Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Linux Now Booted On GameCube System

Posted by simoniker on from the getting-there dept.

modifried writes "The GameCube-Linux project managed to get the Linux kernel to boot on a GameCube gaming system - it 'shows a full screen of kernel messages, up to mounting root', but there are still errors to be fixed. From what I have gathered no one has (as of yet) been able to burn a bootable mini-DVD for the system. Instead they are currently using a glitch in the patching system from the online-enabled game Phantasy Star Online. Screenshots can be found here. (And if you'd like more information on the PSOLoader, it can be found here.)"

65 of 80 comments (clear)

  1. You know... by Bagels · · Score: 4, Insightful
    it sounds kind of stupid, but has anyone actually just plain *asked* Nintendo what their stance on alternative OSes on the Cube is? They'd probably prefer a "proper" method to the PSO exploit, which can also be used to run bootleg games... and their past actions haven't struck me as quite so draconian as those of, say, Microsoft.

    That said, of course, if they revealed the information required to burn Linux discs, it wouldn't be long before someone used the technique to burn bootlegs :( .

    --
    --- Bwah?
    1. Re:You know... by Cecil · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Nintendo does indeed have a better reputation than Microsoft, but it's not any more deserved. While I love Nintendo, and even owned an N64 and a Virtual Boy :P I don't have any illusions about them being an exceptionally friendly company, especially when it comes to anything which could be twisted into a piracy concern.

      It was their staunch refusal to touch CDs (because they were easily copied) that lost them SquareSoft as a developer to Sony, and the N64's anemic cartrige space nearly dragged them out of the mainstream gaming market.

      They were, and still are, well known as one of the most litigous companies when it comes to emulators and ROMs. They crack down the hardest on manufacturers of ROM copier devices.

      And you expect this company to give you access to the system's internals? Not likely. Look at Sony's PlayStation Linux. It runs on a layer so that you aren't allowed to touch the PlayStation hardware directly. Console makers consider that kind of stuff extremely proprietary.

      Basically, Nintendo has this illusionary image that they are a good, consumer-friendly company. And they are that for the most part. Even still, they're mostly just a company like any other -- if you get in their way, they will not hesistate for a second before coming down on you like a ton of bricks.

      --
      Random and weird software I've written.
    2. Re:You know... by mrseigen · · Score: 1

      Yes, but this is the same Nintendo which has been fighting the production of flash carts for the GBA. Sure, people pirate games on them but people are also developing some neat stuff using them.

      I don't think any of the big console companies are really all that interested in the hobbyist market.

    3. Re:You know... by Haeleth · · Score: 1

      Nintendo is the company that claims that emulation is illegal.

      Not that pirating ROMs is illegal - not even that copying ROMs that you own is illegal - they claim that emulation is illegal, in and of itself. Even emulating a SNES to play a public domain SNES game you wrote yourself is illegal, according to Nintendo.

      Do you seriously think this company is going to look favorably on people hacking their flagship system? I admire your optimism.

    4. Re:You know... by xenocide2 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      They are the most litigious in the realm of emulation and ROMs but they also have the most to lose. Sony's playstation hardly has a history to build on (note that sony has also pursued emulators to court, something that Nintendo hasn't if I recall correctly). Microsoft hasn't had any problems since they have no history at all. Emulation cuts into remarketing concepts and games already built.

      That Nintendo just won't let us have games for free is sucky, but their entire empire was built on survival. Their refusal to enter the CD realm was partially based on a lack of expertise, and a lack of expensive facilities. Sony already had plenty of CD based factories, but Nintendo was still in the chip market. CD piracy was of course another consideration, one that ultimately came back to bite Sony in the butt as personal cd burners came to market.

      Sega has probably been the most emu friendly, but thats not exactly an endorsement. As I recall, they settled their suit against a popular Genesis emulation by building Sega PC Sonic fun packs that are built on the author's emulation technology. And then the saturn has just been too rare (and large) and unheard of for emulation, let alone market exploitation. Though Sega has been releasing some other games for GBA as a sega classics, and the sonic mega collection on gamecube.

      So no illusions, just know that Nintendo works with the strategy that's worked for them -- conservative decisions. They spend a good deal of R&D money, but they do exercise caution in what they release, and how they move. Of the Big 3, Nintendo has the smallest bankroll. On the other hand they're also the most game dedicated. They're the least likely to pull out if things are looking down. At some point Microsoft's due dilligence will have to examine the XBox situation (at which point heads would roll if they hadn't already all left the company (interesting sign)).

