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Linux on Xbox One Step Closer?
RpiMatty1 writes: "Apparently the Linux Kernel has been booted on the Xbox. No mention of it on the Xbox-Linux Home page yet. Here is another posting of the same messages at Xboxhacker.net." I wonder if the recent security code change rules this particular development out for Xboxes purchased in the near future.
I wonder if the reason for the offer in the first place was to cost them money by having to change the security code?
Linux on XBOX? Why would waste a perfectly good $300 piece of hardware? Linux should be confined to 8 year old 286 boxes with 384KB RAM.
to load linux on yet another device, this might be the excuse I was waiting for to purchase the Xbox afterall? then again I played Halo over at a friends house for a while, its no Counter-Strike, but it sure was fun as hell!
You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads!
(This message is a flamebait, if you believe)
XBox is definitely not worth the hours all developers working on it just for it to boot or even a working distribution - firstly, it's not cheap, secondly, it does not have good performance (the hardware is too bad!) and basically we won't have any good out of it - we are not on the years of 'hacking' already - i believe the linux community should try to stress a little bit more on 'economical value' than 'political value' or 'hacking value'... =)
But are there any practical uses for an Xbox running Linux? Haven't you defeated the primary purpose of the Xbox: playing games?
I've heard people say that they could use it as a cheap webserver for a massive farm of servers, but this doesn't make much sense when you realize that you can build a better machine for just a little more money and a *lot* less effort. I've also heard people say that it could be used as a part of a rendering farm, but these machines have only a lowly (crippled) celeron processor in them and their graphics hardware isn't meant to do non-realtime rendering.
So what's the deal here?
Friends don't let friends use multiple inheritance.
I wonder if the recent security code change rules this particular development out for Xboxes purchased in the near future.
Just hack those ones too
This is a great step forward! Sure Linux doesn't seem practical (but I still think it's cool for the "look what i did" factor) but this is great news for the Xbox Emulation scene. I mod over at www.dcemulation.com and we have tons of cool things, including a PSX emu in progress, running on the DC.
-=Errors always defy logic.=-
I wonder if THAT could run, oh nevermind. It looks nothing like a penguin anyway.
Seriously folks, do we need to give more money to the red devil?
Just the other day I was strolling around in fry's. I had just bought some KVM cables and I needed a gender changer when I saw the neatest thing I seen in a while. I don't remember the name but i'll try and be as detailed as possible...
There was this tiny mobo at fry's with a 800mhz CPU soldered on board. The thing couldn't have been bigger than a mousepad. It had video out, firewire, usb, bunch of other stuff on it.
The price?
Only $129!
I know a lot of people want to use the xbox as a cheap linux station, but seriously folks, everytime an xbox is purchased it goes back to satan himself.
Now even though this lil mobo/cpu thingy didn't have the latest nvidia chip, I could slap up to 2 pc100 dimms in there. It's a helluva lot smaller than an xbox. If I wanted a pretty injected plastic moulded case I could walk over to the next isle and grab a project box. (I was thinkin tap plastic acrylics)
So which would you rather have?
xbox (and you're bills bitch)+70 bucks for a mod chip
129 cpu mobo combo and some spare parts you got layin around the garage.
Well, we could always play freeciv on an xbox.
But then again, xbox stuff is prettier, and we all know we play games 'cus they're prettier.
Another reason might be this, which I suppose could be viewed as a game as well.
So we want linux on the xbox to play games?
. This sig unintentionally left blank. I meant to put something here, but I'm busy.
If you really wanted to make them lose money you would never buy the xbox at all, you really aren't making them lose money by buying the system, you're really making them lose less money, you're helping them pay back some of the money that has gone into building the box. If no one ever bought an xbox microsoft would lose millions on the development and production costs.
