundled OS. It the "just reboot" mentality magnified. There is no real harm, as long as the XBox works. BTW, these people know Linux's value; it's the tool used to "hack the XBox."

The only hope is that people will eventually notice how expensive Microsoft products are. If not in initial price, but in constantly starting over.

You don't need a modchip, you can install a softmod.

Given the page Version 1.6 Warning, does Microsoft make Xbox consoles compatible with the softmod anymore? And don't all new copies of the 007 and MechAssault games have the updated version that lacks the buffer overflow vulnerability that softmods exploit?

and a spare PC.

Is a dedicated PC required to run the modded Xbox or just for installation?

I seriously don't understand people who will wait in line or pay above the retail price for what will most likely be the most problem/bug prone verson of the unit.

Earlier versions of closed video game consoles generally have more easily accessible holes in their protection, allowing the use of free software or other freeware. Compare an early Xbox console to an Xbox version 1.6, or compare a PSP with firmware 1.50 to a PSP with firmware 2.81. Even when the manufacturer supports the use of free software, as was the case with some PlayStation 2 consoles, the capability is often discontinued: Sony stopped making Linux kits for the PS2 and stopped making the full-size PS2 that was compatible with the hard drive. It remains to be seen how long Sony will maintain the "Other OS" installer for the PLAYSTATION 3 console.

Of course it will.

</notkidding>

Aside from a 2400 node cluster for the department of defense and university research, or a living room media center, I guess not much other than its cool?

17 mistakes Microsoft made in the xbox security system. Perhaps it doesn't surprise you that it's quite a long article, but it's fascinating stuff.

Oh really?

Yes, there are lots of ways to do it that are illegal, but you state the only way an Xbox can run Linux is if you break the law. This is just FUD.

Of course, it's not secure if anything running anywhere has the ability to modify the system files.

--Mike--

You're right, with the 360 that was exactly what MS was trying to do.

Unfortunately for them, they don't know how to weld a box closed very well. =)

No, but hard drives in Xboxes are magically starting to fail.

The console's been out for almost five years, so we're nearing the MTBF on the hard drives, and the hard drive locking makes them nontrivial to replace.

I've got a fifteen-year-old SNES that still works (aside from my having to replace a broken power jack). How many XBoxes are going to have a fifteen-year lifespan?

Note to moderators: This sub-discussion is about modding an original Xbox console (not the Xbox 360) as an alternative to buying a Wii for its Virtual Console.

a) you cant.

So if I'm buying a used Xbox console online, how do I make sure that the firmware is pre-1.6 before I bid?

b) buy a used copy [of MechAssault], or rent a copy

How can I tell, based on the description on half.com or gamefly.com, whether the disc is in fact Part No. X08-82262 (if new in shrink wrap) or Part No. X08-82264 (if used)?

or borrow a copy from a friend

How do I find friends who already own an Xbox and already own a copy of this game?

buy/rent/steal other games like 007 that have buffer overflows.

Haven't those games been updated too?

And if my primary PC uses Microsoft Windows, can I use Knoppix instead of a hard-drive-installed Linux to create and install the FATX images?

a rom reader with USB or RS-232 interface

Assuming I can find a steady supply of Game Paks at a local used video game store, where can I buy such a NES, Sega Genesis, Super NES, or N64 cart reader online?

Not this linux monkey! www.xbox-linux.org!

Hardly in this situation though. The poster he is replying to has a "modded" xbox meaning he has hardware and/or software know-how. He knows how to search the net and at least understands about sometimes having to compile software. So in this case I disagree.

The first hit for Xebian is an extremely detailed howto http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/Xebian_HOWTO

Your pretty much spot on about Linux being for geeks, but at least in this case that was an appropriate response to someone who had a question about Linux.

Just install Xebian then use apt-get to install MythTV. I've been doing this for well over a year and it works fine.

Xbox-linux.org has info. They even have an image you can just download and chuck on your E:.

If you have to choose between a solid platform that costs $300 (and already has a stable of games available) and a brand-new system that is two hundred bucks more with far fewer games, which one do you think most people will buy?

The one with Linux on it, obviously!

In all seriousness, that was a big factor in my personal decision to buy the - WRT54G wireless router
- NSLU2 storage server
- TiVo
- XBox (original)

Main Page

Mactel-Linux is the effort to adapt the GNU/Linux operating system to Intel-based Apple Macintosh hardware.

This requires changes/additions to at least the following projects:

• the elilo bootloader
• the Linux kernel
• several drivers

This site is not about Linux distributions for Intel-Macs, but about developer communication.

