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X-server for PS2

Posted by michael on from the don't-ask-why---ask-why-not dept.

PineGreen writes: "Alllinuxdevices.com has a story today about Metrolink porting their Micro-X server to Playstation2. Sony still refuses to sell their Linux kit outside Japan, and the Blockman Trading version works on PSOne only. Now, when will I have an excuse to buy a PS2?"

7 of 157 comments (clear)

  1. Problems with the PS2 linux... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    I've been reading about the PS2 Linux on some Japanese sites and find the whole thing leaving a bad taste in my mouth. This version on Linux is not free (as in freedom) as you think. 1) First and foremost you have to sign a Non-Discosure agreement when you purchase the system. Because the PS2 is a closed system, Sony will like to keep it that way. 2) You have no access to the CD/DVD-ROM, firmware drivers, or bootsystem. Making a stand-alone app is impossable. 3) Anything that uses sound/graphics/BIOS routines but be done through a closed source staticly-linked lib. It is illigal to redistibute this. 4) The system requres a boot CD-ROM which you also cannot redistibute. 5) The video out reqires a moniter that can use video sync pulses only from the green channel. The PS2 does not use a normal RGB out as it will cause the DVD Macrovision not to work. 6) Odds are Sony will not release this in America beacuse America is too friendly to hackers that like to reverse-engineer things. (Sony v. Bleem & Sony v. Connectix)

    1. Re:Problems with the PS2 linux... by Caballero · · Score: 3, Informative
      1) I don't know if they're making you sign an NDA. I've been allowed to talk about the unit at this point.

      2) Yes, you are correct. You can not make a stand alone app. They only allow their CD/DVDs to work. You have no access to firmware and boot. This is Sony's bread and butter and they do want to protect it. If you can make a stand alone app you don't have to pay them royaltees. Royaltees are how they make money. Good or bad, that's how it works.

      3) That's not correct. You get full system/programming documentation and get direct access to the sound and graphics. You get very low level libraries, so it isn't very friendly but you can do it. If I recall correctly nothing is statically linked.

      4) Yep. Again, this goes back to #2.

      5) Yes, it uses sync-on-green. That used to be a standard. It's not really a protection scheme. In fact, I suspect they just don't have enough lines to put the sync anywhere else.

      6) Sony is looking at releasing it in the US. I have no information on how that's going. My guess is that it went over well enough in Japan that they'll do it here. If they were worried about hacking they wouldn't have released it in japan.

  2. Re:Why dont they sell outside of japan? by VFVTHUNTER · · Score: 3, Informative
    The Japanese version does not come with a hard drive. The Linux Kit includes a combo hard drive/ethernet, mouse, keyboard, video/audio adapter, and Linux DVD.

    The main difference between the Jap version is that everything is in Japanese. The other big thing is that some Jap versions come with a Type III PCMCIA slot, which Sony had scrapped in favor of some proprietary interface long before the PS2 began selling in the US.

  3. Re:They are targeting set tops, etc. by Caballero · · Score: 3, Informative

    Sorry, you don't have to buy the X server. It comes with XFree 3.3.6. I should know. I've got a japanese playstation running Linux in my bedroom. Any other questions?

  4. Re:Why dont they sell outside of japan? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    This is a source of many misunderstandings with the GPL. It does not require anyone to "publically" distribute anything; you merely need to provide with the binary distribution a written offer (valid for a minimum of 3 years) of at-cost distribution of the source to any third party. This means that the offer is only distributed to those who get the binary distribution. In any case, the presence of GPL is not a guarantee of public distribution, even though it encourages it. Furthermore, Linux kernel modules do not fall under GPL (at least AFAIK, I've seen no lawsuits against the makers of VMWare et. al.), so Sony probably just threw any interesting PS2-specific ultra-nifty code into a binary-only kernel module, (or a userland library, which is explicitly not required to be GPL according to Linux's license) which they don't have to release the source to.

  5. Re:Excuse by bonzoesc · · Score: 3, Informative

    SSX is fun, but I'm more of a Tony Hawk person. And I watched the first bit of the MGS2 demo at a friend's house, but I wasn't extremely impressed. You can't go wrong with giant fighting robots, though. I think 50% of the current PS2 offerings are about giant fighting robots.

  6. Sony's still mapping the interest for Linux by sph · · Score: 3, Informative
    Since Slashdot rejected my submission several days ago, I have to remind that Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is now mapping the interest for PS2-Linux release in Europe, Australia and other SCEE regions as well. Also the interest registration for the US (which was noted by Slashdot here) is still up and running.

    So if you want to see Linux on PS2 outside Japan, do your share and register here for European version or here for American version. And remember, this is only to see if there's interest, so the registrations don't commit either side to anything.