I've seen people quote this "fact" all over slashdot. But has there been any hard facts? How do we know this isn't some kind of astroturf campaign to make anti-ms types think it's ok to purchase an xbox? I'd love to see someone who really knows about hardware manufacturing to do a cost rundown fo the xbox, giving conservative and liberal estimates of how much they think it costs MS to maufacture and why.
-- Knowledge shared is power lost. -- Aleister Crowley
Seeing as how Xbox has a DVD player you have to pay another $30 to "unlock," putting Linux to watch movies might be useful to many who'd rather just put that $30 towards a game or, in this case, movies.
Sure thing. I'm sure the masses are listening to you...
I know this may be hard to grasp, but someone seems to have actually given Linux GRAPHICS. In fact, Shrek was made with a server farm that included a whole LOT of Linux boxes. Most commercial companies don't make hot 3-D games for Linux, not because of the weakness of the OS in graphics and sound, but because there isn't a large enough market share. So, to combat this actively, I would suggest that creating a Linux for XBOX, a commercially viable console, and then actually making games that you could put into the XBOX and PLAY!! Yes, Micro$oft has gone and made themselves a proprietary unit (Like any other console manufacturer), but this also contains an advantage. Structurally, all XBOXES in a particular release are identical. This means that instead of having to create some kind of weird installation for all the bizarre, antiquated machines in my cluster and go through an obnoxious, textual set-up, a Linux kernel could be made that painlessly installed itself onto the XBOX... any XBOX. Micro$oft can combat this by changing the hardware specs or introducing some sort of encryption or garbage like that, but this would lead to overhead costs for their software providers, and any reverse-compatibility problems with a previously purchased game running on a new post-Linux-cripple XBox would only make Mic and Bill all the more unpopular. In other words, use the platform to make better Linux games that even stoned juveniles can install and play, and you will probably see an overall increase in the use of Linux. Besides, I'd really like to see a version of Nethack using a Quake III Arena-type engine.
Voodoo Girl is the bomb!
Microsoft's hardware costs could be $1, but if nobody buys Xboxes, then they still lose money.
Friends don't let friends use multiple inheritance.
I was just thinking this same thing. That whole justifying-buying-an-Xbox-even-though-it's-made-by -Microsoft thing is kinda silly. So what if it costs them $300 to make and they sell it for $200?
You purchase Xbox: $200 - $300 = -$100
You don't purchase Xbox: $0 - $300 = -$300
Plus that things as big as a fucking microwave. I don't have room for it beneath my TV.
Everything you just pointed to as an advantage to running Linux on the XBOX can be done much easier and likely cheaper on a regular desktop box.
If you slam linux on an XBOX, the coders will have to go through just as much, if not more work to run XBOX games on linux than if they had started from scratch to run XBOX games on a desktop box.
So theres linuxon an XBOX? Microsoft doesn't care, and if they did, they'd hate it. They'll be constantly working to undermine everything those linux hackers are doing.
On top of which, most XBOX games have equivalents for other consoles or desktop boxes!
HALO will be out in a few months for your desktop, and the chances are pretty damn likely it'll run on WINE out of the box!
btw, Nethack with a Q3A-type engine is called NWN.
It has a fast memory architecture, reasonable CPU, built in ethernet, hard disk as standard, DVD drive etc... an extra 64MB can be added by soldering some chips onto the board.
If you don't want to run Linux on it then fine, don't.
And lets load Linux onto a dishwasher while you're at it... But seriously, I can't see this ever becoming even close to a widespread practice, even in the realm of umber-geeks. Cost. First, MS has made it a pain in the ass just to perform the proceedure and second, just build your own box for cryin' out loud. You're smart and resourceful.. Parts can be readily had for cheaper in both time and money combined... But it's the moral Linux vs. MS victory you're after, I guess...
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With Linux being ported to so many different platforms, where does this leave NetBSD. The thing that made it at least a little cool was that is could be used on more hardware that anything else, but is this really true with all the gadgets that Linux can run on?