      --
      I Browse at +4 Flamebait

      Open Source Sysadmin

    5. Re:You know... by Kethinov · · Score: 3, Informative
      It was their staunch refusal to touch CDs (because they were easily copied) that lost them SquareSoft as a developer to Sony, and the N64's anemic cartrige space nearly dragged them out of the mainstream gaming market.

      They were, and still are, well known as one of the most litigous companies when it comes to emulators and ROMs. They crack down the hardest on manufacturers of ROM copier devices.
      Funny thing is, this approach flopped on N64 and Nintendos all before it. Search Kazaa for Playstation ISOs and how many do you find, not many. Search Kazaa for N64 dumps, SNES dumps, NES dumps, how many do you find? Tons. Reason? You can make dumps of N64, SNES, and NES catridges that don't get much bigger than 128mb depending on what method you use to dump the data. But CD images are always ~700MB; though some of my Playstation CD images are as small as 300mb, while Final Fantasies are something around ~780mb. My recent rip of Final Fantasy X clocked at 4.19gb.

      Nintendo finally (unfortunately) realized that more data storage = pirate unfriendly with the Gamecube, even though those mini DVDs are still loads smaller in filesize than the PS2 disks. But it's their copy protection (burn/read from outside to in, among other theories) that has really stumped emulation enthusiasts like myself. To my knowledge, only a small group of people have figured out how to rip a GC disk, and they're not sharing how. Developers of the Dolphin emu probably know how to do it as well.

      Actually, the only (public) method I know of that actually works is using the same exploit as is being used to create this GC Linux. You can supposedly make an ISO of any GC disk by exploiting the update process in Phantasy Star Online, though I wouldn't bother with such a backwards-ass method. I'd rather just tweak a DVD ROM to be able to read and make ISOs of the disks. In any event, PS2 and GC have both been out for just about the same amount of time, and PS2 emulation is lightyears ahead of GC. Nintendo's anti-piracy efforts are so good this time that people even have a hard time getting Linux, which supposedly "runs on anything", to run on one ;)
      --
      You're right, I wouldn't steal a car. But if it were possible, I sure as hell would download one!
    6. Re:You know... by NanoGator · · Score: 4, Interesting

      "It was their staunch refusal to touch CDs (because they were easily copied)"

      That particular detail is not entirely true. (Though what I'm about to say does not, in any way, defeat your point about Square.)

      Nintendo was quite happy to go to CD, see the Super NES CD that didn't quite make it. But that was a peripheral. With a mainstream system, like the N64, CD-ROMs were not so interesting to Nintendo.

      * The drive mechanisms were expensive. The money saved by using cartridges went towards more powerful processing. (note: The N64 came out for $200 instead of $300 like the PS launch.)

      * The media is easily damaged. Cartridges are much harder for kids to break.

      * Nintendo would have a hard time controlling who made what for the system. (Look up Nintendo's tiffles with Tengen and Atari for more info on that.)

      * Access times are slow causing interruptions in any given game. Above all else, it's a game machine, not a wait machine.

      * Cartridges make a lot more money for Nintendo.

      As I mentioned before, this does not interfere with your point about Square. However, arguably, Square was being rather whiney about it. The reason why they wanted CD media was so they could use CG rendered full motion video in places. Really, it wasn't that necessary. (Yes, I've played the game.) It was a luxury they demanded, instead of a limitation they could have overcomed. As a result, Square made their decision, and found themselves crawling back in Nintendo's direction.

      I will say this, though: Square made the right choice. I don't like Sony, I wasn't a fan of the PS, but I do think Square did the right thing. Sadly, they severely damaged their relations with Nintendo. They're slowly patching it up, but we as gamers have been hurt by it.

      "Basically, Nintendo has this illusionary image that they are a good, consumer-friendly company."

      Believe it or not, they are. Sadly, a company their size often finds themselves in a position where they have to make tough decisions. Everybody has their opinion, that's something Nintendo has no control over.

      "if you get in their way, they will not hesistate for a second before coming down on you like a ton of bricks."

      I don't think that's a fair statement. In a sense, it's true. However, there are a few missing words in that phrase. Believe it or not, they do think before they act. They do act swiftly, though.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    7. Re:You know... by edwdig · · Score: 3, Interesting

      But it's their copy protection (burn/read from outside to in, among other theories) that has really stumped emulation enthusiasts like myself.