Status

Using elilo and a modified Linux kernel, we can boot from a USB hard disk on the 17" iMac Core Duo. We are using the hacked vesafb driver to inherit the bootloader's framebuffer, keyboard and a USB network card work. Gentoo runs and can compile the Linux kernel with a compiler that runs on linux, which was compiled in linux, on a mac running the new intel duo processors.

lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS/940GML and 945GT Express Memory Controller Hub (rev 03)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/PM/GMS/940GML and 945GT Express PCI Express Root Port (rev 03)
00:07.0 Performance counters: Intel Corporation Unknown device 27a3 (rev 03)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) High Definition Audio Controller (rev 02)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Port 1 (rev 02)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) PCI Express Port 2 (rev 02)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI #1 (rev 02)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI #2 (rev 02)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI #3 (rev 02)
00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB UHCI #4 (rev 02)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller (rev 02)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge (rev e2)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 82801GBM (ICH7-M) LPC Interface Bridge (rev 02)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) IDE Controller (rev 02)
00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 82801GBM/GHM (ICH7 Family) Serial ATA Storage Controllers cc=AHCI (rev 02)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801G (ICH7 Family) SMBus Controller (rev 02)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: ATI Technologies Inc Unknown device 71c5
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Marvell Technology Group Ltd. 88E8053 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 22)
03:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Corporation BCM4310 UART (rev 01)
04:03.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Agere Systems FW323 (rev 61)

dmesg click if you want to see it

Instructions and Patches

Coming this weekend.

FAQ

Can I already run Linux on the iMac Core-Duo?

Not quite. The kernel boots, and you can interact with the system on the command line, but that's as much as you can do with it at the moment. If you're a developer, though, that's a starting point.

[edit]
Why Linux? OS X is so great!

Sure OS X is great. But this is fun.

[edit]
Why Linux? Why not Windows?

Windows isn't fun.

[edit]
Why not OS X on non-Apple PCs?

That's way uncool.

[edit]
The Intel-based Macs are standard PCs, aren't they?

They share many characteristics with PCs, yes. Though, their firmware is EFI, not the old 1982 PC-BIOS.

[edit]
Then what took you so long??

a large amount of xbox360's non-game hype has been involving its windows media center connectivity etc. ps3 is going to let you store photos, music, tv shows etc on its massive hard drive! yay!
XBMC has that covered, and then some. if you want to browse the internet, just install xbox-linux and use firefox

one of nintendo's big pitches has been the ability to play all those old games without having to blow on the cartridges, jiggle the game, and hold the reset button down, you can easily find ports of all your favorite emulators for the xbox, so that's covered.

and all that's going to cost you is 150 for the old box, 20-30 for a modchip.

Add another life certainty to the list of death and taxes: all Digital Rights Management and encryption schemes will [eventually] be compromised.

Early in the Xbox 1's deployment, Microsoft claimed that the "Xbox ... has military grade security." Perhaps Microsoft should have consulted the U.S. military and inquired about the number of security protocols which have been either upgraded or entirely abandoned, based on their obsolescence. As everyone knows, the first Xbox's security measures were defeated within its first year on the market.

http://www.xbox-linux.org/wiki/17_Mistakes_Microso ft_Made_in_the_Xbox_Security_System

This is not to say that Microsoft has not made significant improvements with respect to the Xbox 360's security framework, nor that the software programmers who designed the initial measures were at fault - Microsoft software engineers are a subset of the best programmers in the world. But any blueprint designed by fallible humans will have loopholes and areas of weakness to exploit.

Se, eventually, hackers will defeat the defensive routines built into the Xbox 360, allowing the piracy of copyrighted games and allowing basement-dwelling hackers to create homebrew software.

So why not remove at least some of the hacker's incentive to circumvent the hardware's built-in security?

The "Holy Grail" of the the hacking scene for the first Xbox was the Xbox Media Center (XBMC) application. Although Microsoft marketed limited "Media Center Extenders" to provide some additional [thoroughly limited] multimedia capabilities to the Xbox platform, the rogue hackers who created XBMC envisioned a multimedia powerhouse with support for all major audio/video codecs, allowing those who "modded" their consoles to utilize their Xbox as a first-rate multimedia center. In all honesty, no commercial enterprise has yet created software to match the capabilities of the underground XBMC project.

And now, four years later, Microsoft is making the same mistakes they made with the first iteration of their console.

The Xbox 360 is an absolute beast of a machine. With three extremely powerful CPU cores and a state-of-the-art Graphics Processing Unit, the Xbox 360 is the killer application to fuel American's current High-Definition craze. While the console has increased multimedia support [over that of the first Xbox], again, it is deliberately and significantly limited.

Want to stream video over your home network to your Xbox 360? Sure, but only if you have a PC with Windows XP Media Center Edition, and then only for certain Microsoft-approved codecs. [Note to Microsoft Vice Presidents: ignoring the XviD and DivX codecs will not make them go away.] Artificially limiting the multimedia capabilities of what could truly be the most significant piece of consumer electronics on the market will not reduce the incentive for hackers to add the capabilities which should have been designed into the console since its inception.

For example: the Sony PlayStation 3 console will have support for Blu-Ray High-Definition DVD movies, and this capability will undoubtedly ignite the next wave of Hollywood's eternal re-release of the same movies in higher-quality gloss. The Xbox 360 has this very capability, today, on standard DVD9 media, but Microsoft has deliberately omitted this feature. The WMV-HD codec can produce gorgeous High-Definition audio/video content, but despite pioneering the effort to have feature films released in WMV-HD format, none of the WMV-HD DVDs on the market work with the console. Despite the fact that the Xbox 360 is placed in the very heart of the home-theater space, connected to all of the consumer electronics required to demonstrate the capabilities of the WMV-HD initiative, you still need a Windows PC to play any of the WMV-HD DVD releases. This is the very definition of a wasted opportunity.

So, this leads to a