I was just wondering, but I've got to get back to making Linux boot under my washing machine.
Xbox doesnt turn a profit. Tehy make money off the games not the consoles.
.. something like $50 to $100!
Every eXbox u buy costs M$ some money
Xbox doesnt turn a profit. Tehy make money off the games not the consoles.
.. something like $50 to $100!
Every eXbox u buy costs M$ some money
Yuo spel liek jeffk.
You forgot:
You don't buy and XBox but someone else does: -100+ Royalties = profit
In other words so long as MS doesn't end up with excess Xboxes buying one does more damage, because then they have to make more. The best solution would be a massive coordianated campaign to buy thousands of Xboxes in a short period then stop. Thus causing MS to overestimate demand and get stuck with unsold inventory. However as a practical mater one can assume that MS will predict demand at this point in the cycle with some accuracy, so buying an Xbox now does the most damage as MS will take a hit, and the Xbox would have been sold anyways.
I'd do something interesting, but my server can't handle a slashdotting.
unless M$FT wants to kill backwards compatibility ... ha! let them try that!
Great! Someone is one step closer to getting sued for violating the DMCA.
GoatPigSheep, the 3 most important food groups
"I wonder if the recent security code change rules this particular development out for Xboxes purchased in the near future."
x boxmod.html
We'll just have bunnie (or follow in his footsteps) get the new ones:
bunnie's adventures hacking the Xbox
http://www.xenatera.com/bunnie/proj/anatak/
LDT Bus tap... Mmm!
-Tom
NOOOOOoooooOOOO!!! ;)
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"Warning: loading on this machine will taint the kernel: tux loathes the gates of hell"
Karma
...you have to pay $25-50 for the mod chip.
Lots of people here are saying Why bother wasting your time porting Linux to the Xbox, you can create a better cheaping Linux platform using, blah, blah, blah... But the Xbox is really a trial run for Palladium, i.e. an M$ only hardware platform designed to only run software authorized by the Bill himself. This is where we are heading folks, so any R&D done now will be valuble when the real thing comes along.
The difference between Canada and the USA is that in Canada healthcare is a right and gun ownership is a privilege.
Ok, so let's say you are able to garner enough support to go on a massive 'Let's screw Microsoft!' binge and purchase as much as 20,000 Xboxes.
$4,000,000 - $6,000,000 = -$2,000,000
Two problems I see. And, while I'm not trying to be an ass, it'll certainly seem like it.
1.) Microsoft isn't the only one that'll see these sales figures. Game companies will too. They'll see a rise in demand and want to produce more titles for it (some exclusive, no doubt) therefore making Xbox more enticing to gamers. The increased production as a result of your buying spree might actually be able to be sold and you may unintentionally help Microsoft's plight in the gaming market.
2.) $2,000,000 isn't a lot of money to Microsoft. They probably don't even care that it's gone. But $2,000,000 in donations to open source projects would be a great thing. I realize that's not something that everyone is interested in, but if even half the people donated half that money to something more worthwhile than maliciously screwing Microsoft, you'd be doing a lot more net good than apparent net harm to Microsoft.
Just a thought. Could be wrong.
you're not really looking at the big picture here, if a bunch of people buy a bunx of xboxes microsoft may lose a few hundred thousand dollars, maybe even a few million. But if not a single person buys an xbox microsoft loses the hundreds of millions of dollars that went into development costs.
What the hell does the video card of the machine have to do with it's rendering ability?
With the availability of some good PSX emulators for Linux, this could result in PSX games running on the Xbox, which would be pretty damn cool.
Nothing. That's the point. You can buy more power cheaper by getting Athlon MP machines instead of relying on crippled (as in less L2 cache) P3 700Mhz chips. The most expensive part of the Xbox (the custom graphics hardware) is totally useless in this area.
Friends don't let friends use multiple inheritance.