      The idea of the data starting on the outside and working in has been tossed around a lot, but no one has really tried to test it.

      What has been proven to be the main factor in the copy protection is the barcode around the inside of the disc. The barcode is found near the center of the disc, just a little further in than the data. The barcode can't be burned onto a disc - it must be put in during manufacturing. You need to use a microscope to make out the bars, but if you're magnifying it enough to distinguish them, you won't be able to see anything but the bars, leaving you no frame of reference, making it impossible to map the bars.

      To my knowledge, only a small group of people have figured out how to rip a GC disk, and they're not sharing how. Developers of the Dolphin emu probably know how to do it as well.

      It's simple to rip a GC disk. Load a program using the PSO exploit. Write code to read from the DVD and send the data over the network. Code for all of that is readily available.

    8. Re:You know... by edwdig · · Score: 1

      Basically, Nintendo has this illusionary image that they are a good, consumer-friendly company. And they are that for the most part. Even still, they're mostly just a company like any other -- if you get in their way, they will not hesistate for a second before coming down on you like a ton of bricks.

      Nintendo is a very consumer friendly company. It's very rare to have a problem with their products. I own an NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, and GBA. I've had a total of 2 problems over the years. My SNES didn't come with a power cord, and the free Zelda Collection disc I got last month was damaged during shipping. Both times I called them up and they sent me what I needed via next day air. No hassles at all. They didn't even ask me to send back the broken Zelda disc, or ask for any kind of proof that I had just bought an SNES.

      Nintendo doesn't mind emulators or homebrew development. In fact, they like homebrew development, because it means there's a pool of people who can program their hardware that they don't have to spend time training. But once you get into piracy, then they go all out and don't cut you any slack.

    9. Re:You know... by Forkenhoppen · · Score: 1

      I think it's only fair to point out the other reason Nintendo didn't want to touch CDs; load times. When CD-ROM drives first came out, they were single speed, which is... well... rather slow.

    10. Re:You know... by edwdig · · Score: 1

      Associating Pokemon & rape would piss Nintendo off for good reason. That's a simple case of defending their trademarks.

      Nintendo has never tried to stop people from working on emulators. When Shigeru Miyamoto was asked about them in public, he said he was flattered that people cared enough about his games to write emulators for them.

      Nintendo's emuation is bad stance strictly comes down to the vast majority of people using emulators are doing it with pirated ROMs, which they have no tolerence for.

    11. Re:You know... by Shakey_Jake33 · · Score: 1

      While I realise this is not your point, it would not be the first time that Shigeru Miyamoto's opinion has differed to Nintendo's own. But where homebrew development is concerned, we must think back to when Nintendo threatened Lik-Sang with legal action for selling the GBA Flash Linkers, used for homebrew development (and in fact required for) alongside the usual piracy. Their stance on emulation has always been a strict one though. I know two Rom site owners, both of whome have been approached by Nintendo on unrelated cases. I think to say Nintendo doesn't mind emulation would be to ignore what has been going on over the past few years. I think the only 'scene' they've not touched is the Snes scene, which is currently massive for fan-made translations of Japanese RPG's...a massive audience I'm sure Nintendo doesn't want to piss off given that part of the PS2's sucess with even the so-called 'hardcore' gamers has been it's massive RPG library.

  2. Forgive my ignorance... by TechnoPops · · Score: 1, Redundant

    But why would you want to run Linux on the Cube when it has no high-capacity storage (i.e., hard drive)?

    --
    "Each time you smile, it'll only last awhile. Life may be scary, but it's only temporary."
    1. Re:Forgive my ignorance... by Acidic_Diarrhea · · Score: 1
      Perhaps as a thin client which would access multimedia files on one of your PCs that isn't in the living room - thus delivering movies and music that you've got on your PC to your television. That's one use.

      Another use I can see is a very cheap [and pretty weak] web server. Sure, the GC isn't going to be able to handle huge loads but if you're running a video gamers league for you and a few of your friends, how fitting would it be to have that site being served by a Gamecube?

      There are two uses where high-capacity storage is not needed.

      --
      I hate liberals. If you are a liberal, do not reply.
    2. Re:Forgive my ignorance... by kenthorvath · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So you can develop your own games without having to pay any licensing fees...

