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X Windows On Dreamcast

Stealth Dave writes: "Remember all the hullabalu back when someone first put Linux on the Dreamcast? At the time you could only get a text console and no source was available. Well, I saw over at DC Emulation that the folks over at m17n.org have screenshots of the Dreamcast running X Windows, X-Mame and PrBoom (a Linux Doom port)! They even have an ftp site with a Dreamcast distribution. What will you do with your $99 Linuxcast?" So now the Dreamcast can run GNU/Linux and BSD, and may get Inferno and Plan 9. Phew -- all for $119 at K-mart.

24 of 56 comments (clear)

  1. Re:X Windows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2
    The Get-A-Life-Loser Consortium requests that the following names be used when referring to people who quote X11(7):

    • anal retentive
    • idiotic
    • fascist
    • totalitarian
    • stupid
    • retarded
    • nerd
    • homosexual
    • dumbass

    Now if the X Windows people would work on providing a decent configuration tool rather than worrying about whether or not their name has an "s" in it, we might actually got somewhere.

  2. Re:lessee several uses I can think of.... by Shaheen · · Score: 2

    PS/2's have been able to run linux for a while. In fact, since 1990.

    I think you mean PS2.

    --
    You should never take life too seriously - You'll never get out of it alive.
  3. No cheap MP3 player by Karpe · · Score: 3

    Many people are saying how you could make a mp3 player which would play music coming over NFS, but that is not possible, since sound is not already supported on the Linux dreamcast kernel.

    But it has great hack value, definitely.

  4. Re:I saw the screenshots.. by slim · · Score: 2

    "Woot! -- We can port Doom.... err instead of buy Doom ;)"

    Except there is no commercial port of DOOM available for Dreamcast. I have, however, seen a port of DoomCE running on Dreamcast; to my untrained eye it looked and sounded exactly like the PC original; I was most impressed.

    MAME is what excites me most about this one though -- although the 9FPS reported by the Pac Man screenshot doesn't look to promising.
    --

  5. Re:I agree it's cool... by Howie · · Score: 2

    Since the screenshot is 640x480, my guess is, uh, 640x480. ;-)

    The DC can do 800x600 though. Although it wouldn't be much fun for text on a TV, you can also output to a VGA monitor. $10 each to allow you to use your PC keyboard and mouse, and you're away.
    --
    the telephone rings / problem between screen and chair / thoughts of homocide

    --
    "don't fall into the fallacy of believing that Perl can solve social problems. Maybe Perl 6 can, but that's a ways off"
  6. FTP server broken? by TBone · · Score: 2
    I can't anon loginto the FTP server - does anyone have the ISO eslewhere?

    This space for rent. Call 1-800-STEAK4U

    --

    This space for rent. Call 1-800-STEAK4U

  7. Re:But with no hard drive... by BrookHarty · · Score: 2

    But it does have a network connection, mount a filesystem! (-;

  8. Re:I agree it's cool... by BrookHarty · · Score: 2

    Humm, couldnt find the ethernet on segas site, but heres a few links.
    http://linuxdc.sourceforge.net
    Win2k PPP to DC howto
    Linux PPP to DC howto

  9. Re:...plus keyboard and mouse by Lumpy · · Score: 2

    Completely agree when it comes to a game machine or platform as a turn-key or end product. as a platform for launching into a linux entertainment appliance research design? It's priceless and well worth it, but you need to be a pioneer/developer. as a home user or casual user.... it's as you say. Buy linux games and play them on your PC, it's cheaper and better for you.

    Although I believe that every linux user should buy at least 3 loki titles as a mandatory entrance fee.... hell it's cheaper than the Me upgrade CD.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  10. Re:But with no hard drive... by Diamon · · Score: 2

    But that would make it a perfect kiosk/web client/static web page server. Anything where you don't want to worry about someone getting in and modifying your files. Just burn your files to CD-ROM boot the DC from it, something goes wrong there's always one solution, reboot. You need to change programs burn a new CD-ROM at current media prices it's a steal.

  11. Nice thing about this. by cybrthng · · Score: 4
    The nice thing about the Dreamcast, Keyboard, Mouse, Ethernet combination is the ability to use the small DC to work as a pc device with all your AV equipment. Being able to SMB or NFS mount your MP3 server and play mp3's in your living room without a power hungry pc eating up shelf space is nice.

    You can also load up a bunch of your programs you run and hack some of your filesystem to saves over NFS or SMB so you can write you own games, run what is ported or just tinker around. I'm i'm in my computer room i can set my xdisplay to my pc and change the music playing in my living room.

    You can also hack up your own infared receiver to the controller port so you can use a remote to watch VCD's, play MP3's or navigate a simple gui.

    I'm currently working on Gamex (gamex.sourceforge.com) to boot X86, PS2, PPC, DC games via linux only utilizing the CDROM and floppy (or memory card on consoles) to load games. Making one consistent OS for all platforms based on linus.

    For the DC i'm setting up a channel guide as well that snarfs your my.yahoo.com and will update what is coming on tv as well as a small description.

    If java could be ported over, maybe one of the open source versions this would be a killer java platform as well.

    Another interesting project i'm working on is porting the PalmOS emulator to the dc and enabling the DC to NFS mount my drive with a bunch of palm apps that could be ran and viewed from the tv.

    The DC is one of the most impressive 99.00 pieces of hardware you or anyone can get there hands on! Buy one today!