Just a quick reminder to all the naysayers wondering why one would run Linux on an Xbox in light of supposedly cheaper, faster systems that are available:
Those "other" systems that are ~ $300 (likely a bit more) don't have a Geforce 3! This isn't a castrated TI200 version either. This card alone is worth $75 USD if you find it on the cheap. Stores would be selling boxed GF3s for at least $100 on avg.
Yes it's a slightly modified GF3 made specially for MS, but it still hauls ass.
That's where the value is my friends. Add that GF3 to your bargain do-it-yourself systems, and I guarantee you're well over $300.
Bottom line, Xbox @ $300 is a deal if you're planning on Linux gaming, Lucious X 3D and occasionaly playing some of billys games.
I've got karma to burn, so what's the deal here? It has the words "Linux", "PS2" and "emulation" in it and somebody modded him down?! And on top of that, it's actually a good idea. The XBox is just the machine to pull off multi-platform emulation. I'd still be worried about MS locking out boxes with invisible code in every new game release for modded Xboxes, but the idea is definitely worth noting.
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Seeing as you're having problems with the right mouse button I'm assuming you're using the windows client. Here's the solution
(a) If you want better graphics use Civ2gfx it's a windows convertor for changing original Civ2 graphics to Freeciv format. (it can also be used with mods)
(b) Use "CTRL + left mouse button" to get information about the underlying squares and units. (just check Freeciv help and the readme for more)
(c) Why would you want to constantly want to reload your savegames? This wouldn't have to do with reloading due to bad combat results/city placement and hut rotation?
(d) I've got plenty of good stuff from huts while exploring, and barbs too from time to time. Your luck may vary.
(e) Clunky interface makes Freeciv slow?-the Linux version of Freeciv is indeed smooth in comparison but I wouldn't call the Winclient "clunky"
(f) You're probably referring to WoW charging (building an older WoW and switch when new WoW becomes available). This is a standard trick that also works in the original Civ1&2
Seeing as how Microsoft loses money
(yeah, that's right --- LOSES money) on the
hardware sale and makes it up on the game
licenses, buying an Xbox and turning it
into a Linux box makes Bill YOUR (ugly) bitch.
So you're saying the time these guys have aready put into trying to crack the thing isn't worth the price of what a GF3 will worth when they finally do? Or even on the back end when people do this modding themselves? I guess it all depends on how much your time is worth...
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So I guess he decided not to wait after all? ;)
According to the guys at Something Awful, they've already hacked the Xbox (it's big, LOL!), and have successfully gotten Lunix to run. They also claim that they've won $200,000 from an anonymous doner (cough Nintendo). Is this total BS?
Something Awful
Yes, I must agree that it's unwise to buy xboxen
as a counter-microsoft strategy. But there's
nothing wrong with enjoying a little chuckle at
the side-effects while you enjoy the benefits of
the hardware subsidy. I buy xboxen because I plan
to use them in places where I would otherwise be
spending significantly more money for the same
function, or else because by buying more hardware
I can isolate functions, and remove single points
of failure. If I can replace a $1000 file server,
mail server, web server, router, print server
with a $200 print server, a $200 router, a $200
web server, a $200 mail server, and a $200 file
server, then I've saved thousands on downtime and
maintenance, made my network more robust, and,
yes, sucked $500 from usoft to support my habits.
It's all good.
-I like my women like I like my tea: green-
For generating Slashbot Autoresponse #26. A condescending response to a non-'expert' Linux user.
Rather than simply suggesting the 'free' command, which a Linux user may not necessarily be aware of, you instead chose to adopt the typical intellectually superior tone which is common in all Linux guru-wannabees.
"Maybe you should learn how to use the free command." - clearly you think the other poster is inferior to you, which is why in all honesty Linux will NEVER be accepted by the general population.
Go back to your P2P theivery and yEncoded child pornography, you elitist asshole.
That was my point. The guy said that is was a bad machine to do rendering because the graphics systems wasn't meant to do rendering.