    3. Re:Forgive my ignorance... by EdMack · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So that it can run as a light X terminal, and do some processing too. All gamecubes are connected to TVs, so its a nice easy way to watch your media collection there. Also you could view news headlines, browse email, ect.. Anyway, its nice to run the OS you like on the console you like :) (If true for you)

      --
      puts ("Python r0cks\n");
    4. Re:Forgive my ignorance... by RevAaron · · Score: 2, Interesting

      But why would you want to run Linux on the Cube when it has no high-capacity storage (i.e., hard drive)?

      Perhaps I shouldn't be the one to answer- I can't see any compelling reason for running Linux on the Gamecube, even considering my answer. *shrug*

      There's no reason someone porting Linux to the GC, or someone interested in using the port, couldn't add a hard drive or a more regular media drive to the GC through one of the high-speed ports on the bottom of the GC.

      For me, the only useful reason to have Linux running on the GC wouldn't even require a HD. That is, it might make a nice cheap cluster machine. A pretty fast 485 MHz PowerPC chip, fast bus, etc for only $99 new, possibly less in bulk. And small. You could buy 20 of these, use the optional official ethernet card (or something home brewed, fiber?) and have a zippy cluster that isn't all that big.

      Even then, it doesn't seem that worthit. But whatever, I'm not the one doing the port. :)

      --

      Working toward a usable PDA environment in the spirit of Newton OS: Dynapad
    5. Re:Forgive my ignorance... by noselasd · · Score: 2, Informative

      For fun ?

    6. Re:Forgive my ignorance... by Slashdot+Insider · · Score: 1
      You could use the SD-memory card adapter to attach SD cards to the system (up to 512MB). Of course being a flash memory device, there would be limitations.

      • lower speed than discs, possibly limited by the memory card interface
      • I wouldn't try writing too often to the card (think of the cells!), it would be strictly a read only device
      • I believe the memory card file system is limited to 127 files on the Gamecube but not 100% sure
    7. Re:Forgive my ignorance... by damiam · · Score: 1

      The native Gamecube FS may not support more than 127 files on a card, but I don't think that would stop you from using Linux to reformat it as FAT and putting however many files you want on it.

      --
      It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.
    8. Re:Forgive my ignorance... by spitefulcrow · · Score: 1

      It's been done, but not with GCs. Someone built a cluster of PS2s and then did work with it.

      --
      Sorry, my karma just ran over your dogma.
    9. Re:Forgive my ignorance... by modifried · · Score: 1

      The bus the memory cards (and the broadband adapter) are on is limited to 27MB/s.

    10. Re:Forgive my ignorance... by edwdig · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Why would you use Linux to develop a GameCube game?

      All you'd get is a lot of unnecessary overhead. The hardware is designed to be incredibly simple to program. You don't have to deal with things like IDE to read from the DVD. To read from the DVD, you put a pointer to your memory buffer in one register. Put the write command into another register. There's a third register to check for status (finished, in progresses, error, etc). That's it. Adding the Linux kernel in there won't make it any easier.

      Since the discs are read-only, the filesystem becomes much simplier. IIRC, fragmented files are not supported. So really the filesystem isn't much more than a table with each entry containing a name, a start location, and a size. Doesn't take long to write code for that.

      The networking code is the only part of the kernel that's really useful on the GameCube. But rather than include an entire operating system, you're probably better off simply taking the networking code out of one of the BSD's and including it directly into your project.

      If you're doing small homebrew projects, a full OS is way overkill for your game. If you're intending on making a commercial game, your choices are license the game with Nintendo, or have your own DVD manufacturing plant and reverse engineer the barcode & any other copy protection mechanisms on the discs. If you have the money to have a DVD manufacturing plant, then you can easily afford to pay Nintendo the licensing fees.

  3. Re:questionable lagality? by dago · · Score: 1

    Why is this illegal on an XBOX ?

    --
    #include "coucou.h"
  4. Re:questionable lagality? by Acidic_Diarrhea · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Given that this hack doesn't require that any copy protection be circumvented, as far as I can tell, it shouldn't be the case that the DMCA is being violated. Therefore, I would say that something like the original Game Genie court case could be used in citing case law where running code not endorsed by Nintendo is proven to be legal - and in that case it involved a company trying to make a profit, here we've just got hobbyists trying to do something interesting and not looking to make a buck.

