Linux for the PlayStation 1

OberonX writes: "Blockman Trading has released the alpha version of Runix, which is a working verion of Linux 2.4 kernel working with PS2. [ed. note: for the original Playstation, though they plan on porting to the PS2 also.] You can read an article about it at zdnet and you can download the 26MB file here. The final version is expected to be released by October while office software for PS1 is due by the end of the year. Pretty neat stuff..."

Comments

I believe this could be very interesting..

[Pengo]

Linux on a PS2 (IMHO would rule...)

In our business we use MIPS based SGI equipment for doing image manipulation. I believe it wouldn't take much work to port those libraries to the PS2. We use a simple cluster of XMLRPC servers to handle image conversion requests and the data is transfered over simple NFS style filesystems.

The problem I have right now is that the image conversions have to happen on demand and in real time (well, there is a user waiting). Most of the images on the fastest PC's I can get my hands on happen in around 2 seconds. (I use Image magick, there are probably better things out there). On the Irix machine we have we can do the same conversion less than .1 seconds. Also I can have up to four concurrent conversions happening at one time and keep that conversion rate.

I believe that the reason the SGI machine does so well is because of the internal bandwidth and system architecture, not so much the CPU speed. (Again, AFAIK).

Now, if I can use 13-14 playstation2's in a small cluster to get similar results (even close) would be MUCH MUCH MUCH more cost effective than a Origin class server.

Strangely enough those little machines are designed to maintain a fairly intense sustained level of io/cpu internaly without keeling over.

Just a thought... anyway. It might very well be the pro-c compilers for Irix give me the edge and with GCC I wouldn't see much of a performance gain over a normal ia32 system.




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Office Productivity Software?

[Isldeur]

Productivity Software? Are you nuts?

[right] [left] [left] [right] [up] [button 3] [right] [up] [up]...

Be quiet! I need to finish this report tonight!!!

And I thought typing on that half-keyboard mentioned here a few days ago was going to be hard!

Office software?

[Lozzer]

I've often dreamed of being able to use a gamepad at work, but not for office productivity software.

Sony has PS2 w/ Linux and AOL running.

[morganew]

To all doubters,

Just a brief note here, but at E3 (the Electronics Entertainment Expo) the Sony area had two AOL employees demonstrating AOL on the PS2 running linux. Additionally, there was an ethernet card adapter "thingie" (for lack of a better term) stuck on the back. From what I could tell, it was a production unit rather than a one-off. The demo personnel said there would be an ethernet adapter for PS2 out "soon". Unfortunately, the folks working that corner of the booth were from AOL (despite their PS2 shirts) and were not 100% familiar with Sony's plans.

Morgan

Now we need to get to work...

[JohnTheFisherman]

We now need to build a PS1 emulator so that it can run all the stuff it used to run in emulation mode, only slower!!! No more constant crashing of the PS1 console! Er, um, wait....

Thank god its not Windows

[Astrorunner]

I can just see MS Office with Lara Croft instead of that infernal paper clip giving me tips:

"It appears that you're searching for ancient treasure! Would you like me to:

• Load my sidearm?
• Find a better camera angle of my ass?