One has nothing to do with the other.
Buying Xboxes allows Microsoft to recoup some of its operating losses.
Imagine it costs $210 to make an Xbox these days. So Microsoft loses about $10 per Xbox.
"Great!," you say, "we can just buy 100,000 Xboxes and put MS down $1 million!"
It's a brilliant idea, because 100,000 Xboxes will cost you around $20,000,000 (minus applicable sales taxes). Microsoft paid $21,000,000 to make them, so this way MS loses $1 million and we've screwed Microsoft, right?
Well, imagine if you hadn't bought those 100,000 Xboxes. Then, not only would it have cost Microsoft $21,000,000 to produce them, but there is an added bonus that they don't make back $20,000,000; this sets them at a loss of $21 million, a much higher expense than just a measely $1 mil.
The dishwasher is probably running a striped down linux kernel anyhows.....
Sure, I consider my time valuble and I'm sure others here do to, but I figure by the time this thing is well and truly hacked, your GeForce 3 might have dropped to the point where hacking the Box might be a moot point. Granted that's highly speculative considering it's ranging from $291 all the way down to $87 after a quick gance at Pricewatch.
:p
As to your legal trickery (wink), I can't speak for your time and the XBox hackers obviously think it's worth their time as they are actively involved in the act of hacking it.
Arguing? I'm enjoying a nice discussion
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IE, it's a pos. VIA C3 800, $129.
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http://shop3.outpost.com/{PVW0rhqXj2gKoab1A75VV
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
Insightful. I'd mod you up if I could. So by "furthering the cause" of Linux on every piece of hardware in existence, from toasters to PCs, they are actually giving MS a reason to produce the X2 (a snazzy gimicky name I just thought of, thankyouverymuch :p ) and recoup any losses. Good going peeps! So doing evil for the greater good actually led to more evil... Ahhh... One box to rule them all, I guess.
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You know your so right. I love the crap out of linux but have the stuff I haven't a clue how to do! I've met some cool people out there who have given me nuggets of knowledge, but ultimately you've got to learn on your own. The elitest, most would agree, turn many would be users off. Most of the windows admins out there would be at least dual platform if they hadn't run into some of the "guru's." When I get to that level I will definately free impart knowledge to whoever is willing to learn and do thier homework.
Linux on an XBox. The question begs to be asked: Why? I asked this when there was so much hullaballoo over booting linux on a dreamcast, and all I got for a reply was "don't tell me how to use my dreamcast!!".
So. Why so much noise over Linux on an XBox? Why could a Slashdotter buy an XBox anyway? You all hate MS so much. And then devote hours and hours into getting Linux to run on it? Yeah, I suppose you all get some kind of sick thrill from it, from "perverting" an MS product, but geez... isn't this sort of like having sex with your sister?
Actually given the lead times of game development it would be unlikely that any project would be completed or even properly started before the spike disipated. What is more likely is that the games coming out just as the spike hit would order a larger run of discs, and probably get screwed on them. I wasn't being serious about it, as it would have unintended consequences (like say legistation after that little stunt). Besides, MS would almost certainly pick up something.
2) No MS would not be aeriously hamed if XBox never sold any units. They have tons of cash reserves, and don't pay dividends. MS is just putting it's fingers in the pie, and in doing so they managed to scare Sony into trying a risky technology for the next generation, which if it fails will give MS a good chance to pick up some major market share, and MS does not give up market share.
I'd do something interesting, but my server can't handle a slashdotting.
Let's go with something outrageous, and assume that Microsoft loses $200 a box. A million people go out and buy the Xbox, Microsoft increases production to meet this new demand, and loses $200 million. Microsoft already expects to lose _billions_ on the Xbox the first few years and _doesn't care_!