    Nintendo can put whatever they want into the EULA but it doesn't mean that their statements will hold up in court. I don't have my EULA that came with my Gamecube available to me so I can't check it over and I haven't been able to find a copy online so maybe someone can quote theirs - but, I think that even if Nintendo makes statements regarding this type of operation, it wouldn't hold up in court.

    --
    I hate liberals. If you are a liberal, do not reply.
  5. because it's fun by cheezus · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm sure making linux run on strange hardware is fun and educational.

    Why run a smb3 on a nes emulator inside of a ps1 emulator inside a pc emulator inside a virtual machine on a mac?

    Geeks are just weird like that. I think it's cool.

    --
    /bin/fortune | slashdotsig.sh
  6. I agree and disagree by cheezus · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I too think it's cool that hobbyists are hacking consumer electronics.

    But, c'mon. Neither you nor I will ever actually run linux on our gamecubes.

    --
    /bin/fortune | slashdotsig.sh
  7. Re:questionable lagality? by k_187 · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Microsoft said so. When you open the box your xbox comes in you agree to a EULA which states you can't alter the hardware which is required to boot linux.

    --
    11 was a racehorse
    12 was 12
    1111 Race
    12112
  8. mplayer by Apreche · · Score: 1

    when mplayer runs on the gamecube, give me a call. I'll be sure to buy a broadband adapter then.

    --
    The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
  9. I disagree by sadler121 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The Gamecube is extremly cheap and once the team is able to get a working Linux OS on the Cube, there will be many applications for such a device. (Many have been mentioned aboove, like thin client, low end web server, etc).

    1. Re:I disagree by calebtucker · · Score: 1

      Add in the cost of a broadband adaptor (~$35-60) and Phantasy Star Online (~$35-50) along with the pain of running the PSO exploit every time you want to boot something.

      No thanks. Seems kinda fun just for a hobby though. I don't see any practical use unless the geeks figure out how to boot up for a disk (seems very unlikely at this point).

      --
      My sig can beat up your sig.
    2. Re:I disagree by Acidic_Diarrhea · · Score: 1
      $35 to $60 for the broadband adapter? I've never seen it for more than $35. As for PSO, I would imagine that the price of that is going to be coming down a bit more quickly than the price of the average game. Case in point, Everquest for PS2 - since the company makes the money through the subscriptions, the cost of the game dropped fairly quickly to $20. I'm not saying that PSO will drop to $20 tomorrow but it might get there more quickly than the average game.

      As for the pain of running the PSO exploit, you're right. That's a pain but if you're going to use it as a dumb terminal or a low end web server, why wouldn't it be on all the time anyway? Assuming you don't want to play games with your Gamecube anymore.

      --
      I hate liberals. If you are a liberal, do not reply.
    3. Re:I disagree by calebtucker · · Score: 1

      Maybe the BBA has dropped in price recently, but before Mario Kart was released, I think nintendo.com was out of stock and the only places to get them were ebay and the likes. I remember looking about a month before Mario Kart was released and the price was consistently around $60.

      Yeah, I guess I'm more thinking about booting up linux from time to time and still using the GC to play games on. I guess if I was going to use it as a comp, I would buy another for $99.

      One thing I just thought of though, how would they handle storage of files/programs? Doesn't the GC only have a small amount of memory?

      --
      My sig can beat up your sig.
    4. Re:I disagree by sadler121 · · Score: 1

      My guess is storage would have to come in a later Nintendo Games system. About all you can store in RAM is what is absolutly neccesary and when you re-boot, you'll lose any modifications that you make. That is, unless you mount a drive over the network from a PC and save all your prefrences there. ;-)

  10. Re:questionable lagality? by dago · · Score: 1

    Er, microsoft is just a private company and cannot decide on itself of what is legal or not.

    The EULA are limitations that can apply only to the software.

    --
    #include "coucou.h"
  11. In other news... by -kertrats- · · Score: 3, Funny

    GamecubeOS has reportedly been booted on a pc.

    --
    The Braying and Neighing of Barnyard Animals Follows.
    1. Re:In other news... by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      the emulator-in-progress's name is dolphin, pics and movies(speeded up ones for better viewing pleasure) available from http://www.emulation64.com/

      not going to be playing at good speed anything soon but the auther deserves a thumbs up! (the screenies are that good already!)

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  12. Re:questionable lagality? by Scarblac · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That's too bad for them. It's an object, a piece of hardware. You bought it. It's yours. You know, your property, not licensed or anything. Opening a box you own does not make you automatically agree to anything...

