Windows 2000 Runs On Xbox Under Linux

MBCook writes "Everybody's favorite Xbox hackers have got Linux running for roughly six weeks, and now it runs well enough to announce that Windows has been run inside Linux with common PC virtualization software. They even have a little video of it playing a MPEG 4 of The Matrix fullscreen!"

Comments

Virtual, eh?

[ciryon]

Uhm, did I miss something? Which virtualization software? VMWare? Wine?

Ciryon

for Pete's Sake!

[Naikrovek]

Someone PLEASE get these people a decent TV, man! and a better camera! ;)

Those photos would have a lot more impact on me if i could see them better. hehe these guys are doing great things but someone please donate a TV or bigger monitor or whatever they're using.

This could be the future

[Ed Avis]

If virtualization software becomes cheap and effective, perhaps PC clones five years from now will always boot into Linux or another protected-mode OS and then start Windows on the virtual hardware. It would be a nice way to add more power to BIOS setup screens or to allow installing multiple OSes with no hassle. Perhaps also to let Windows 1984 run even on hardware that hasn't been certified as 'trusted'.

Why is it so fascinating?

[mocm]

Anytime someone gets another program running under
xbox linux you get a new article on /..
What is so surprising? Once you got the kernel with drivers for framebuffer, sound and usb running you could run almost any program that runs under ix86 linux.
The next big news would be that 3d acceleration is running, so that you can run all those 3d games with reasonable speed.
Anybody try the Xbox as a UT server yet? NWN server anyone?
Ok, it's not easy to get Win2000 running with just 64MB.

Re:Why is it so fascinating?

[mav[LAG]]

Anytime someone gets another program running under
xbox linux you get a new article on /..
What is so surprising?

Probably because it's one of the fundamental drivers of OSS development - the "hey wouldn't it be cool if..." attitude. Linus originally thought it would be cool to have a Unix like OS on 386s. Scratching an itch may have its limitations when it comes to things that OSS is bad at - like user-friendliness - but it's still the driving force behind this kind of porting effort.

Slashdot needs another topic category

[irishkev]

"JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN"

A cheap Win2k box?

[Chris Canfield]

Great, now you can take a 200 dollar, 800 MHZ machine with a 10 GB Hard Drive, a DVD drive, and no floppy, and (after spending days configuring and futzing) get it to run the same software as a 200 dollar, 800 mhz machine with a 10 GB Hard Drive, a CD drive, and no floppy from wallmart.com.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be down on the project. But having the nasty green box as a cheap computer just isn't as compelling a reason as it used to be, and Microsoft is getting closer and closer to making a profit off of each one sold. Now, if we could find some way to run unsigned games on the raw system, thus creating a tremendous distribution platform, that would be compelling. If we could find some easy way to translate computer games, that would be compelling. If we could DDoS microsoft.com...

I love the sense of irony these system hackers have and can't wait for the next exciting episode. But somehow anything that might make a Microsoft product more popular in a non-entrenched market just doesn't sit right with me.

Re:A cheap Win2k box?

[0x0d0a]

It's not for practical use. The point is that the thing can run Linux pretty solidly -- enough to pull something like this off.

Plus, it's a "technically cool" project, not one intended to replace your desktop machine.

Re:oh the irony

[tdelaney]

It's called "proving that it works". If it can run Win2K from Linux on the hardware:

1. It tells them that their port is sufficiently complete to do so;

2. The hardware is capable of it, and so is capable of pretty much anything a normal PC can do.

I would consider this a very valuable thing to do. Not to mention that it's a real kick in the nuts for MS :)