They don't even care if you don't buy any games for it. Why not? A week after this, all of the sudden newspapers and websites and tv stations are talking about the huge surge in Xbox demand, far surpassing Gamecube. Developers sit up and take note and start making more Xbox games. There are more games for those who buy them to spend money on, giving Microsoft money, the greater number of games and the percieved increase in popularity will encourage more people to buy Xboxes to play games on, more money for Microsoft.
Do you think most people will notice or care that some of the people with Xboxes aren't playing games on them? Especially when Microsoft is spending millions on advertising boasting about the increased sales and "popularity"? Do you really give that much credit to the intelligence of the average consumer or media conglomerate?
Every article I've seen about the Xbox the last few months has been talking about their dismal sales, with the possiblity of an increase down the road. The PR value of every Xbox bought is currently worth far more to Microsoft than any money they are losing on the system! And do you think Microsoft isn't paying attention to the people trying to port Linux to the system and adjusting their accounting appropriatly? They're probably laughing at everyone's naievety right now.
Probably the only reason Microsoft isn't giving XBox away is a: the laws against product dumping, and b: the marketing perception that if the price is being slashed then it must not be any good. How many people rush out to buy a game that ends up in the bargain bin the week after it's released?
This Space Intentionally Left Blank
Simply put --
According to Red Herring, each XBox Microsoft manufactures costs them about $325. When you buy one, they recoup about $175 on that expenditure, meaning the entire transaction cost them $150.
So -- unsold XBoxen cost MS $325 each, sold ones cost them $150.
I'm happy to run linux (and play games) on my PC and let them eat the $325...
:wq
If I remember right, the xbox boots off of the deep layer on the dvd and this was done because you can't write the deep layer on any dvd writer. The question then becomes can you create a cd-w that has a standard boot loader that tells the thing to boot off of cd-w data?
Sure. I understand the concept of mass production. But I also understand that MS is not really expecting to turn a profit on the XBox and perhapse I could have worded things better. Since they aren't really looking at the monitary bottom line so to speak, I'm sure they're paying attention to numbers sold which might just encourage convince them it's worthwhile to produce an X2. None of this is by any means concrete since i don't sit on the XBox board meetings, but it's the best stab I can take.
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Why would I pay Micro$oft full-price for their crappy device and software, only to put linux on it afterwards? Then I support and pay Micro$oft and have linux on a low-performance box that wasn't meant to run it - what will you do with it then?
I really don't see any use - it's not a victory by any means, as you still pay Micro$oft for the whole thing.
And it's your fault. ;)
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I want to know from the Linux people who hate microsoft. Why is this a good thing, because you still have to buy an Xbox and give microsoft money.
you're assuming game developers will look at x-box sales. they won't. they'll look at x-box GAME sales. so even if thousands of people buy an x-box and run linux on it (which will never happen) it want make any gamecube developers (who are swimming in money) second guess their platform of choice.
I came across a video on usenet this afternoon
that appears to be some sort of menu software
running, assumingly, on an xbox. After navigating
a few windows the operator fires up Quake 2 and
plays through a demo1 and a DM match.
Anyone know anything about this? is it legit?
Very little could ever harm Microsoft, sure the development costs for this may have been millions, but they make more than that every day. I've just gotten tired of reading the stupid excuse of "If you buy an Xbox Microsoft loses money" from all of these people that claim to hate Microsoft. If you truly hate Microsoft that much then don't use any of their products. If you only really really dislike them but are still willing to buy their products then buy them. If you feel ashamed of your purchase don't lie to people you don't know and don't try to disillusion yourself by coming up with flimsy excuses as to why you bought one of Microsoft's products. Also as a side note: Make sure you know why you hate Microsoft so much before you begin telling everyone in the world that you hate them. Don't just hate them because it's popular to hate them, come up with a real reason. I dislike Microsoft for various reasons, I've disliked them for quite a long time now, and it's not just because a bunch of people I know hate them, it's because I hate them for their business practices, the way Bill Gates has stabbed every one of his collegues and business parners in the past. Do a little research before you begin to hate someone, you may even learn to hate them more.
http://www.freax.eu.org/img/linuxbox_tux_inside.pn g
That translates roughly to 'the sort of geek whom people turn to, to ask how to do stuff'...