    --
    I believe posters are recognized by their sig. So I made one.
  13. Re:questionable lagality? by zulux · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Microsoft said so. When you open the box your xbox comes in you agree to a EULA which states you can't alter the hardware which is required to boot linux.

    I say so. When my XBOX connects to my internal network, Microsoft agress to an EULA/TOS which stats that I can alter the hardware which is required to boot.

    HINT: EULA's after a sales transaction have never been held by the courts to be enforcable (except for for case of limits of liability.)

    --

    Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.

  14. Re:questionable lagality? by jx100 · · Score: 1

    Funny, I bought mine used. I never even saw a EULA

  15. Dumb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Sellers have the right to place conditions on the use of items sold, and buyers have the right to take their business elsewhere if they don't like it.

    Furthermore, owning something does not give you the right to break the law. Rightfully owning a knife does not give you warrant to stab someone. Whether you like it or not, the DMCA *is law*... and under it, reverse engineering "your property" *is illegal*. No matter what you claim to have not agreed to.

    1. Re:Dumb by Ieshan · · Score: 1

      Yes, but if the international consortium of Knife Sellers decided that they'd make an EULA that said you couldn't cut eggplant with your knife, this would be different than the Government saying that you couldn't cut eggplants (or cut humans).

      Rightfully owning a piece of Hardware should be exactly *that*, not rightfully *licensing* a piece of hardware. Agreeing to an EULA seems to suggest that your purchase of an XboX is actually the purchase of a license to use an xbox. It isn't. You bought it, it's yours, you can take it apart and turn it into a toaster if you want to.

  16. NetBSD on Dreamcast by mnmn · · Score: 2, Insightful

    A new stock dreamcast can be bought for $99 from dealers who still carry it. Running Linux or BSD on any game console is cool and dramatically increases its usefulness. It also brings a good OS on good hardware for much cheaper than an eMachines computer.

    Does anyone know the current prices of a gamecube? Does anyone know if linux or BSD can be run on the first playstation (which is cheaper than dreamcast?).

    --
    "Give orange me give eat orange me eat orange give me eat orange give me you." -Nim Chimpsky
    1. Re:NetBSD on Dreamcast by metroid+composite · · Score: 1
      Current price of Gamecube: $99

      It's designed as a gaming system only, so they can make it cheap.

  17. Linux on GBA or DS by sofakingl · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This is cool, but I'd rather see Linux on the GBA, or maybe even the DS. A Linux distro on a portable system would be quite useful for those of us who want to have a makeshift PDA. Concidering the DS uses rewritable media, I think it could be done.

  18. PSOLoad by slux · · Score: 1

    There's only one problem with PSOload - it's non-free. This has resulted in not being able to load Linux on the cube from a GNU/Linux machine currently as only 1.1 is ported and only 2.0 loads it AFAIK. You can also forget about using PSOLoad if you're on PPC or any other non-x86 platform GNU/Linux runs on since there's never been a build.

    I hope there will eventually be a free way to load Linux and any other software on the Gamecube whether it's PSOLoad or not.

  19. Theres a reason they can't make the DVD's by Fearghaill · · Score: 2, Interesting

    In one of the more beautifully simplistic bits of copy-protection I've ever seen, Gamecube discs spin opposite to standard DVD/CD playing devices.

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there are a lot of reverse-direction DVD burners floating around.

    1. Re:Theres a reason they can't make the DVD's by Jawju · · Score: 4, Informative

      The GC discs spin the same way as other CD/DVDs (clockwise). However, they read from the outside towards the inside (I believe the XBox does the same). This allows faster bootups and so on. I think the problem with copying is getting your hands on the 8cm discs. You can get blank ones if you own a GC dev kit, but good luck getting them on ebay ;)

    2. Re:Theres a reason they can't make the DVD's by MyDixieWrecked · · Score: 1
      Do you have a link to support this?

      I've always heard that they spun backwards. One of my friends was working on rewiring his dvd drive in his computer to spin backwards but gave up after he felt that the drive wouldn't see the small disk.

      shouldn't it be possible to write the tracks onto a disk in such a way that it could be read by a GC? I mean, if you managed to take apart the enclosure, you could fit a regular-sized disk onto the drive so it could spin freely...

      and with that said, shouldn't it be possible to read those disks? I mean, at least be able to dump an iso from them or do a raw read of some sort? I fucked around with various iso-creation tools in OSX, Windows, and Linux and came up with nothing... but then again, I'm no engineer and don't realy know the ins and outs of most of this stuff. The most I've done is be able to run (not play, bah!) bootleg games.

