Xbox Receives Linux Mandrake 9.0

An anonymous reader writes "Today the Xbox Linux Project announced that Xbox Linux Mandrake 9 has been released. This is the first complete Linux distribution for the Microsoft Xbox gaming console. A 350 MB installation CD of Xbox Linux Mandrake 9 is available for download free of charge from the Xbox Linux website."

Comments

README / legal

[jukal]

Heh, they handle the legal issues in a very "pro" way:

Xbox is either a trademark or a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Mandrake might be some kind of trademark of MandrakeSoft. Linux definitely is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. GNU is cool, but I don't think it's a trademark.

Stupidity

[e8johan]

If M$ was so determined to build a console and prevent people from running *nix and other fun stuff on it, *why* did they choose a (nearly) standard PC hardware platform. Please provide a more custom solution next time to give the hackers a real challenge ;-)

Re:Stupidity

[warmcat]

Its not clear actually that MS have put up ANY resistance to the modding of Xboxes, other than changing the hardware recently to be incompatible with existing mods.

Certainly no one on the Xbox Linux team has heard a peep out of them, and of the three instances of MS apparently weighing in (a modchip company decided not to make their chip, Xbox Mame, and recently Lik-Sang going almost imperceptibly quiet), only the Xbox Mame one is certain to have come from MS. That apparently took the form of some communication objecting to binaries produced by a pirated XDK, which were then taken down. The other two instances may well have nothing to do with MS on closer inspection.

I think they are very concerned about negative PR snowballing, alienating the consumer and tainting the MS 'brand' as being arrogant, monopolist and exploitative. Truth will out!

New Sourceforge Project

[youngerpants]

The first one to get CP/M running on the XBox will gain true kudos.

10 PRINT "Microsoft really wouldnt like this"
20 GO TO 10
RUN

If only...

[TheVidiot]

Is anyone working on bringing Xbox emulation to the PC? Wouldn't that make more sense?

There is method in the M$ madness

[ites]

"Why choose a (nearly) standard PC platform"?
Microsoft are long-distance players.
They are designing a Microsoft PC platform.
Let's call it 'Fritz 1'.
They would really like this to become the next standard.
And by trying this out in the XBox arena they are proofing the concept.
Whatever weaknesses get thrown up now will be closed in the next release.
After three releases, the design will be unbreakable.
After that, it's a minor matter to convince Dell and HP to base their PCs on this design.
And Windows XP 2003 will not run on anything else.
If the XBox does not scare you, perhaps you should consider a future where all PCs are designed by Redmond.
It would be smarter for people to leave the XBox alone and not contribute to M$'s strategy by hacking it.

Re:Can you still play games?

[ultrafunkula]

Ah, after a bit of research in the FAQs, I've found the answer to my question:

Will I still be able to play games once Linux is on my hard disk?
That depends on the solution you choose. If you run Linux through the XBE bootloader on an Xbox with a modchip, there's a dual-boot solution.
There are also "Live CD's" that make it possible possible to run Linux from a CD without having your hard disk modified at all.
If you use the replacement ROM method, you would have to install both ROMs in parallel to be still able to run games.

Re:This is an empty victory

[flamingdog]

really now, do you believe what you're saying? I mean look at Windows for example. Keep that in your mind and repeat to yourself what you're saying. "when all the weaknesses have been fixed" is not on the MS project calender anywhere, my boy.

Re:Why? (your answer)

[gosand]

Even if its nice and fun that they have made it possible why would i want to run linux on X-box? All they really do is helping MS finetuning their DRM system before it gets to he PC. It will be a cold day in hell before i buy an Xbox.

I agree, I wouldn't buy one either. But think about this: before Linux (I'll assume GNU/Linux, since it is now a distro) was ported to the Xbox, there was no reason to have a mod chip other than to play pirated games. Now people are hacking it (in the truest sense of the word) and are finding other fun uses for THE HARDWARE THAT THEY BOUGHT. I emphasize that because Microsoft just shut down a company that sold mod chips. They have no right to do this. Once you buy hardware, you own it. Now they might be able to convince a judge that the only reason to have a mod chip is to play pirated games, therefore robbing Microsoft of their money. But with the porting of Linux, it proves that there are non-illegal reasons to want to buy a mod chip.

Not that I think that it will stop Microsoft from bullying people, but it is a start. If you couldn't run the Linux kernel on the Xbox, there would be no other reason to buy a mod chip.

Besides, I think it is cool that people have the skills to do this kind of thing. It is interesting, and proves the power of the "little guy".