Microsoft is less concerned with selling games to tweaks than with having people see tweaks USING XBoxes for various purposes, establishing the desirability of the hardware- a sort of 'gee, if Tweak here runs a web server off his XBox, I bet it would be great and reliable for playing my games!' angle they're trying to work.
That is why they have people actively working Slashdot, both posting and moderating. They also have supporters they're not directly paying (more like cheerleaders), but some of the 'stick it to them' posts are in fact Microsoft people, on the clock and working that angle to scare up sales.
Now, mod me 'flamebait'. ;)
It appears the M$-paid individuals are out in force today...
If you want to mess about with Linux on a console, and want something (much) cheaper than an Xbox, try a Dreamcast. The project is here.
People ask why port Linux to consiles and the answer is because it's fun and because you can have a go at kernel hacking in a friendly, non commercial, atmosphere.
If I was Mr Gates; I might be tempted to put forward an (anonymous) bounty to the open source community in order to find out if Candidate 'A' for Palladium was robust enough to withstand the hacking tools available in the real world. Although I feel that Hackers work for the challenge, the race to get the Kernel running for cash leaves a bad taste. The community cannot help but make visible their techniques for penetrating a "secure" platform (open source rules), allowing the likes of Microsoft to evaluate our skills and embed within revision n+1 of the XBOX new security measures. I just hope that they misjudge our community when it really matters.
Keep Hacking!
On a side note, I seem to remember Bill Gates saying that anyone able to get linux on the Xbox has a job waiting for them at M$.
put the what in the where?
It doesn't matter whether Microsoft makes or loses money on the Xbox.
In fact, Microsoft is quite prepared to lose a lot of money on the Xbox.
That's because Microsoft's real purpose is to gain more control over the specifications for PC hardware, and more clout with the manufacturers of that hardware.
In other words, Microsoft is trying to decommoditize PC hardware.
Microsoft's problem is that Linux has managed to overcome the hardware standards mess that Microsoft intentionally created on the PC (i.e. no shared interface standards -- every video card has a unique driver, every printer has a unique driver, and so on).
Now, thanks to Linux, the PC is once again commodity hardware, not tied to a single OS. This means that Linux enjoys the same hardware price advantage as Windows, plus Linux has an additional price advantage for the software.
Microsoft is hoping to tie the PC hardware even more closely to Windows, right down to the CPU. The Xbox is Microsoft's way of getting hardware manufacturers to go along with that plan.
Whether Microsoft makes money or not, every Xbox sale helps Microsoft to convince hardware manufacturers -- like AMD, Intel, and NVidia -- that there is money to be made in following Microsoft's lead into decommoditized, Microsoft-specified, PC hardware.
Don't help Microsoft. Don't buy an Xbox. Don't program for the Xbox. If you have extra time on your hands, work on making Linux into a better games platform for the home market.
I have been looking around for a small low end economical device for a stereo component for playing back raw CD's stored on my server at home. The cost of such hardware is rediculous ( over AU$1,000). I can pickup an X-Box for under AU$400, and have everything bar a network connection.
Performance depends on what your objective use is. For a real time video render or code cracker it's probably no good. For a project with low end multimedia requirements (remote controlled digital audio stereo component with on-screen menu's) it's ideal.
Use your Imagination
Don't buy a new xbox.
Wait for the lack of games from developers.
When M$ stops supporting xbox because sales are crap, buy a used xbox from one of the morons who paid full price.
Load Linux.
If someone says something can't be done, 10 others will say it can and attempt it. Thus is the attitude of man. Luckily, this isn't a time when death was part of failure.
I like to kill your couch. HE DIED HARD! MOO.