      --



      ...spike
      Ewwwwww, coconut...
    3. Re:Theres a reason they can't make the DVD's by Jawju · · Score: 1, Informative

      There's a lot of comments on this older /. article.

      The disc spinning backwards seems to be some sort of chinese whisper due to the fact that the tracks written on it are reversed.

      But there's a simpler way I know they spin in the right direction - I own one, and if you have it running and open the case, the disc is spinning in the regular direction.

    4. Re:Theres a reason they can't make the DVD's by Acidic_Diarrhea · · Score: 1
      Even if that were the case, how hard is it to reverse the bits of whatever iso you are burning before doing the actual burn? Think about it, that's an easy hardware solution.

      Let's suppose the iso you want to be read is 111000, in a standard format. And let's imagine your pretend device that reads backwards, then just burn 000111 to the disc. Solution presented. The problems with replicating GC discs do not involve this supposed spinning backwards problem.

      By the way, if you own a Gamecube, try hitting the open button when the disc is switching and checking out wheather the disc is spinning clockwise or counterclockwise. You'll then be wise enough to stop spreading this lie.

      --
      I hate liberals. If you are a liberal, do not reply.
    5. Re:Theres a reason they can't make the DVD's by freakmn · · Score: 1
      Even if that were the case, how hard is it to reverse the bits of whatever iso you are burning before doing the actual burn? Think about it, that's an easy hardware solution.

      Actually, it isn't even as simple as that. AFAIK, CD's are written to in the same fashion as records were/are, to some extent. The data (or music) is laid out in a spiral. If the disc is burned from the inside out, while spinning clockwise, the laser/needle will move outward when the disc is spinning clockwise, as you would expect. Now if you want to read from the outer edge in, you have to either spin the disc the opposite direction, or have it "wound" the other direction. To see this effect, try to get a record to read from the inside out while it is still spinning clockwise. It is impossible.

      --
      warning: This post is likely to contain gobs of dripping sarcasm. Consume at your own risk.
    6. Re:Theres a reason they can't make the DVD's by WWWWolf · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well, I have a GameCube, and every time I power it down and open the lid, the disc is spinning clockwise...

      There have been some seriously tricky rumors about the contents of the disk. What is so far known is that the media is normal 8mm DVD - burnable blanks are available, just rarely and costly. (No idea if the GC drive can read burned discs anyway - as everyone knows some optical drives can only read factory-pressed CDs/DVDs...)

      Yet, the disc is not in standard DVD format. And the problem is, the DVD-ROM drives are probably too smart to read disks blindly and just tell what's the situation on some specific spot on the disc surface.

      Sort of like the "copy-protected" CDs. The discs are not in standard Redbook format, so "dumb" CD players can read them almost (and barely) without problems, because they essentially do "The groove starts here, read the pits at constant speed from here on and make some noise". The "smart" CD-ROM drives can't read the discs because they're intentionally confused by the bogus data on CD - "Read the disc table of contents to determine track location... what the hell?" or "The disc says this, the error-correction data says that, uh, don't blame me if you're getting a headache from all this, boss". (Nintendo's case is different from broken CDs because this stuff is a comprehensive design from ground up, of course... it just happens to use mini-DVD discs and drive mechanism, not the standard disc layout.)

      So obviously, you can't rip the GC discs if your DVD-ROM drive won't even recognize it as a DVD-ROM! I read somewhere people were using really contrived means to examine the disc data, like hooking up an oscilloscope to GameCube disc drive data lines...

      Some speculate that there are features on the disc that are absolutely impossible to replicate on consumer DVD+-RW drives. For example, some think the barcode visible on inner part of the disc is relevant to booting the disc, and burning features that are visible to naked eye might be mighty tricky...

      And I'm not a GC technical expert, I've only had the machine for less than a month and I've read only a couple of articles on the matter anyway. Hope this helps.

  20. BogoMIPS...? by PipianJ · · Score: 2, Insightful

    From the screenshots... The GameCube only runs 484.96 BogoMIPS? Sounds pretty reasonable considering the speed of the chip...