    More interesting DC hacks are people yanking the dc out of the shell and installing it in minivans to play games, mp3's and stuff like that. I'll be setting up a website shortly with links to cash for the most intriguing DC hacks around. Info will be posted on gamex.sourceforge.com as i get time to do so. (working out of town currently)

  12. Re:Not News by pirodude · · Score: 2

    If you dont care if some anonymous idiot steals your slashdot account go a head and click on that link. Nice try.

    For those who aren't so l33t it changes your password to 01234567 and then changes your real email address to robertmalda@hotmail.com

  13. Re:Fast Browser by Arker · · Score: 2

    If you don't have one, it's no ones fault but your own. All of the best browsers are available for linux. Netscape Navigator 4.7 is fast and stable on even my smallest box (K6 w/ 32megs ram,) Opera, the best (and fastest) graphical browser out there, is available on linux, konquerer rocks, and of course if you are serious about speed lynx and links are both available, and both are fast enough to run very nicely on any machine that will run linux.

    I'm never sure if posts like yours (and Timothy's article, for that matter - "X Windows?" Please...) are trolls, FUD, or just ignorant. But if we assume you are neither trollig nor shilling, then one can only conclude neither you nor Timothy has a clue what you are talking about.


    "That old saw about the early bird just goes to show that the worm should have stayed in bed."
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  14. Re:Nice touch by Chanc_Gorkon · · Score: 3

    More like these could act as terminals. With the ethernet adapter, the keyboard, and mouse they could make a smallish distro just for doing X. These could be the cheap xterminals we are looking for.

    --

    Gorkman

  15. lessee several uses I can think of.... by Chanc_Gorkon · · Score: 4
    Lesse....

    Cheap X-terminal (with broadband adapter, keyboard and mouse).

    Linux Booting games....(just modify the startup scripts to load the game).

    PERFECT Xmame machine

    Cheap webserver (with no logging...no wait you can nfs mount a /var directory for that even!)

    Custom disk with MP3's on it too to use XMMS to play MP3(or you can just use the Dreamcast MP3 player.)

    My point is this is a cool machine and it only costs 100 bucks, and you most likely already have a TV to plug it in for the display. What else could you ask for?? I am waiting for when they do this to the PS/2! :)

    --

    Gorkman

  16. ...plus keyboard and mouse by Spoing · · Score: 2
    For $150, you could get...

    1. Dreamcast: $100 USD
    2. Keyboard: $30 USD [link]

      Mouse: $20 USD [link]

    Alternatively, for less $, you could get a boat load of current and classic titles for Linux at $10 a pop from EBgames.com

    ... or, better yet, hop over to TuxGames and pick up some new titles like Tribes 2,and Alpha Centuri, Mindrover, and Jagged Alliance 2 and still have some money left over.

    No doubt, the hack prospects of the Dreamcast do make it tempting addition to an entertainment system. In 6 months, this should be sweet...yet, will it be selling in 6 months? (Really Curious!)

    --
    A firewall can not protect you from yourself. Turn off what you do not need. Do not use the firewall to do your work.
  17. Re:Nice touch by Antipop · · Score: 2

    Heck, I'd buy a few of these if someone did that. Anyone know if this distro they've got up now can act as a xterminal? BTW, how much is a DC keyboard, mouse, and ethernet? This could be perfect for the network I've been planning to do...

    -antipop

  18. Re:Actually that should be nonaccelerated X by geomcbay · · Score: 2

    Theres only one company to blame: The one who made the gfx chip. No specs = no hardware acceleration = no performance. Gotta love cirrus logic or SiS in that respect.

    1) Why should the company release specs for the graphics chip of a console? Getting X ported to the Dreamcast is a neat hack, but hardly helps the graphics chip manufacturer in any substantial way.

    2) The Dreamcast uses a modified version of NEC's PVR chips, which are fairly well documented. So, the ones to blame would be the people that ported this, as they just took the easiest possible approach (note: I don't blame them for this..I think its cool that it runs at all...I'm just disagreeing with the parent post).

  19. X Windows by Sven+Tuerpe · · Score: 3

    Quoting X11(7):

    "The X Consortium requests that the following names be used
    when referring to this software:

    X
    X Window System
    X Version 11
    X Window System, Version 11
    X11

    X Window System is a trademark of X Consortium, Inc."

    --
    http://erichsieht.wordpress.com/category/english/
  20. Nice touch by Ayende+Rahien · · Score: 2

    I wonder how many terminals this can serve, it's cheaper than most PCs, after all.


    --

    Two witches watch two watches.

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    Two witches watched two watches.
    Which witch watched which watch?
  21. But with no hard drive... by ColGraff · · Score: 2

    ...it would seem to be the benefits are limited. You'd have to burn every progra, you want to run.

    --
    I'm the stranger...posting to /.
  22. I agree it's cool... by ColGraff · · Score: 2

    ...but how do you even connect an Ethernet card to the dreamcast? I know, I'm an ignorant lamer.

    --
    I'm the stranger...posting to /.
  23. I saw the screenshots.. by opnotic · · Score: 2

    At first I saw some screenshots of a game... then I thought "Wow.. great graphics... this will be awesome to load on the dreamcast." Then I realized that the screenshot was for a game released on the Dreamcast... then I thought " Ohh yea.. the dreamcast is a gaming machine. ."
    Woot! -- We can port Doom.... err instead of buy Doom ;)

  24. Who da thought? by opnotic · · Score: 4

    Wow... the Dreamcast can run games ?!?!? -- Lets hurry up and port some so we can play em ;)