    1. Re:BogoMIPS...? by edwdig · · Score: 1

      484.96 sounds pretty low to me. The GameCube CPU is a modifed version of the PPC 750 running at 485 MHz. Based on the site you linked, I'd expect it fall in between these two entries:

      PowerPC 750/400 G3 801.67
      PowerPC 750cx/600 iMac 1198.00

  21. Re:This is fun by SamSim · · Score: 1

    I installed Linux on the Sun once. No, not a Sun. The Sun. But I decided to revert to the old OS when I realised that it had stopped going down every night.

    --
    qntm.org
  22. Re:questionable lagality? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    What if you get someone else to open the box for you or buy the unit used?

  23. Re:perepherals and whatnot... by Psykechan · · Score: 2, Informative

    Nintendo has broadband (Ethernet) adapters for sale here at their online store. They don't have them listed as backordered like some of their other items so they should be in stock.

    For anyone who is thinking that the GC is useless running Linux without a hard drive, I would like to point out the SD flash RAM adapter and Mini DVD-R discs. While these aren't necessarily supported by the project at the moment, it's not too big of a stretch to imagine that they may be.

  24. Well, I'm Impressed by nathanh · · Score: 1

    When the Gamecube-Linux project was reported on Slashdot a few weeks back, I was skeptical. It sounded too much like one of those "we've got a plan and a roadmap and a committee and a logo... now we just need people who can write code" projects.

    But if those screenshots are for real (ie, not faked) then I'm impressed. Linux now boots on all the latest generation consoles (DC, PS2, XBOX, GC). That means the hardware that can run Linux is both pervasive (50 million PS2s? 10 million XBOXs? 10 million GCs?) and cheap (starting from $99!).

    Linux everywhere. It's no longer a pipe dream. Congratulations to the GC-Linux team for taking Linux one step closer towards world domination.

  25. Very funny... by WWWWolf · · Score: 1

    First prealpha booting in 40 column mode, complete with Commodore 64 font??? Where can I get a Linux framebuffer patch to do that?

    Smells mighty suspicious...

    1. Re:Very funny... by modifried · · Score: 1

      Take a look at the windows title bar. "Dolwin -- Nintendo Dolphin Emulator for Win32" That was before they were able to get the kernel to actually boot, just uncompress itself.

    2. Re:Very funny... by WWWWolf · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I saw it was in emulator. That still doesn't explain the appearance of the text, unless it's a feature of the emulator.

      But still, I wonder why anyone would have bothered to specifically use slightly odd screen colors to say the least, 40 column text mode, and on top of all that a Commodore 64 font!

      It didn't make much sense to me - it smells of unnecessary tweaking with details to appear to be cool. There might have been some other priorities at the time, such as, oh, trying to get it to boot or something.

      I would have rather expected to see 640x480 FB graphics mode with 80x25 text with the ordinary Linux fonts...

      So where did the strange text appearance come from? Is it a feature of the Dolwin emulator? (I'm not familiar with this program.) Or was it indeed a purposeful kewlness tweak or a stopgap measure?

      Of course, I'm not saying it is a hoax, I'm saying it looks ridiculous and as such it might be. I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for all this, it just isn't apparent in the screenshot...

  26. Re:perepherals and whatnot... by Dasaan · · Score: 1

    The SD Flash is a posibility, but not the mini DVD-R discs. From what I've read the discs are written differently enough that they cannot be read be a normal dvd drive. Also meaning that standard mini dvd discs cannot be read.

    On another note Gamecube memory cards can be bought in sizes upto 128 megebits and accessing the memory card slots (including accessing any peripherals plugged in I assume) is on the roadmap for the linux/gamecube project. 128Mbits should be more than enough for a /home directory to store files and preferences.

    --
    XP is basicly 98 with a lot more extra features to hunt down and disable. --Dram
  27. Commercial loader by Dasaan · · Score: 1

    It would be nice if a disc like the freeloader disc or the action replay could be updated to allow direct booting from either the broadband adapter of from the disc itself. Maybe it would be an idea to approach datel once a working version is available. They have a long history of producing some of the more interesting peripherals for various consoles.

    --
    XP is basicly 98 with a lot more extra features to hunt down and disable. --Dram
  28. Amiga 1084 by jafuser · · Score: 1

    Anyone else notice the Amiga 1084-style monitor in one of the pictures? =D

    --
    Please consider making an automatic monthly recurring donation to the EFF